Muhammad, Child brides, and David Liepert

By Silas

Dr. David Liepert, a spokesman for Islam in Canada, wrote an article declaring that Islam does not promote or allow child marriage. He wrote this article to rebut Atheists, Christians, Muslims, and others, who claim that Islam allows men to marry children. Dr. Liepert has been a regular contributor to the Huffington Post and writes articles about his version of Islam. His article is here.⁽¹⁾

I want to start by presenting his conclusion because he establishes some of his standards:

Because if any of us care about things like "truth" and "fidelity" as much as so many of us claim, "Too busy to check the facts out for myself" just doesn't seem like much of an excuse.

What's my bottom line? The age Aisha attained before she married the Prophet is one issue we have to put to rest -- for the sake of children everywhere. There is absolutely no question that Aisha was an adult when she consummated her marriage with Muhammad of her own free will, and she lived out her life in the earliest days of Islam the un-harassed and proudly participatory equal of everyone, just like every other man, woman or child under God.

Since Liepert establishes standards of truth, fidelity, and doing due diligence to “check the facts out,” I think it fair then to hold Liepert accountable to those standards. Let's see how much Liepert cares about truth and fidelity. Let's see if Liepert did "check the facts out." Let's examine the Islamic texts, "check the facts out," and determine if Aisha was an adult when her marriage to Muhammad was consummated.

Liepert copies from various Muslim articles and arguments found throughout the web. His work here looks like it plagiarized the article from the website discoveringislam.com. They argue that Aisha was NOT nine when Muhammad married her and consummated the marriage. Those articles have been up for a long time and most of those arguments have been dealt with by other Muslim, Christian, and Atheist writers. For example, one Muslim scholar, Dr. G. F. Haddad has written a very detailed rebuttal of many of the arguments Liepert copied. Dr. Haddad believes what the Muslim source materials state: that Aisha was nine when her marriage was consummated with Muhammad. Dr. Haddad’s article is found here.⁽²⁾

I'll respond to Liepert's claims and add some counter-challenges for Muslims. Throughout this article I will bold and underline key phrases within the references I quote.

Muslim arguments and positions related to Aisha's marriage and age of consummation fall into these general categories:

they admit that Aisha was 9 but claim she had had her first menarche. Having her first menarche qualifies her as an adult and makes intercourse with a 9 year old child acceptable.
they claim Aisha was not 9, (perhaps 12, or 14, or 18), but that she had had her first menarche. Aisha is portrayed as an adult teen. This argument is tailored to gain acceptance and approval by a Western audience and tries to absolve Muhammad and Islam of any blame. What Muhammad did was normal and natural.
they admit that Aisha was 9 and that she had not yet had her first menarche. This is the opinion of the early and greatest Muslim scholars who form the bedrock of Islam today.

Liepert falls into category 2. He wishes to put a happy, acceptable, and benign face on Islam and wants its tenants accepted by the West. Consequently he goes to effort to create arguments to convince his readers to buy what he’s selling. He doesn't want Islam to smell repulsive. Despite his efforts, more and more people in the West, (and throughout the world now), are seeing Islam's real fruit, and it smells bad. Even those who have initially given Islam the benefit of the doubt are now seeing Muslims’ continuing acts of violence, oppression of women and minorities, and hatred of all that is non-Islamic, and they are now doubting Islam's fidelity.

Consequently, Muslims like Liepert use an array of innovative liberal arguments to soften Islam's true historical and theological position. They have to work harder at portraying Islam as benevolent, and its critics as malicious. Notice his repetitive use of “Islamophobe” and “Islamophile.” Liepert is spraying air freshener in the room trying to hide the stench from his guests. Liepert wants to blame others and distract from this pernicious issue.

Below is a summary of Liepert's arguments against Aisha's age of nine when her marriage to Muhammad was consummated. I’ll answer 1, 4, 5, and 6 in detail.

Argument 1) Liepert paraphrases material from al-Tabari and Ibn Hisham's recension of Ibn Ishaq's biography of Muhammad and asserts that Aisha accepted Islam 12 years before her marriage.

Aisha was married in 622 C.E., and although her exact birthday is unknown, Abu Ja'far Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari recorded that it happened before Islam was revealed in 610. The earliest surviving biography of Muhammad, Abu Muhammad 'Abd al-Malik bin Hisham's recension of Ibn Ishaq's Sirat Rasul Allah -- The Life of the Messenger of God records that Aisha accepted Islam shortly after it was revealed -- 12 years before her marriage -- and there is no way she could have done so as an infant or toddler.

Liepert claims Aisha's exact birth date is unknown. Liepert fails to provide any detailed references for his readers to verify (other than mentioning authors). We'll examine this in detail later.

Argument 2) He claims that Aisha was involved in the battles of Badr and Uhud, and that no one under the age of 15 was allowed to participate.

Furthermore, it is a matter of incontrovertible historical record that Aisha was involved in the Battles of Badr in 624 and Uhud in 625, in neither of which was anyone under the age of 15 allowed.

Again, Liepert fails to provide any detailed references, probably because he is quoting from other websites that also do not provide specific references (you should be able to find similar quotes on other Muslim websites making the same argument). Notice that Liepert does not state what "involved" is. Being present at a battle does not mean you are involved. Muhammad did not allow males under 15 or women to participate in actual battle but he did allow females to carry water to his soldiers.

Interestingly, the Muslim scholar, Dr. Haddad also addresses this argument:

First, the prohibition applied to combatants. It applied neither to non-combatant boys nor to non-combatant girls and women. Second, `A'isha did not participate in Badr at all but bade farewell to the combatants as they were leaving Madina, as narrated by Muslim in his Sahih. On the day of Uhud (year 3), Anas, at the time only twelve or thirteen years old, reports seeing an eleven-year old `A'isha and his mother Umm Sulaym having tied up their dresses and carrying water skins back and forth to the combatants, as narrated by al-Bukhari and Muslim.

Argument 3) He claims that the timing in Al-Khatib's biography in Miskat al-Masabih that makes Aisha's age 14 when she married Muhammad, and 20 when the marriage was consummated.

Finally, Imam Wali-ud-Din Muhammad ibn Abdullah Al-Khatib, dead for more than 700 years, recorded in the biographical section of Miskat al-Masabih that Asma, her elder sister of 10 years, died at the age of 100, 72 years after Aisha's wedding. This makes Aisha's age at the time of her marriage at least 14, and at the time of her marriage's consummation almost 20.

I don't have the entire Mishkat al-Masabih so I cannot examine Liepert's reference and how he arrived at his conclusion. However, Dr. Haddad also addresses this supposed age difference of 10 years:

Well, Ibn Kathir based himself on Ibn Abi al-Zinad's assertion that she was ten years older than `A'isha, however, al-Dhahabi in Siyar A`lam al-Nubala' said there was a greater difference than 10 years between the two, up to 19, and he is more reliable here.

Argument 4) He argues that the phrase in 65:4 "Lam Yahidna" means "did not menstruate," rather than "have no courses", i.e. do not menstruate, meaning they are children who have not yet started their periods. He cites his discussions with "progressive" scholars. I wish he would have provided his readers with the names of these "scholars" he cites. Their translations and interpretations of the Quran should be held up for the Islamic community to evaluate. Here is Liepert's argument:

Now, I've discussed the verse with progressive Islamic scholars and learned that "Lam Yahidna" negates menstruation in the past tense and the jussive mode and means "did not menstruate," with the expectation that the woman should be menstruating, since that natural cycle is part of her normal state.

Then again, I know that there are Islamic scholars from Arabia and Pakistan -- another place with long traditions of both child-marriage and misogyny -- and Islamophobes from around the world who interpret it as if it says "has not menstruated yet," with the jussive mode implying the girl is impatient to begin, ensuring that it seems to perpetuate the pre-Islamic practice of having sex with pre-pubescent girls.

Between those two incredibly divergent positions, how does one choose?

When Muslims face difficult questions, we have the Sunnah, an Arabic word meaning "the acts of Muhammad," to guide us, and that's why Aisha's age is such an issue. But the thing is, whether Aisha was still a child when her marriage was consummated has never been a question: all scholars agree that occurred after Aisha's menarche. Islamophobes inevitably claim otherwise, but they do so based on a completely fictitious interpretation of events.

We'll examine this in more detail later, but note, Liepert uses Arabic terms when it helps to support his argument, but seems to gloss over the “Arabic scholars” who interpret the word’s meaning as it is translated and as critics of Islam also define it. Liepert comments: "All scholars agree that occurred after Aisha's menarche"? I don't think "all" means what Liepert thinks it means. I'll present evidence that prominent Muslim scholars state the fact that Aisha did not have her first menarche prior to her marriage consummation.

Argument 5) Liepert argues that because there are supposedly contradictory hadith about Aisha's age, then they essentially cancel each other out:

The cause of the confusion is simple. Imam Bukhari, compiler of the famous Hadith collection (Hadith in this context meaning stories about Muhammad) Sahih Bukhari included one recalling that Aisha said she was 6 when betrothed and 9 when she was wed. However, Bukhari included another recording that Aisha was a young girl and remembered when Surah Al-Qamar was revealed -- 9 years before her wedding -- as well. Obviously, both Hadiths can't be true, and that's the problem with relying too much on Hadiths, and too little on the Quran and common sense.

...

I also can't think of a better set of examples of what it's talking about than the damage that's been done by confusion over Aisha's age of consummation.

We'll examine this argument in more detail shortly, but note, Liepert again provides no reference for his quotes. Sahih Bukhari is nine volumes long. It isn't good enough to make a glib claim and say "Sahih Bukhari says..." without providing a reference when your argument depends heavily on this particular quote.

Argument 6) Liepert uses the tried and failed argument that the hadith that come through Hisham ibn Urwah are suspect, and possibly fabricated to discredit Aisha.

I have read a great deal of speculation about why Hadiths that make Aisha seem immature might be wrong. Most of them came out of what is now Iraq, through one specific source named Hisham ibn Urwah. And it's worth noting that his student Muslim -- who collated the Hadiths of Sahih Muslim -- specifically chose not to include any from his respected teacher after Hisham went to Iraq. Some say it's because Hisham's memory became spotty, others say it was because Iraq was a political hotbed of "anti-Aisha" feeling and some evil men fabricated Hadiths in Hisham's name.

But none of the speculation matters. The only thing you need to realize is that both the tales Bukhari included can't both be true. That fact, put together with the Quran's warning, means that Hadiths can't be as authoritative to Muslims as the Holy Quran and the Sunnah are.

We'll also see if there are other hadith chains of narrators that do not use Hisham ibn Urwah, but do state that Aisha's age was nine when the marriage was consummated.

LIEPERT’S ARGUMENTS EVALUATED

Argument 1

Let's examine Liepert's first argument. Liepert says Aisha's exact birth date is unknown. Perhaps the exact day is not well defined, but the birth year is narrowed down, and in terms of the context of our argument, it renders Liepert's argument false and his claim inaccurate. Here are quotes from various references, some of them from Islamic source materials:

"The Reliance of the Traveler" page 1037, states she was born in 613, nine years before the Hijrah.⁽³⁾

The Shorter Encyclopedia of Islam, under ‘A’isha, page 25, says she was born in 613/614.⁽⁴⁾

Nabia Abbott wrote a detailed biography of Aisha and on page one states:

Here in about 614 was born his daughter Aishah.⁽⁵⁾

Further, on page four she states:

... within a few months of Khadijah's death in A.D. 619, married in quick succession the widow Sawdah and the six-year-old Aishah. The marriage was not consummated until three years later in Medina.

Liepert refers to Tabari’s history but failed to provide the reference (a persistent failing of his). However, Tabari's History contains many early quotes and statements from early Muslims and there are numerous contradictions, or viewpoints, on historical events. Much like eyewitness accounts can contradict each other, so Tabari provides a wide spectrum of accounts. However, Tabari is very explicit about Muhammad's marriage to Aisha and writes in Volume 39, page 171:

The Prophet married Aishah in Shawwal in the tenth year after the [beginning of his] prophethood, three years before the Emigration. On the day he consummated the marriage with her she was nine years old.⁽⁶⁾

Tabari states Aisha's age explicitly. There is no vague reference and assumption like Liepert used, rather a direct declaration "nine." You'll see later on evidence that is overwhelming the declaration: Aisha was nine when Muhammad first had sex with her.

To further denude Liepert's misleading argument, here are other quotes from Tabari, volume 39, page 173:

Aisha died in Ramadan 58/June-July 678.

...

Aisha dies on Tuesday night, the 17th of Ramadan 58 June-July 678, and was buried the same night after the night prayer. She was then sixty-six years old.

(Also, J. McAuliffe's "Encyclopaedia of the Quran,"⁽⁷⁾ under 'A'isha states on page 55 that she died in 678 (as does the "Reliance of the Traveler").

We’ll examine the source dates, do the math, and arrive at the conclusion that Aisha was 9 when she had sex with Muhammad. It all adds up consistently and points to Aisha's age being nine (or at most ten) when the marriage was consummated:

Here are some key Islamic historical dates:

Muhammad starting preaching Islam in 610.
Aisha was born around 613.
Muhammad fled to Yathrib/Medina in 622. Aisha followed a short time after.
622 - 613 = 9 (probably early 9).
Muhammad consummated his marriage to Aisha shortly after Aisha arrived in Yathrib/Medina in 623.
623 - 613 = 10 (or late 9).

I added the "or late nine" above because Islamic scholarship has examined these occurrences down to the month and have concluded that Aisha was nine. A few Islamic sources say she was ten. I'm going with and presenting what the strong majority of Islamic source texts state, (as you’ll see shortly).

All of those dates are established by the Islamic source materials. And note, I'm not using vague references that can be construed to mean different things. I am using actual dates established by actual quotes from the actual Islamic source materials. I don't need to appeal to "progressive" scholars, I am quoting true scholars, the great scholars of Islam. Perhaps Liepert used the word "progressive" to gain more acceptance by the liberal readers at the Huffington Post. Liepert knows that word can be used as a free-pass ticket among its readership for it works to stop critical thinking and ease acceptance of his argument. (Conservative writers do the same thing in using the word "conservative" with respect to an argument because it helps gain acceptance by a conservative audience).

The chronological evidence above shows that Liepert is wrong and he misled his readers by saying her exact birth date is unknown. Since we are talking about age relative to years her birth date is defined by various Muslim scholars from 612 to 614. That time frame bears upon the context of this discussion and proves that she was nine (or ten if you wish) when Muhammad first had sex with her.

Argument 4

Liepert and his "progressive scholars" (whoever they are) argue that the phrase in 65:4 "Lam Yahidna" means "did not menstruate," rather than "have no courses", i.e. do not menstruate, meaning they are children who have not yet started their periods. Liepert went so far as to criticize those who interpret as "has not menstruated yet," because they are “ensuring that it seems to perpetuate the pre-Islamic practice of having sex with pre-pubescent girls.”

Let’s test the soundness of Liepert’s argument. Below are 9 quotations from English translations of the Quran. These represent works from a wide spectrum of scholars: Muslim, (Sunni and Shia), Christian, and Atheist. Let's see how they translated the phrase.

1) Dawood:

If you are in doubt concerning those of your wives who have ceased menstruating, know that their waiting period shall be three months. The same shall apply to those who have not menstruated. As for pregnant women, their term shall end with their confinement. God will ease the hardship of the man who fears him.⁽⁸⁾

2) Yusuf Ali:

Such of your women as have passed the age of monthly courses, for them the prescribed period, if ye have any doubts, is three months, and for those who have no courses (it is the same): for those who carry (life within their wombs), their period is until they deliver their burdens: and for those who fear Allah, He will make their path easy.⁽⁹⁾

3) Pickthal:

And for such of your women as despair of menstruation, if ye doubt, their period (of waiting) shall be three months, along with those who have it not. And for those with child, their period shall be till they bring forth their burden. And whosoever keepeth his duty to Allah, He maketh his course easy for him.⁽¹⁰⁾

4) Shakir:

And (as for) those of your women who have despaired of menstruation, if you have a doubt, their prescribed time shall be three months, and of those too who have not had their courses; and (as for) the pregnant women, their prescribed time is that they lay down their burden; and whoever is careful of (his duty to) Allah He will make easy for him his affair.⁽¹¹⁾

5) Arberry:

As for your women who have despaired of further menstruating, if you are in doubt, their period shall be three months, and those who have not menstruated as yet. And those who are with child, their term is when they bring forth their burden. Whoso fears God, God will appoint for him, of His command, easiness.⁽¹²⁾

6) The Noble Qur'an (translated by M. Khan and M. Al-Hilali):

And those of your women as have passed the age of monthly courses, for them the Iddah (prescribed period), if you have doubts (about their periods), is three months, and for those who have no courses [(i.e. they are still immature) their Iddah (prescribed period) is three months likewise, except in the case of death]. And for those who are pregnant (whether they are divorced or their husbands are dead), their Iddah (prescribed period) is until they deliver (their burdens), and whosoever fears Allah and keeps his duty to Him, He will make his matter easy for him.⁽¹³⁾

7) Asad:

Now as for such of your women as are beyond the age of monthly courses, as well as for such as do not have any courses,¹⁰ their waiting-period - if you have any doubt [about it] - shall be three [calendar] months; and as for those who are with child, the end of their waiting-term shall come when they deliver their burden.⁽¹⁴⁾

(Note 10 says: "I.e., for any physiological reason whatever).

8) Sale:

As to such of your wives as shall despair having their courses, by reason of their age; if ye be in doubt thereof, let their term be three months: and let the same be the term of those who have not yet had their courses. But as to those who are pregnant, their term shall be, until they be delivered of their burden. And whoso feareth God, unto him will he make his command easy.⁽¹⁵⁾

9) Rodwell:

As to such of your wives as have no hope of the recurrence of their times, if ye have doubts in regard to them, then reckon three months, and let the same be the term of those who have not yet had them. And as to those who are with child, their period shall be until they are delivered of their burden. God will make His command easy to him who feareth Him.⁽¹⁶⁾

These translations translate the phrase uniformly as meaning little girls who have not yet started to menstruate. None of them support Liepert’s twisted translation.

Additionally, there is also more scholarly verification of what this phrase means. We can examine some historical commentary on the subject and see how the great Islamic scholars translated and commented on the passage (all quotes are from http://www.altafsir.com/ ⁽¹⁷⁾):

TAFSIR: Al-Jalalayn

And [as for] those of your women who (read allā’ī or allā’i in both instances) no longer expect to menstruate, if you have any doubts, about their waiting period, their prescribed [waiting] period shall be three months, and [also for] those who have not yet menstruated, because of their young age, their period shall [also] be three months — both cases apply to other than those whose spouses have died; for these [latter] their period is prescribed in the verse: they shall wait by themselves for four months and ten [days] [Q. 2:234]. And those who are pregnant, their term, the conclusion of their prescribed [waiting] period if divorced or if their spouses be dead, shall be when they deliver. And whoever fears God, He will make matters ease for him, in this world and in the Hereafter.

TAFSIR: Al-Wahidi

(And for such of your women as despair of menstruation…) [65:4]. Said Muqatil: “When the verse (Women who are divorced shall wait, keeping themselves apart…), Kallad ibn al-Nu‘man ibn Qays al-Ansari said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, what is the waiting period of the woman who does not menstruate and the woman who has not menstruated yet? And what is the waiting period of the pregnant woman?’ And so Allah, exalted is He, revealed this verse”. Abu Ishaq al-Muqri’ informed us> Muhammad ibn ‘Abd Allah ibn Hamdun> Makki ibn ‘Abdan> Abu’l-Azhar> Asbat ibn Muhammad> Mutarrif> Abu ‘Uthman ‘Amr ibn Salim who said: “When the waiting period for divorced and widowed women was mentioned in Surah al-Baqarah, Ubayy ibn Ka‘b said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, some women of Medina are saying: there are other women who have not been mentioned!’ He asked him: ‘And who are they?’ He said: ‘Those who are too young [such that they have not started menstruating yet], those who are too old [whose menstruation has stopped] and those who are pregnant’. And so this verse (And for such of your women as despair of menstruation…) was revealed”.

TAFSIR: Ibn Abbas

(And for such of your women as despair of menstruation) because of old age, (if ye doubt) about their waiting period, (their period (of waiting) shall be three months) upon which another man asked: “O Messenger of Allah! What about the waiting period of those who do not have menstruation because they are too young?” (along with those who have it not) because of young age, their waiting period is three months. Another man asked: “what is the waiting period for those women who are pregnant?” (And for those with child) i.e. those who are pregnant, (their period) their waiting period (shall be till they bring forth their burden) their child. (And whosoever keepeth his duty to Allah) and whoever fears Allah regarding what he commands him, (He maketh his course easy for him) He makes his matter easy; and it is also said this means: He will help him to worship Him well.

TAFSIR: Ibn Kathir

(4. Those in menopause among your women, for them the `Iddah, if you have doubt, is three months; and for those who have no courses. And for those who are pregnant, their `Iddah is until they lay down their burden; and whosoever has Taqwa of Allah, He will make his matter easy for him.) (5. That is the command of Allah, which He has sent down to you; and whosoever has Taqwa of Allah, He will expiate from him his sins, and will increase his reward.)

Allah the Exalted clarifies the waiting period of the woman in menopause. And that is the one whose menstruation has stopped due to her older age. Her `Iddah is three months instead of the three monthly cycles for those who menstruate, which is based upon the Ayah in (Surat) Al-Baqarah. ﴿ see 2:228 ﴾The same for the young, who have not reached the years of menstruation.) Their `Iddah is three months like those in menopause.

Further, we can examine what some of the primary manuals of Islamic law and jurisprudence state:

Manual of Islamic Law: Shafi'i, "Reliance of the Traveler"

Section n9.2, page 567:

A waiting period is obligatory for a woman divorced after intercourse, whether the husband and wife are prepubescent, have reached puberty, or one has and the other has not.

Section n9.9, page 569

The waiting period for a woman who does not menstruate, whether prepubescent or post menopausal, is three months.

Commentary on Islamic Law: "Hedaya".

"Divorce, Chapter X11, "Of the Edit." page 128

"and of one not subject to courses, three months: and of none who is pregnant, the term of her travail." The Edit of a woman who, on account of extreme youth or age, is not subject to the menstrual discharge is three months, because God has so ordained in the sacred writing⁽¹⁸⁾

I’ve presented quotes from nine English Qurans, Islamic scholar’s commentaries, and Islamic books of law, and they all view the phrase in question as applying to female children who have not had their first menstrual cycle. If you think for a few minutes about this Quranic verse you’ll understand that it de-facto allows Muslim men to marry pre-pubescent children and have intercourse with them (if they were not engaging in sex, they would not have to wait three months to see if they were pregnant). Of course, if you're disposed to believe that Liepert and his merry band of "progressive" interpreters are greater than Tabari, Ibn Abbas, Ibn Kathir, al-Shafi'i, the two Jalals, Yusuf Ali, Pickthal, M. Asad, etc. then there is little I can write to convince you otherwise. Then again, there are probably people who consider witch-doctors and wizards better doctors than those you'll find at Massachusetts General Hospital.

NO! Liepert's spin is wrong!. He's attempting to put a false, humane face on the Quran's allowance of child marriage. The real scholars, from all aspects of faith: Christian, Shia and Sunni Muslim, Atheist, etc., have all translated this verse uniformly, and the great scholars of Islam have all commented uniformly: this passage allows men to marry pre-pubescent children and engage in sex with them.

Muslims like Liepert in the West are faced with a dilemma: interpret the texts accurately or interpret it to make Islam politically correct. Liepert is interpreting this text to make Islam seem politically correct. But if you talk with Muslims in the Mideast they have no qualms about telling you the truth about this passage.

A note to the readers: What Liepert is doing, perverting the Quran, is very offensive to Muslims. Muhammad warned against innovations to the Quran and Muslims to not tolerate those who twist its words. Liepert is clearly twisting the Quran to make it politically correct to Westerners. True Muslims do not feel obligated to twist their Scriptures.

Further, take a deeper look. Liepert is insulting scholars like Mawdudi, Ibn Kathir, al-Shafi'i, and so on, and claims that they are trying to perpetuate the sexual abuse of children:

Liepert is insulting those scholars because he views them as perpetuating an evil upon children.

Arguments 5 and 6

In argument 5 Liepert misconstrued a hadith from Bukhari and claimed that it supported a much later age of the consummation, therefore it somehow cancels out one of Bukhari's hadith that states that the age of consummation was nine. Perhaps he's trying to fool the readers into thinking that there is only one hadith that states Aisha was nine, consequently one cancels out the other, and we have to look for evidence elsewhere. In argument 6 Liepert uses the old argument that the chain of narrators (isnaad) that involve Hisham ibn Urwah cannot be trusted for various reasons.

I'll show you that there is a mountain of hadith, and other Islamic source texts, that state Aisha was nine when Muhammad first had sex with her, and that many isnaads do not involve Hisham ibn Urwah. I'll show you this ad-nauseum because I want you to know just how wrong Liepert is.

I will simply copy and paste a quote from one of Sam Shamoun's articles that discusses this topic in detail here.⁽¹⁹⁾

SAHIH AL-BUKHARI⁽²⁰⁾

Narrated Aisha:

The Prophet engaged me when I was a girl of six (years). We went to Medina and stayed at the home of Bani-al-Harith bin Khazraj. Then I got ill and my hair fell down. Later on my hair grew (again) and my mother, Um Ruman, came to me while I was playing in a swing with some of my girl friends. She called me, and I went to her, not knowing what she wanted to do to me. She caught me by the hand and made me stand at the door of the house. I was breathless then, and when my breathing became all right, she took some water and rubbed my face and head with it. Then she took me into the house. There in the house I saw some Ansari women who said, "Best wishes and Allah's Blessing and a good luck." Then she entrusted me to them and they prepared me (for the marriage). Unexpectedly Allah's Apostle came to me in the forenoon and my mother handed me over to him, and at that time I was a girl of nine years of age. (Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 5, Book 58, Number 234)

Narrated Hisham's father:

Khadija died three years before the Prophet departed to Medina. He stayed there for two years or so and then he married 'Aisha when she was a girl of six years of age, and he consumed that marriage when she was nine years old. (Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 5, Book 58, Number 236)

Narrated 'Aisha:

Allah's Apostle said to me, "You were shown to me twice (in my dream) before I married you. I saw an angel carrying you in a silken piece of cloth, and I said to him, 'Uncover (her),' and behold, it was you. I said (to myself), 'If this is from Allah, then it must happen.' Then you were shown to me, the angel carrying you in a silken piece of cloth, and I said (to him), 'Uncover (her), and behold, it was you. I said (to myself), 'If this is from Allah, then it must happen.'" (Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 9, Book 87, Number 140; see also Number 139)

Narrated 'Aisha:

that the Prophet married her when she was six years old and he consummated his marriage when she was nine years old, and then she remained with him for nine years (i.e., till his death). (Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 7, Book 62, Number 64; see also Numbers 65 and 88)

SAHIH MUSLIM⁽²¹⁾

'A'isha (Allah be pleased with her) reported: Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) married me when I was six years old, and I was admitted to his house at the age of nine. She further said: We went to Medina and I had an attack of fever for a month, and my hair had come down to the earlobes. Umm Ruman (my mother) came to me and I was at that time on a swing along with my playmates. She called me loudly and I went to her and I did not know what she had wanted of me. She took hold of my hand and took me to the door, and I was saying: Ha, ha (as if I was gasping), until the agitation of my heart was over. She took me to a house, where had gathered the women of the Ansar. They all blessed me and wished me good luck and said: May you have share in good. She (my mother) entrusted me to them. They washed my head and embellished me and nothing frightened me. Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) came there in the morning, and I was entrusted to him. (Sahih Muslim, Book 008, Number 3309; see also 3310)

'A'isha (Allah be pleased with her) reported that Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) married her when she was seven years old, and he was taken to his house as a bride when she was nine, and her dolls were with her; and when he (the Holy Prophet) died she was eighteen years old. (Sahih Muslim, Book 008, Number 3311)

SUNAN ABU DAWUD⁽²²⁾

Aisha said: The Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) married me when I was seven years old. The narrator Sulaiman said: Or six years. He had intercourse with me when I was nine years old. (Sunan Abu Dawud, Number 2116)

Narrated Aisha, Ummul Mu'minin:

The Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) married me when I was seven or six. When we came to Medina, some women came. According to Bishr's version: Umm Ruman came to me when I was swinging. They took me, made me prepared and decorated me. I was then brought to the Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him), and he took up cohabitation with me when I was nine. She halted me at the door, and I burst into laughter. (Sunan Abu Dawud, Book 41, Number 4915)

SUNAN NASA‘I⁽²³⁾

… When Hadrat Aisha passed nine years of marriage life, the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) fell in mortal sickness… ‘A’isha was eighteen years of age at the time when the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) passed away and she remained a widow for forty-eight years till she died at the age of sixty-seven. She saw the rules of four Caliphs in her lifetime. She died on Ramadan 58 A.H. during the Caliphate of Hadrat Amir Mu‘awiya… (Sunan Nasa'i: English translation with Arabic Text, compiled by Imam Abu Abd-ur-Rahman Ahmad Nasa'i, rendered into English by Muhammad Iqbal Siddiqui [Kazi Publication, 121-Zulqarnain Chambers, Gampat Road, Lahore, Pakistan; first edition, 1994], Volume 1, p. 108)

(COMMENT: This hadith indirectly states that Aisha was 9 when her marriage was consummated “Aisha was 18 years old when Muhammad died and had been married to him for 9 years. Again, do the math: 18-9 = 9 years).

SUNAN IBN-I-MAJAH⁽²⁴⁾

1876. ‘A’isha (Allah be pleased with her) is reported to have said: Allah’s Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) contracted marriage with me while I was (yet) a six years [sic] old girl. Then we arrived at Medina and stayed with Banu Harith b. Khazraj. I fell victim to fever; then my hair (of the head fell off (and became scattered). Then they became plenty and hanged down up to [sic] the earlobes. My mother ‘Umm Ruman came to me while I was (playing) in a swing along with [sic] my play-mates. She (the mother) called me loudly. I went to her and I did not know what he [sic] wanted. She seized my hand and stopped me at the door of the house and I was hearing [sic] violently until the agitation of my heart was over. Then she took some water and wiped it over my face and head. Then she admitted me to the house when some woman [sic] of Ansar were present in the house. They said, "You have entered with blessings and good fortune." Then she (the mother) entrusted me to them. So they embellished me and nothing frightened me but Allah’s Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) (when he came there) in the morning and they (the women) entrusted me to him. On that day, I was a nine years [sic] old girl."

1877. Abdullah (Allah be pleased with him) is reported to have said, "The Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) married ‘A’isha while she was a seven years [sic] old girl and took him [sic] to his house as a bride when she was nine years old and he parted with her (after his demise) when she was eighteen years old."

According to Al-Zawa‘id its isnad is Sahih in accordance with the condition prescribed by Bukhari, but munqata because Abu ‘Ubaida did not hear from his father. Shu‘ba Abu Hatim and Ibn Hibban mentioned him amongst the authentic and reliable authorities. Tirmidhi in al-Jami’ and al-Mazzi in al-Atraf (has expressed the same opinion). Nasa‘i has transmitted this hadith in al-Sughra from the hadith ‘A’isha (Allah be pleased with her). (Sunan Ibn-I-Majah, Imam Abdullah Muhammad B. Yazid Ibn-I-Maja Al-Qazwini, English version by Muhammad Tufail Ansari [Kazi Publications, 121-Zulqarnain Chambers, Gampat Road, Lahore Pakistan, first edition, 1995], volume III, pp. 133-134)

Also, there are biographical/historical works on the topic we can examine:

IBN HISHAM⁽²⁵⁾

He married ‘A’isha in Mecca when she was a child of seven and lived with her in Medina when she was nine or ten. She was the only virgin that he married. Her father, Abu Bakr, married her to him and the apostle gave her four hundred dirhams. (Ibn Ishaq, Sirat Rasulullah (The Life of Muhammad), translated by Alfred Guillaume [Oxford University Press, Karachi, tenth impression 1995], p. 792)

(Comment: Remember, this is the same source Liepert quotes from trying to argue that Aisha was not 9!).

AL-TABARI

The Events of the Year 1

[Comment: 622/623, the year the Islamic community was established in Yathrib/Medina]

The Marriage with ‘A’ishah

In this year also the Messenger of God consummated his marriage with ‘A’ishah. This was in Dhu al-Qa‘dah (May-June 623) eight months after his arrival in Medina according to some accounts, or in Shawwal (April-May 623) seven months after his arrival according to others. He had married her in Mecca three years before the Hijrah, after the death of Khadijah. At that time she was six or, according to other accounts, seven years old.

According to ‘Ab al-Hamid b. Bayan al-Sukkari- Muhammad b. Yazid- Isma‘il (that is, Ibn Abi Khalid)- ‘Abd al-Rahman b. Abi al-Dahhak- a man from Quraysh- ‘Abd al-Rahman b. Muhammad: ‘Abd Allah b. Safwan together with another person came to ‘A’ishah, and ‘A’ishah said (to the latter), "O so-and-so, have you heard what Hafsah has been saying?" He said, "Yes, O Mother of the Faithful." ‘Abd Allah b. Safwan asked her, "What is that?" She replied, "There are nine special features in me that have not been in any woman, except for what God bestowed on Maryam bt. ‘Imran. By God, I do not say this to exalt myself over any of my companions." "What are these?" he asked. She replied, "The angel brought down my likeness; the Messenger of God married me when I was seven; my marriage was consummated when I was nine; he married me when I was a virgin, no other man having shared me with him; inspiration came to him when he and I were in a single blanket; I was one of the dearest people to him, a verse of the Qur’an was revealed concerning me when the community was almost destroyed; I saw Gabriel when none of his other wives saw him; and he was taken (that is, died) in his house when there was nobody with him but the angel and myself."

According to Abu Ja‘far (Al-Tabari): The Messenger of God married her, so it is said, in Shawwal, and consummated his marriage to her in a later year, also in Shawwal. (The History of Al-Tabari: The Foundation of the Community, translated by M.V. McDonald annotated by W. Montgomery Watt [State University of New York Press, Albany 1987], Volume VII, pp. 6-7)

Sa‘id b. Yahya b. Sa‘id al-Umawi- his father- Muhammad b. ‘Amr- Yahya b. ‘Abd al-Rahman b. Hatib- ‘A’isha: When Khadijah died, Khawlah bt. Hakim b. Umayyah b. al-Awqas, wife of ‘Uthman b. Maz‘un, who was in Mecca, said [to the Messenger of God], "O Messenger of God, will you not marry?" He replied, "Whom?" "A maiden," she said, "if you like, or a non-maiden." He replied, "Who is the maiden?" "The daughter of the dearest creature of God to you," she answered, "‘A’ishah bt. Abi Bakr." He asked, "And who is the non-maiden?" "Sawdah bt. Zam‘ah b. Qays," she replied, "she has [long] believed in you and has followed you." [So the Prophet] asked her to go and propose to them on his behalf.

…

Umm Ruman said that al-Mut‘im b. ‘Adi had asked ‘A’ishah’s hand for his son, but Abu Bakr had not promised anything. Abu Bakr left and went to Mut‘im while his wife, mother of the son for whom he had asked ‘A’ishah’s hand, was with him. She said, "O son of Abu Quhafah, perhaps we could marry our son to your daughter if you could make him leave his religion and bring him in to the religion which you practice." He turned to her husband al-Mut‘im and said, "What is she saying?" He replied, "She says [what you have heard]." Abu Bakr left, [realizing that] God had [just] removed the problem he had in his mind. He said to Khawlah, "Call the Messenger of God." She called him and he came. Abu Bakr married [‘A’ishah] to him when she was [only] six years old. (The History of Al-Tabari: The Last Years of the Prophet, translated and annotated by Ismail K. Poonawala [State University of New York Press, Albany 1990], Volume IX, pp. 129-130)

‘A’ishah states: We came to Medina and Abu Bakr took up quarters in al-Sunh among the Banu al-Harith b. al-Khazraj. The Messenger of God came to our house and men and women of the Ansar gathered around him. My mother came to me WHILE I WAS BEING SWUNG ON A SWING BETWEEN TWO BRANCHES AND GOT ME DOWN. Jumaymah, my nurse, took over and wiped my face with some water and started leading me. When I was at the door, she stopped so I could catch my breath. I was then brought [in] while the Messenger of God was sitting on a bed in our house. [My mother] made me sit on his lap and said, "These are your relatives. May God bless you with them and bless them with you!" Then the men and women got up and left. The Messenger of God consummated his marriage with me in my house when I was nine years old. Neither a camel nor a sheep was slaughtered on behalf of me. Only Sa‘d b. ‘Ubaidah sent a bowl of food which he used to send to the Messenger of God.

‘Ali b. Nasr- ‘Abd al-Samad b. ‘Abd al-Warith- ‘Abd al-Warith b. ‘Abd al-Samad- his father- Aban al-‘Attar- Hisham b. ‘Urwah- ‘Urwah: He wrote to ‘Abd al-Malik b. Marwan stating that he had written to him about Khadijah bt. Khuwaylid, asking him about when she died. She died three years or close to that before the Messenger of God’s departure from Mecca, and he married ‘A’ishah after Khadijah’s death. The Messenger of God saw ‘A’ishah twice- [first when] it was said to him that she was his wife (she was six years old at that time), and later [when] he consummated she was nine years old.

(The report goes back to Hisham b. Muhammad. See above, I, 1766). Then the Messenger of God married ‘A’ishah bt. Abi Bakr, whose name is ‘Atiq b. Abi Quhafah, who is ‘Uthman, and is called ‘Abd al-Rahman b. ‘Uthman b. ‘Amir b. ‘Amir b. Ka‘b b. Sa‘d b. Taym b. Murrah: [The Prophet] married her three years before the Emigration, when she was seven years old, and consummated the marriage when she was nine years old, after he had emigrated to Medina in Shawwal. She was eighteen years old when he died. The Messenger of God did not marry any maiden except her. (The History of al-Tabari, Volume IX, pp. 130-131)

‘A’ishah, daughter of Abu Bakr.

Her mother was Umm Ruman bt. ‘Umayr b. ‘Amr, of the Banu Duhman b. al-Harith b. Ghanm b. Malik b. Kinanah.

The Prophet married ‘A’ishah in Shawwal in the tenth year after the [beginning of his] prophethood, three years before Emigration. He consummated the marriage in Shawwal, eight months after Emigration. On the day he consummated the marriage with her she was nine years old.

According to Ibn ‘Umayr [al-Waqidi]- Musa b. Muhammad b. ‘Abd al-Rahman- Raytah- ‘Amrah [bt. ‘Abd al-Rahman b. Sa’d]: ‘A’ishah was asked when the Prophet consummated his marriage with her, and she said:

The Prophet left us and his daughters behind when he emigrated to Medina. Having arrived at Medina, he sent Zayd b. Harithah and his client Abu Rafi’ for us. He gave them two camels and 500 dirhams he had taken from Abu Bakr to buy [other] beasts they needed. Abu Bakr sent with them ‘Abdallah b. Urayqit al-Dili, with two or three camels. He wrote to [his son] ‘Abdallah b. Abi Bakr to take his wife Umm Ruman, together with me and my sister Asma’, al-Zubayr’s wife, [and leave for Medina]. They all left [Medina] together, and when they arrived at Qudayd Zayd b. Harithah bought three camels with those 500 dirhams. All of them then entered Mecca, where they met Talhah b. ‘Ubaydallah on his way to leave town, together with Abu Bakr’s family. So we all left: Zayd b. Harithah, Abu Rafi’, Fatimah, Umm Kulthum, and Sawdah bt. Zam‘ah. Ayd mounted Umm Ayman and [his son] Usamah b. Zayd on a riding beast; ‘Abdallah b. Abi Bakr took Umm Ruman and his two sisters, and Talhah b. ‘Ubaydallah came [too]. We all went together, and when we reached Bayd in Tamanni my camel broke loose. I was sitting in the litter together with my mother, and she started exclaiming "Alas, my daughter, alas [you] bride"; then they caught up with our camel, after it had safely descended the Lift. We then arrived at Medina, and I stayed with Abu Bakr’s children, and [Abu Bakr] went to the Prophet. The latter was then busy building the mosque and our homes around it, where he [later] housed his wives. We stayed in Abu Bakr’s house for a few days; then Abu Bakr asked [the Prophet] "O Messenger of God, what prevents you from consummating the marriage with your wife?" The Prophet said "The bridal gift (sadaq)." Abu Bakr gave him the bridal gift, twelve and a half ounces [of gold], and the Prophet sent for us. He consummated our marriage in my house, the one where I live now and where he passed away. (The History of Al-Tabari: Biographies of the Prophet’s Companions and Their Successors, translated by Ella Landau-Tasseron [State University of New York Press, Albany 1998], Volume XXXIX, pp. 171-173; underline emphasis ours)

IBN KATHIR⁽²⁶⁾

Yunus b. Bukayr stated, from Hisham b. ‘Urwa, from his father who said, "The Messenger of God (SAAS) married ‘A’isha three years after (the death of) Khadija. At that time (of the contract) ‘A’isha had been a girl of six. When he married her she was nine. The Messenger of God (SAAS) died when ‘A’isha was a girl of eighteen."

This tradition is considered gharib (unique in this line).

Al-Bukhari had related, from ‘Ubayd b. Isma‘il, from Abu Usama, from Hisham b. ‘Urwa, from his father, who said, "Khadija died three years before the emigration of the Prophet (SAAS). He allowed a couple of years or so to pass after that, and then he contracted marriage with ‘A’isha when she was six, thereafter consummating marriage with her when she was nine years old."

What ‘Urwah stated here is mursal, incomplete, as we mentioned above, but in its content it must be judged as muttasil, uninterrupted.

His statement, "He contracted marriage with ‘A’isha when she was six, thereafter consummating marriage with her when she was nine" IS NOT DISPUTED BY ANYONE, and is well established in the Sahih collections of traditions and elsewhere.

He consummated marriage with her during the second year following the emigration to Medina.

His contracting marriage with her took place some three years after Khadija’s death, though there is disagreement over this.

The hafiz Ya‘qub b. Sufyan stated, "Al-Hajjaj related to us, that Hammad related to him, from Hisham b. ‘Urwa, from his father, from ‘A’isha, who said, ‘The Messenger of God (SAAS), contracted marriage with me (after) Khadija’s death and before his emigration from Mecca, when I was six years old. After we arrived in Medina some women came to me while I was playing on a swing; my hair was like that of a boy. They dressed me up and put make-up on me, then took me to the Messenger of God (SAAS), and he consummated our marriage. I was a girl of nine.’"

The statement here "muttawaffa Khadija", "Khadija’s death" has to mean that it was shortly thereafter. Unless, that is, the word, ba‘da, "after", originally preceded this phrase and had been omitted from the account. The statement made by Yunus b. Bukayr and Abu Usama from Hisham b. ‘Urwa, from his father, is, therefore, not refuted. But God knows best. (Ibn Kathir, The Life of the Prophet Muhammad (Al-Sira al-Nabawiyya), Volume II, translated by professor Trevor Le Gassick, reviewed by Dr. Muneer Fareed [Garnet Publishing Limited, 8 Southern Court, south Street Reading RG1 4QS, UK; The Center for Muslim Contribution to Civilization, first paper edition, 2000], pp. 93-94)

IBN QAYYIM⁽²⁷⁾

Next, the Prophet… married Um Abdallah, Aishah, as-Siddiqah (the truthful one), daughter of as-Siddiq (the truthful one) Abu Bakr ibn Abi Qu’hafah, whom Allah has exonerated from above the seven heavens. ‘Aishah bint Abu Bakr was the beloved wife of the Prophet… The angel showed Aishah… to the Prophet… while she was wrapped in a piece of silk cloth, before he married her, and said to him. "This is your wife." The Prophet… married Aishah… during the lunar month of Shawwal, when she was six, and consummated the marriage in the first year after the Hijrah, in the month of Shawwal, when she was nine. The Prophet… did not marry any virgin, except Aishah… and the revelation never came to him while he was under the blanket with any of his wives, except Aishah. (Ibn Qayyim Al-Juaziyyah, Zad-ul Ma’ad fi Hadyi Khairi-l ‘Ibad (Provisions for the Hereafter, From the Guidance of Allah’s Best Worshipper), translated by Jalal Abualrub, edited by Alaa Mencke & Shaheed M. Ali [Madinah Publishers & Distributors, Orlando, Fl: First edition, December 2000], Volume I, pp. 157-158)

SAIF-UR-RAHMAN AL-MUBARAKPURI⁽²⁸⁾

3. 'Aishah bint Abu Bakr: He married her in the eleventh year of Prophethood, a year after his marriage to Sawdah, and two years and five months before Al-Hijra. She was six years old when he married her. However, he did not consummate the marriage with her till Shawwal seven months after Al-Hijra, and that was in Madinah. She was nine then. She was the only virgin he married, and the most beloved creature to him. As a woman she was the most learned woman in jurisprudence. (Ar-Raheeq Al-Makhtum (THE SEALED NECTAR) Biography of the Noble Prophet, [Maktaba Dar-us-Salam Publishers & Distributors, First Edition 1995], "The Prophetic Household", p. 485; online source; underline emphasis ours)

Take a look at the evidence. A wide host of sources and scholars all state Aisha was 9 when the marriage was consummated. There are quotations from five of the six of the "sitta Sahih" collections of hadith and they state uniformly and repeatedly that Aisha was nine years old! These are: Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Dawud, Ibn Majah, and An-Nisa'i. These collections form part of the bedrock of Islamic theology. These five men devoted huge portions of their lives to the collection, study, analysis, and evaluation of hadith. They traveled extensively, they spent much money, they sacrificed, they committed their lives to the pursuit of truthful hadith because they believed in their value with all of their hearts. But Liepert wants to cast their collective judgment aside, (he is implying their work was shoddy), because they present an inconvenient truth: Aisha was nine when Muhammad consummated his marriage with her.

Not only do I quote from the Sahih hadith, I quote from a number of great Islamic scholars who also state that Aisha was nine. Overall, that is a fairly extensive list of quotations that state explicitly, loudly, definitively, that Aisha was nine years old when Muhammad had intercourse with her. The best Liepert could provide was construing un-cited quotes to make it seem like Aisha could not have been nine. Liepert spins, but the evidence puts a stop to his deceptive spin. That textual evidence, those sources upon which Islam is built, and has been built for hundreds of years, state clearly that Aisha was nine.

CHALLENGE TO THE MUSLIMS

The textual evidence overwhelms Liepert's argument, but there is more Liepert has to contend with. Early in his article Liepert makes a bold statement about those who claim that Aisha was nine when her marriage to Muhammad was consummated:

There are really only three reasons to insist -- as so many do -- that Aisha was only 9 years old when Muhammad, the Prophet of Islam (PBUH) married her: Either you are such a crazy Islamophile that you are willing to go to your grave insisting Muhammad could do whatever he wanted, or you are such a crazy Islamophobe that you want to insist he did, or you are such a weirdly religious sex-crazed pervert that you hope accusing him makes it OK for you to do it too.

There is absolutely no other reason to either make or repeat that disgusting claim. ...

Here, I'd like to highlight that Liepert is calling Muslims who claim Aisha was nine "crazy Islamophiles" and that those Muslims who say that are making "disgusting" claims. I agree with Liepert that people should check the facts for themselves, and if you bother to do some research into this topic you’ll find that not all Western Muslims agree with Liepert. Most of them I am aware of disagree with him about Aisha’s age.

Earlier I presented work from Dr. Haddad, who disagrees with Liepert. Additionally, I present, in Liepert's terms, another "crazy Islamophile," Dr. Jonathan Brown, a Western Muslim who is considered by some to be an Islamic scholar. Certainly he, like Dr. Haddad, has a depth of background in Islamics that Liepert lacks. Brown gave a video-taped lecture in which he focused upon Aisha's age, found here.⁽²⁹⁾ Brown believes clearly that Aisha was 9 or 10 when Muhammad consummated the marriage.

Contrary to Liepert, Brown states explicitly in his talk that Aisha's age was ten:

@23:00 Muhammad’s decision to consummate his marriage to a 10 year old would have been based on the same criteria as most pre-modern societies: Aisha’s sexual maturity and readiness to bear a child. Consummation of the marriage would have occurred when she had menstruated and started puberty.

(Note: for a response to Brown's talk, see my earlier article, Islam's Critics, Sex, and Jonathan Brown)

Look at Liepert's problem: One Western spokesman for Islam, Brown, states she was ten when the marriage was consummated. Liepert rejects that claim outright and states that Muslims who believe that are "Islamophiles." Brown of course, is the superior scholar and sticks with the truth about Aisha's age.

However, Dr. Liepert disagrees with Brown. In fact, Liepert calls Brown a “crazy Islamophile” because Brown believes the actual evidence that Aisha was nine (or ten) when Muhammad had sex with her. Brown is honest enough to admit the truth about Aisha’s age, Liepert is not. Many Western Muslims like Brown however, add their personal opinion that Aisha had had her first menarche, and therefore it is acceptable for him to have done that. Brown implies that he is fine with 52 yr. old men marrying and having sex with nine year old children, provided they have had their first period.

(Brown is incorrect about Aisha having had her first menarche, and that is discussed in my other referenced article).

Liepert understands the medical & psychological ramifications of what Muhammad did better than Brown and seeks to refute the truth because it places Muhammad in a very ugly setting. Brown sees that same ugly setting and attempts to beautify it. They are both aware of the stench of the Islamic outhouse, Liepert says, “no! that’s not Islam’s house!” but Brown says, “Yes! It is Islam’s house but it really doesn’t smell bad, it’s natural and normal.”

Further still, if Muslims believe their own texts, in contrast to Liepert, then Liepert is calling Muhammad a vulgar name. If you believe that Muhammad did consummate his marriage with Aisha when she was 9, then you have no choice but to see that Liepert is insulting Muhammad.

Consider Liepert’s position: Leipert is offended that any Muslim would believe that Muhammad engaged in such a deviant behavior as to have intercourse with a child. Isn't that's Liepert's position? If Muhammad did such a thing then would Liepert have any other course of action than to despise Muhammad for bringing such pain into the world for children? Isn't that's his position? Liepert calls Muslims who believe that "crazy Islamophiles." What would he call Muhammad if Muhammad were to have actually done that?

CONCLUSION

At the beginning of this article I quoted Liepert's conclusion to show where and how he stands:

Because if any of us care about things like "truth" and "fidelity" as much as so many of us claim, "Too busy to check the facts out for myself" just doesn't seem like much of an excuse.

Let’s examine Liepert’s claims and conclusion now that the facts and the evidence have been presented:

The evidence states that Aisha was NOT an adult when Muhammad had sex with her at age nine.
Liepert's work was shoddy and disingenuous. He did not care about the "truth" and "fidelity" enough to "check the facts out." His fidelity is suspect because he is spinning an argument based upon conjecture as fact. His "truth" is false because the textual evidence contradicts his claim. Liepert is either too lazy to check out the facts for himself, or he is hiding the truth.
If Liepert was concerned for the "sake of the children everywhere" he would not be pushing a religion that allows them to be exploited as they are throughout the Islamic world today, just as they've been exploited throughout Islamic history.

There is both good and bad in Islam, but taken as a whole it degrades humanity. When you look beyond the politically correct rhetoric, you find that in Muhammad's example, a life that devalued humanity. In this case I've shown that Muhammad and Islam exploited children sexually. This exploitation continues today throughout the Islamic world. Wherever you see real Islam flourish, you see society degrade.

People like Shiela Musjai, Dr. Brown, and Dr. Liepert are aware of the darkness in Islam and as educated Westerners they know intrinsically those aspects are harmful. Therefore they try to reform it. Like alchemists or witchdoctors they are trying to transmute a poison. Instead of trying to turn poison into wine they should do the right thing and work to rid themselves of it!

I encourage Muslims to re-consider Jesus, the Son of God, a man who loved us and gave Himself for us. God’s true message of love for mankind is displayed in Jesus. Ask Him to be Lord of your life.

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24. al-Qazwini, Abū ʻAbdillāh Muḥammad ibn Yazīd Ibn Mājah al-Rabʻī, “Sunan Ibn-I-Majah”, English version by Muhammad Tufail Ansari Kazi Publications, Lahore Pakistan, first edition, 1995, volume III, pp. 133-134

25. Ibn Ishaq, "Sirat Rasulallah", compiled by A. Guillaume as "The Life of Muhammad", Oxford, London, 1955

26. Ibn Kathir, “The Life of the Prophet Muhammad” (Al-Sira al-Nabawiyya), Volume II, translated by professor Trevor Le Gassick, Garnet Publishing Limited, Reading, UK

27. Ibn Qayyim Al-Juaziyyah, Zad-ul Ma’ad fi Hadyi Khairi-l ‘Ibad “Provisions for the Hereafter, From the Guidance of Allah’s Best Worshipper”, translated by Jalal Abualrub, Madinah Publishers & Distributors, Orlando, Fl, 2000], Volume I, pp. 157-158)

28. Ar-Raheeq Al-Makhtum, “The Sealed Nectar, Biography of the Noble Prophet”, Maktaba Dar-us-Salam Publishers & Distributors, 1995, "The Prophetic Household", p. 485; online source

29. http://bloggingtheology.wordpress.com/2011/05/09/2540/

[First published: 23 February 2013]

[Last updated: 23 February 2013]