A Modern Matn Criticism on the Tradition on 'Ā'īsha's Age of Marriage: Translation and Analysis

[This is an unedited first edition, please forgive the mistakes in the text] In public criticisms on the Prophet Muḥammad among non-Muslims in the West two main issues are focused on; that he fought battles, which according to many makes him a barbarian warlord, and that he married a young girl, making him a pedophile according to modern standards. These two issues are used to criticize Islam as a backward and violent religion, but also to portray Muslims as naïve, backwards, or even potential suspects because they adhere to the teachings of such a man. Much has been written on Muḥammad's actions and ideas of war of which many show that the Qur'an teachings on war and Muḥammad's actions are very ethical and even in line with modern international law. But there has been a common acceptance of Muḥammad's marriage contract to 'Ā'īsha while she being six years old, and her joining his house hold and consummating the marriage at the age of nine, as these ages are stated clearly in several historical sources. Thus, the historical truth of her age is rarely challenged, but how to understand this within today's modern ethical framework has generated several responses which can be typified as: Approvalism; Cultural-contextual apologism; Modern projectionism apologism. It is an essay from the latter category written by a modern Ḥadīth scholar, the Syrian shaykh Ṣalāḥ al-Dīn al-'idlibī, which I will discuss here. In it he points out that because the Aisha-age-traditions are of authentic (ṣaḥīḥ) status, there is no avoiding in studying it. In his 'usūlī methodology it means that the ṣaḥīḥ status of the chain of transmission (isnād) demands that the contents (matn) must also be checked for an error (wahm), so that its probability status (ẓann) can be judged. He does this by using both graded and ungraded narrations, thus collecting as much evidence to prove there is a conflict between the gathered evidences and the original narration under question. Part of his argument is also based on the idea that it is unreasonable that she was four or younger at certain events and when she was proposed to the Prophet, which uses assumptions about a child's capability and the way seventh century culture discussed possible spouses. It thus not simply an argument based on clear textual and linguistic comparison, but also involves the idea of what is reasonable. All this taken together is enough proof for al-'idlibī to declare the Aisha-age-traditions as containing an error (wahm), and thus being defective (ma'lūl).