Islam - Part 21: Character of Muhammad (pedophile & women)

Most Muslims are shocked when they hear about the true character of Muhammad.  They're raised to believe that he was a perfect prophet of God and morally perfect.  Go into any mosque today and wait to see if any Imam will preach on any of the topics below... you better pack a big lunch because you'll be waiting for quite a while.

For starters, Muhammad married Aisha when she was 6 years old.  Muhammad consummated this marriage when she was 9 years old.  Muhammad was ~54 years of age when this occurred.

Sahih al-Bukhari 5133 (and similar: 5134, 3894, 3896, 5158)

Narrated Aisha: “The Prophet married me when I was six years old and consummated the marriage with me when I was nine years old, and then I remained with him for nine years (i.e., until his death).”

Sahih Muslim 1422  “Allah’s Messenger married me when I was six years old, and I was admitted to his house when I was nine years old.” (Some variants mention seven for the contract.)

The Imams of today will try to play this off and claim it was a common 7th century practice.  No... it wasn't.

Seventh century Roman law was 12 years of age (minimum) for females and 14 for males.

In Jewish law, a girl reaches legal majority at 12 years and one day, provided she also shows signs of puberty (specifically two pubic hairs). From that point she is a na’arah for the next six months, then a bogeret (adult woman). In short: marriage near puberty was widespread in pre-modern agrarian societies across regions but even the Romans and Jews didn't condone 6 year old marriage and 9 year old pedophilia. Science now tells us that in pre-modern populations with poorer nutrition, average menarche (first menstrual period) was later—often around 13–15 or older. The secular trend toward earlier puberty is a modern phenomenon linked mainly to improved childhood nutrition and higher BMI. I have two daughters and I vividly remember their sweet little angel baby faces at both 6 and 9 years old. Muhammad was ~54 years old, having sex with a prepubescent 9 year old who was still playing with her dolls. I don't care how you try to explain it... Muhammad was a pedophile.

Sunan an-Nasa’i 3378: “The Messenger of Allah married me when I was six, and consummated the marriage with me when I was nine, and I used to play with dolls.”

Sahih al-Bukhari 6130: Narrated Aisha: I used to play with the dolls in the presence of the Prophet, and my girl friends also used to play with me. When Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) used to enter (my dwelling place) they used to hide themselves, but the Prophet would call them to join and play with me. (The playing with the dolls and similar images is forbidden, but it was allowed for Aisha at that time, as she was a little girl, not yet reached the age of puberty.) (Fath-ul-Bari page 143, Vol.13)

What else did young Aisha do for Muhammad?

Sahih al-Bukhari 229 Narrated `Aisha: I used to wash the traces of Janaba (semen) from the clothes of the Prophet and he used to go for prayers while traces of water were still on it (water spots were still visible).

Sahih al-Bukhari 230 (and nearby 229, 231–233): Narrated Sulaiman bin Yasar:  I asked `Aisha about the clothes soiled with semen.  She replied, “I used to wash it off the clothes of Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) and he would go for the prayer while water spots were still visible.”

Sunan Ibn Majah 537:  It was narrated that `Aishah said: "I often scraped it (semen) from the garment of the Messenger of Allah with my hand."

How about divorce rules for prepubescent wives?

Surah 65 (At-Talaq) 65:4 And those who no longer expect menstruation among your women [post menopausal] —if you doubt, then their period is three months, and [also for] those who have not menstruated [prepubescent]. And for those who are pregnant, their term is until they give birth. And whoever fears Allah—He will make for him of his matter ease.

Above, we see how Muhammad treated prepubescent women. 

How did Muhammad treat other women?

According to the Quran, the hadith collections, and the early biographical sources, Muhammad and his companions took female captives from military campaigns as slaves (ma malakat aymanukum — “those whom your right hands possess”).

Owners had the legal right to sexual relations (RAPE, in other words) with these female captives without a marriage contract (concubinage).

Quran 4:24: Married women are forbidden [veiled attempt at morality before stating:] “EXCEPT those your right hands possess” (i.e., female captives taken in war). 

Classical tafsir (Ibn Kathir and others) and the accompanying hadith explain the exception (“except those your right hands possess”) as referring to female captives taken in war, with whom sexual relations (RAPE) were permitted without a marriage contract once the waiting period (istibra) was observed.

Quran 23:5–6 and 70:29–30: Believers are to guard their chastity “except from their wives or those their right hands possess.”

Quran 33:50: Explicitly makes lawful to the Prophet “those your right hand possesses from what Allah has returned to you [of captives].”

Women were nothing more than property to them. The owner could use them sexually. Intercourse was forbidden until one menstrual period had passed (to confirm the woman was not pregnant by her previous husband — istibra). The purpose given is to confirm the womb is empty so that any subsequent child is known to be his. This established clear paternity of any child and avoided confusion over lineage and inheritance rights.

Nothing has changed... look at the way Islamic women are treated today.