Aishah was one of the two women suggested to the Prophet (peace be upon him) as possible wives after he had suffered the loss of his first wife and life companion, Khadijah. The suggestion was made by Khawlah bint Hakim, a woman of insight who recognized that Khadijah’s loss left a void in the Prophet’s life. Khadijah gave the Prophet all the comfort and solace he needed, particularly after a full day’s effort, advocating his message and meeting hostile rejection coupled with rude and insolent remarks. Khawlah keenly felt the Prophet’s need and came up with her two suggestions. She asked him whether he preferred a virgin young woman or a mature lady who had had a marital experience. Answering his question for names, Khawlah mentioned Sawdah and Aishah. The Prophet told her to carry his proposals to both.
According to reports, Aishah was still a child of six or seven years at the time. Today, Muslims everywhere are troubled trying to explain how the Prophet could marry a child. It is true that the marriage took place three years later, but she was still a young child according to these reports. People who are hostile to Islam try to make much fuss, accusing the Prophet of marrying a child. Needless to say, the enemies of Islam will always try to find something to criticize, either in Islamic teachings or in the Prophet’s actions and practices. Yet in this, they have no leg to stand on. Muslims need only to read the different reports carefully to arrive at the conclusion that Aishah was not six at the time when the Prophet made his proposal, nor was she nine when the marriage took place.
Indeed the very report of how the proposal came about carries strong indications that at the time of the engagement, Aishah was a young woman, not a child. Think of Khawlah, the lady who made the suggestion. She was a woman of insight who recognized the sort of void Khadijah’s departure left in the Prophet’s life. She realized that quick action was necessary to meet his need to have a new wife to fill up that void. She was proposing an immediate marriage, not one that would take several years to come about. Could she have suggested a six-year-old child?
Then, what is the reaction when the suggestion is made? The Prophet asks Khawlah to carry his proposals to the two women she named. She goes to Abu Bakr’s house where she finds Aishah’s mother and tells her. The mother is delighted and requests Khawlah to wait for Abu Bakr. When he comes home, she mentions the proposal. His only concern was: “Is she fit for him when I am his brother?” Khawlah goes back with the question, and the Prophet tells her that this is a brotherhood in faith that does not affect marital relations. Abu Bakr is delighted. We note that neither the Prophet nor Aishah’s parents make any mention of her age. The only surprise that comes up is that Aishah is already engaged. Abu Bakr mentions this to Khawlah and says that he will need his best skills to extricate her from that engagement.
He sets out to do just that. The question is: Could she have been six and already engaged, only to receive a new proposal making her the candidate to fill Khadijah’s role in the Prophet’s life?