As the controversy over the remarks on Prophet Muhammad by ex-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Nupur Sharma rages on, Islamic scholar Assim Alhakeem said it is 100% true when asked by a Twitter user if Prophet Muhammad married Aisha at the age of 6 and consummated the marriage at the age of 9.
A Twitter user by the name of Maulana Fayaz Uf Kani asked Alhakeem, “Salaam Alaikum sheikh @Assimalhakeem, its been said in India that Prophet Muhammad(S.A.W) married Aisha(R.A) at the age of 6 and consummated the marriage at the age of 9. is it true? Please clarify.” To which, Assim Alhakeem responded, “This is 100% true.”
The controversy began when the suspended BJP spokeswoman Nupur Sharma made comments on the Islamic Prophet during a debate show on the Gyanvapi dispute and the Shivling discovered in the compound during the court-ordered survey. Nupur Sharma has since then gotten several death threats from Islamists and radical fundamentalists all across the world.
In an earlier tweet made in 2016, Assim had again stated that Aisha was nine years of age when she came with the Prophet. He denied all other investigations and references quoting that Aisha was around 17 when she came with the Prophet.
It is worth noting that Assim’s citation to Sahih al-Bukhari also states that Aisha was nine years old when Prophet Muhammad consummated the marriage. As per sunnah.com, the Sahih al-Bukhari says, “Narrated Aisha: that the Prophet (ﷺ) married her when she was six years old and he consummated his marriage when she was nine years old. Hisham said: I have been informed that Aisha remained with the Prophet (ﷺ) for nine years (i.e. till his death).”
Sahih al-Bukhari, according to sunnah.com, is a compilation of hadith compiled by Imam Muhammad al-Bukhari. It is a compilation of Prophet Muhammad’s sayings and acts, commonly known as the Sunnah. It has around 7563 hadith (with repetitions) in 98 books. The collection is considered by the vast majority of Muslims to be one of the most genuine collections of the Prophet’s Sunnah.
Who is Assim Al-Hakeem?
Assim Al-Hakeem is one of the prominent leaders of the Islamic world. Hailing from Saudi Arabia, he conducts Islamic programs in both Arabic and English for TV and radio. He claims to teach the authentic sayings of the Quran and the Hadiths and often appears on Huda TV and Zakir Naik’s Peace TV. He holds a BA in Linguistics from King Abdul Aziz University and a diploma in Islamic Studies from Umm al-Qura University. He has been working as an Imam at a Jeddah mosque for the last 20 years.
