Salam - Thoughts on Aisha’s Age Discussion

Salam, I don’t have an issue with the reports about Aisha radiAllahu anha’s age if they are authentic; I understand that perspective and I’m open to it. Still, this is an interesting topic to discuss even if it isn’t central to our faith. Theory 1 - Aisha was 9: Many cite the hadith that says the Prophet ﷺ married her when she was six and consummated the marriage when she was nine - this is narrated in Sahih al‑Bukhari and is the source for the view that she was nine at consummation. Theory 2 - Aisha was around 18–21: There are other traditions that Aisha’s sister Asma radiAllahu anha was ten years older than Aisha. Sources like Ibn Kathir and al‑Dhahabi record that age difference. We also find that Asma lived a long life and is reported to have been about 100 years old, dying in 73 or 74 AH. Working back from those reports, Asma would have been about 28 at the Hijrah, which would make Aisha about 18 at the Hijrah. Aisha moved into the Prophet’s ﷺ household within a year or two after Hijrah, which would place her roughly 19–21 at consummation by this calculation. There’s also the point that historical research suggests average puberty ages in 7th‑century Arabia were closer to 12–15 for girls. If that’s true, it seems odd to claim puberty at ages 6–9. Some scholars have proposed that ages were counted differently - that the hadith’s numbers might reflect years from puberty or another counting convention, not literal chronological age from birth. If one interprets the hadith that way (for example, 6 meaning six years after puberty), the numbers line up more with Aisha being in her late teens at marriage consummation. So either the hadith is misunderstood, or there is a problem with the transmitted meaning. Many of us hold the Quran as the supreme criterion, and if a hadith appears to contradict clear principles of the Quran or reason, it requires careful scrutiny. Aisha herself radiAllahu anha taught us much, and we should be humble in weighing reports. In short, there’s reasonable evidence and scholarly argument for Aisha being older than nine at consummation, and it’s worth studying the various sources and methods of age reckoning rather than accepting one reading without question. May Allah guide us to what is correct and grant us the ability to understand our texts properly. Salam.