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Marriage & Age

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Islam (and the Prophet) promotes child marriage.

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Islamic Response:

In 7th-century Arabia—as in most of the world—puberty marked adulthood. Islam set ethical limits: consent is required; consummation waits until physical and mental readiness; exploitation is forbidden.

  • Marriage requires the bride's permission (Ḥadith: "the virgin's consent is sought").
  • Classical jurists advise delaying consummation until maturity.
  • Qur'ān 4:6 links guardianship to reaching "sound judgment," not a fixed age.
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Biblical / Talmudic comparison:

  1. Talmud: Kiddushin 11b allows betrothal of a girl "three years and one day" via intercourse; Yebamot 57b & Sanhedrin 55b repeat the rule.
  2. Classical Jewish Exegesis: Rashi (Gen 25:20) infers that Rebecca was ≈ 3 years old when Isaac (40) married her.
  3. Biblical Example: 1 Kings 1:1-4 – aged King David shares his bed with the "very young" virgin Abishag, illustrating accepted extreme age gaps.
  4. Christian History: Medieval canon law fixed the marriage age for girls at 12; royalty often wed pre-teen brides (e.g., King John married 12-year-old Isabella in 1200 CE).
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If Islam is faulted for 7th-century norms, why ignore far younger ages permitted in Biblical and Talmudic sources?