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This article [[Refutations|refutes]] the widely repeated claim that all of Prophet [[Muhammad]]'s  wives, except for [[Aisha]], were elderly women.
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The prophet Muhammad had 19 or more [[Muhammad's Marriages|wives or concubines]] according to the traditional Islamic sources.[[Dawah|Islamic apologists and du'aah]] often make the claim that he married many of these women because they were widows, elderly, or otherwise destitute and in need of his aide.
 
The widows whom Prophet Muhammad married after Khadijah’s death do indeed fall into two distinct age-groups. But to label these two groups as “the middle-aged” and “the elderly” gives atypical definitions to these terms. The “elderly” group would refer to those brides between 28 and 40 while the “middle-aged” group would mean the teenagers.
 
Muhammad did indeed marry his first wife Khadijah, who was the same age as himself, when they were both young. He rejected Sawdah, who was a little younger than himself, when they were both middle-aged. All his other wives were young enough to be his daughters and several were young enough to be his granddaughters. According to the traditional Islamic sources, he divorced one woman before consummating the marriage<ref>Bewley/Saad 8:111</ref> and broke off another courtship<ref>Bewley/Saad 8:113</ref> solely because he decided that these women were “too old” for him, and he continued to pursue teenagers until the day he died.<ref>Bewley/Saad 8:105</ref> Nor does he seem to have been embarrassed by his own preference.<ref>"''Nothing was dearer to the Prophet of Allah than a horse. Then he said: “O Allah! Excuse me, no! The women!” (i.e., not dearer than women).''" - [http://www.soebratie.nl/religie/hadith/IbnSad.html#Book 90.6/ Ibn Saad, ''Tabaqat'' Vol. 1 Chapter 90:6].</ref> The Islamic tradition bears witness against the idea that Muhammad was in the habit of marrying older women who were destitute and in need of his aide, and indeed shows that he rather preferred to marry women much, much younger than he.  
 
==Introduction==
==Introduction==


Muslim apologists claim that Prophet [[Muhammad's Wives|Muhammad’s wives]] were elderly and that he did not [[Marriage|marry]] them for physical attraction.
Many [[apologists]] claim that Muhammad’s wives were elderly and that he did not [[Marriage|marry]] them for physical attraction.


{{Quote|[http://www.islam4women.org/conclusions/ Islam for Women]|But all his wives were elderly ladies or widows except [Aisha and Mariyah]. If the aim had been seeking sexual pleasures, he would have done so in his youth and would have married young maidens, not aged widows.}}
{{Quote|[http://www.islam4women.org/conclusions/ Islam for Women]|But all his wives were elderly ladies or widows except [Aisha and Mariyah]. If the aim had been seeking sexual pleasures, he would have done so in his youth and would have married young maidens, not aged widows.}}
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===Khadijah's Age===
===Khadijah's Age===


The discussion about [[Khadijah]]’s age does not arouse the type of defensiveness and [[Responses to Apologetics: Muhammad and Aisha|imaginative apologetics]] that surrounds the discussion of Aisha’s age. Nobody denies that Khadijah married Muhammad as a very willing adult. Nevertheless, the traditional view of her age is probably wrong.
The discussion about [[Khadijah]]’s age does today not usually arouse the type of defensiveness that surrounds the discussion of Aisha’s age. The Islamic historical tradition is quite clear that she married Muhammad at a mature age. Nevertheless, the traditional view of her age is probably wrong.


{{Quote|Bewley/Saad 8:11; {{Tabari|39|p. 41}}.|Hakim ibn Hizam said, “The Messenger of Allah married Khadijah when she was 40 and the Messenger of Allah was 25. Khadijah was two years older than me. She was born 15 years before the Elephant and I was born 13 years before the Elephant.”}}
{{Quote|Bewley/Saad 8:11; {{Tabari|39|p. 41}}.|Hakim ibn Hizam said, “The Messenger of Allah married Khadijah when she was 40 and the Messenger of Allah was 25. Khadijah was two years older than me. She was born 15 years before the Elephant and I was born 13 years before the Elephant.”}}
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====Hakim ibn Hizam====
====Hakim ibn Hizam====


The first problem is that Hakim claimed his own age to be 120.<ref>{{Muslim|10|3662}}; {{Tabari|39|p. 106}}.</ref> This is intrinsically questionable. To bolster his story, Hakim claimed to remember the episode when Abdulmuttalib ibn Hashim vowed to sacrifice his son Abdullah to the god Hubal but was able to ransom him for 100 camels. He says this was about five years before Muhammad was born.<ref>{{Tabari|39|pp. 41, 106}}.</ref> But Hakim’s ability to recite details that were already common knowledge does not prove he was an eyewitness to the event: he might well have heard the story from his parents.
The first problem is that according to Bukhari and Muslim Hakim claimed his own age to be 120.<ref>{{Muslim|10|3662}}; {{Tabari|39|p. 106}}.</ref> This is intrinsically questionable. To bolster his story, Hakim claimed to remember the episode when Abdulmuttalib ibn Hashim vowed to sacrifice his son Abdullah to the god Hubal but was able to ransom him for 100 camels. He says this was about five years before Muhammad was born.<ref>{{Tabari|39|pp. 41, 106}}.</ref> But Hakim’s ability to recite details that were already common knowledge does not prove he was an eyewitness to the event: he might well have heard the story from his parents.


Hakim’s remarks about Khadijah’s age might have served a similar function of supporting his personal boasts rather than relaying accurate history. If he had long ago mentioned that Khadijah was two years older than himself, he might have needed to stick to his story about her relative age and readjust her chronological age in order to keep it consistent with his claims about his own age. There is something suspicious about his remark here.
Hakim’s remarks about Khadijah’s age might have served a similar function of supporting his personal boasts rather than relaying accurate history. If he had long ago mentioned that Khadijah was two years older than himself, he might have needed to stick to his story about her relative age and readjust her chronological age in order to keep it consistent with his claims about his own age. There is something suspicious about his remark here.
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{{Quote|Bewley/Saad 8:9|We asked Hakim ibn Hizam which of them was older, the Messenger of Allah or Khadijah? He said, “Khadijah was 15 years older than him. The prayer was unlawful for my aunt before the Messenger of Allah was born.” Hakim’s statement, “The prayer was unlawful for her,” means she menstruated, but he is speaking as the people of Islam speak.}}
{{Quote|Bewley/Saad 8:9|We asked Hakim ibn Hizam which of them was older, the Messenger of Allah or Khadijah? He said, “Khadijah was 15 years older than him. The prayer was unlawful for my aunt before the Messenger of Allah was born.” Hakim’s statement, “The prayer was unlawful for her,” means she menstruated, but he is speaking as the people of Islam speak.}}


The reporter is emphasising that Hakim was only using a figure of speech to indicate Khadijah’s age and did not literally mean that she followed Islamic [[prayers|prayer]] rituals before Muhammad was even born. However, this kind of careless anachronism is exactly what we would expect from a person who is not ''remembering'' an event but ''inventing'' it from his imagination. Crudely, it is the way liars speak.
The reporter is emphasizing that Hakim was only using a figure of speech to indicate Khadijah’s age and did not literally mean that she followed Islamic [[prayers|prayer]] rituals before Muhammad was even born. However, this kind of anachronism is exactly what we would expect from a person who is not ''remembering'' an event but ''inventing'' it from his imagination.


It is not impossible for a human to live 120 years but it is an exception to the general rule. So it is surprising how many early Muslims claimed to have reached this great age. Yahya ibn Mandah even wrote a book entitled ''Those of the Companions who Lived 120 Years'', in which he lists fourteen 120-year-old Muslims.<ref>Yahya ibn Mandah. ''Juz f̀ihi man 'asha miattan wa-'ishrina sanatan min al-Sahabah''.</ref> Hakim ibn Hizam is one of them. Another is Huwaytib ibn Abduluzza.
It is not impossible for a human to live 120 years but it is an exception to the general rule and in this case is almost certainly an embellishment of the tradition. So it is surprising how many early Muslims claimed to have reached this great age. Yahya ibn Mandah even wrote a book entitled ''Those of the Companions who Lived 120 Years'', in which he lists fourteen 120-year-old Muslims.<ref>Yahya ibn Mandah. ''Juz f̀ihi man 'asha miattan wa-'ishrina sanatan min al-Sahabah''.</ref> Hakim ibn Hizam is one of them. Another is Huwaytib ibn Abduluzza.


{{Quote|{{Tabari|39|p. 43}}.|Huwaytib ibn Abduluzza lived 120 years, 60 of them in the ''Jahiliya'' and 60 in Islam.}}
{{Quote|{{Tabari|39|p. 43}}.|Huwaytib ibn Abduluzza lived 120 years, 60 of them in the ''Jahiliya'' and 60 in Islam.}}
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Huwaytib died in the year 54 AH (673-674)<ref>{{Tabari|39|p. 40}}.</ref> so he should have converted to Islam in the year 7 BH (615–616). The problem is, he openly admits that he did not convert until the conquest of Mecca in 8 AH (January 630). He gives a long list of excuses for the delay in his conversion<ref>{{Tabari|39|pp. 43-46}}.</ref> but he never checks his arithmetic. If he became a Muslim in 8 AH, this was only 46 years before his death and not 60. This makes his age at death no more than 106. Of course, even this age assumes that he really was as old as 60 at the time of his conversion, which we now have licence to doubt. Huwaytib ibn Abduluzza lived to be elderly, but he was probably not entitled to his chapter in Yahya ibn Mandah’s book.
Huwaytib died in the year 54 AH (673-674)<ref>{{Tabari|39|p. 40}}.</ref> so he should have converted to Islam in the year 7 BH (615–616). The problem is, he openly admits that he did not convert until the conquest of Mecca in 8 AH (January 630). He gives a long list of excuses for the delay in his conversion<ref>{{Tabari|39|pp. 43-46}}.</ref> but he never checks his arithmetic. If he became a Muslim in 8 AH, this was only 46 years before his death and not 60. This makes his age at death no more than 106. Of course, even this age assumes that he really was as old as 60 at the time of his conversion, which we now have licence to doubt. Huwaytib ibn Abduluzza lived to be elderly, but he was probably not entitled to his chapter in Yahya ibn Mandah’s book.


Muhammad’s poet, Hassan ibn Thabit, also claimed to be 120 years old. He said he was 60 at the time of the ''Hijra'' and that he lived another 60 years afterwards.<ref>{{Tabari|39|p. 72}}.</ref> This means he should have been born in 60 BH (seven years before Muhammad) and should have died in 61 AH (680-681). Tabari vaguely states that he died “in the caliphate of Muawiya,”<ref>{{Tabari|39|p. 72}}</ref> which was between 40 and 60 AH (February 661 - April 680). Modern historians usually give his death-date as 54 AH, which is seven years too early.<ref>[http://archive.org/details/diwanofhassantha00hassuoft/ ''The Diwan of Hassan ibn Thabit''.]</ref>
Tabari writes that Muhammad’s poet, Hassan ibn Thabit, also claimed to be 120 years old. He said he was 60 at the time of the ''Hijra'' and that he lived another 60 years afterwards.<ref>{{Tabari|39|p. 72}}.</ref> This means he should have been born in 60 BH (seven years before Muhammad) and should have died in 61 AH (680-681). Tabari vaguely states that he died “in the caliphate of Muawiya,”<ref>{{Tabari|39|p. 72}}</ref> which was between 40 and 60 AH (February 661 - April 680). Modern historians usually give his death-date as 54 AH, which is seven years too early.<ref>[http://archive.org/details/diwanofhassantha00hassuoft/ ''The Diwan of Hassan ibn Thabit''.]</ref>


Not included in Yahya ibn Mandah’s book is the poet Abu Afak, who was said to be 120 years old in 624 when he was [[List of Killings Ordered or Supported by Muhammad|assassinated for criticising Muhammad]].<ref>Ibn Saad, ''Tabaqat'' vol. 2 p. 31.</ref> Of course, no records have survived from pre-Islamic Medina; it was only hearsay that attributed this great age to Abu Afak. Yet even his enemies were willing to go along with the hearsay.
Not included in Yahya ibn Mandah’s book is the poet Abu Afak, who was said to be 120 years old in 624 when he was [[List of Killings Ordered or Supported by Muhammad|assassinated for criticising Muhammad]].<ref>Ibn Saad, ''Tabaqat'' vol. 2 p. 31.</ref> Of course, no records have survived from pre-Islamic Medina; it was only hearsay that attributed this great age to Abu Afak. Yet even his enemies were willing to go along with the hearsay.
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====Abdullah ibn Abbas====
====Abdullah ibn Abbas====


The second problem with Khadijah’s age is that there is a strong alternative tradition, one that originates from no less a person than Abdullah ibn Abbas. Ibn Abbas was the cousin who lived at Muhammad’s side through the final years in Medina.<ref>{{Tabari|39|p. 95}}.</ref> He was a great source of ''ahadith'' and his word would normally be accepted without question.<ref>See {{Tabari|39|pp. 54-57, 95}} for brief accolades. For a modern assessment of his contribution, see Siddiqi, M. Z. (2006). ''Hadith Literature: its origin, development, special features and criticism'', pp. 33-34. Kuala Lumpar: Islamic Book Trust.</ref> What is more, his mother was a close friend of Khadijah’s.<ref>{{Tabari|39|p. 201}}; Bewley/Saad 8:193.</ref> The only reason why Abdullah has been largely ignored on the subject of Khadijah is that he never knew her personally while Hakim ibn Hizam did.<ref>{{Tabari|39|55}}; Bewley/Saad 8:12; {{Tabari|39|p. 161}}.</ref> Abdullah ibn Abbas says:
The second problem with Khadijah’s age is that there is a strong alternative tradition, one that the scholars of hadith claim originates from no less a person than Abdullah ibn Abbas. Ibn Abbas was the cousin who lived at Muhammad’s side through the final years in Medina.<ref>{{Tabari|39|p. 95}}.</ref> He was a great source of ''ahadith'' and his word would normally be accepted without question.<ref>See {{Tabari|39|pp. 54-57, 95}} for brief accolades. For a modern assessment of his contribution, see Siddiqi, M. Z. (2006). ''Hadith Literature: its origin, development, special features and criticism'', pp. 33-34. Kuala Lumpar: Islamic Book Trust.</ref> What is more, his mother was a close friend of Khadijah’s.<ref>{{Tabari|39|p. 201}}; Bewley/Saad 8:193.</ref> The only reason why Abdullah has been largely ignored on the subject of Khadijah is that he never knew her personally while Hakim ibn Hizam did.<ref>{{Tabari|39|55}}; Bewley/Saad 8:12; {{Tabari|39|p. 161}}.</ref> Abdullah ibn Abbas says:


{{Quote|[http://qurango.com/images/b/5/293.jpg/ Ibn Ishaq, cited in Al-Hakim, ''Mustadrak'' vol. 3 p. 182. Ibn Kathir, ''Al-Bidaya wa’l-Nihaya'' vol. 5 p. 293].<ref>Hanbali, cited in Al-Irbali, ''Kashf al-Ghumma''. Majlisi, ''Bihar al-Anwar'' vol. 16 p. 12.</ref>|On the day Khadijah married Allah’s Messenger, she was '''28 years old'''.}}
{{Quote|[http://qurango.com/images/b/5/293.jpg/ Ibn Ishaq, cited in Al-Hakim, ''Mustadrak'' vol. 3 p. 182. Ibn Kathir, ''Al-Bidaya wa’l-Nihaya'' vol. 5 p. 293].|On the day Khadijah married Allah’s Messenger, she was '''28 years old'''.<ref>Hanbali, cited in Al-Irbali, ''Kashf al-Ghumma''. Majlisi, ''Bihar al-Anwar'' vol. 16 p. 12.</ref>}}


This tradition was strong enough to be accepted by Ibn Ishaq. It was not included in the recension of Ibn Hisham (who was not interested in the ages of women) or used as a source by Ibn Saad or Tabari (who followed Hakim ibn Hizam's tradition, presumably for the reasons given above). But it was included by Al-Hakim al-Naysaburi, who lived about a hundred years after Tabari.<ref>[http://referenceworks.brillonline.com/entries/encyclopaedia-of-islam-2/al-hakim-al-naysaburi-SIM_2638/ Robson, J. (2013). "Al-Ḥakim al-Naysaburi" in Bearman, P., Bianquis, T., Bosworth, C. E., van Donzel, E., & Heinrichs, W. P. (1960). ''Encyclopaedia of Islam, 2nd Ed.'' Leiden: Brill.]</ref> Although he was not an “early” historian, he was apparently still early enough to have direct access to the work of Ibn Ishaq.
This tradition was strong enough to be accepted by Ibn Ishaq. It was not included in the recension of Ibn Hisham (who was not interested in the ages of women) or used as a source by Ibn Saad or Tabari (who followed Hakim ibn Hizam's tradition, presumably for the reasons given above). But it was included by Al-Hakim al-Naysaburi, who lived about a hundred years after Tabari.<ref>[http://referenceworks.brillonline.com/entries/encyclopaedia-of-islam-2/al-hakim-al-naysaburi-SIM_2638/ Robson, J. (2013). "Al-Ḥakim al-Naysaburi" in Bearman, P., Bianquis, T., Bosworth, C. E., van Donzel, E., & Heinrichs, W. P. (1960). ''Encyclopaedia of Islam, 2nd Ed.'' Leiden: Brill.]</ref> Although he was not an “early” historian, he was apparently still early enough to have direct access to the original work of Ibn Ishaq.


An independent tradition is:
An independent tradition is:
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The third problem with Khadijah’s age is the common-sense consideration that she bore Muhammad six children over a period of ten years.<ref>Guillaume/Ishaq 83. Bewley/Saad 8:10.</ref> If she married him at 40, she was 50 by the time she gave birth to Fatima in 605.<ref>Bewley/Saad 8:13.</ref> While this is not completely impossible, it is a sufficiently unusual achievement to cause us to pause and question the assertion.
The third problem with Khadijah’s age is the common-sense consideration that she bore Muhammad six children over a period of ten years.<ref>Guillaume/Ishaq 83. Bewley/Saad 8:10.</ref> If she married him at 40, she was 50 by the time she gave birth to Fatima in 605.<ref>Bewley/Saad 8:13.</ref> While this is not completely impossible, it is a sufficiently unusual achievement to cause us to pause and question the assertion.


Muhammad’s detractors in Mecca asked him why he did not perform any miracles.<ref>{{Quran|2|118}}. {{Quran|2|145}}. {{Quran|6|37}}. {{Quran|6|109}}. {{Quran|10|20}}. {{Quran|13|7}}. {{Quran|17|59}}. Guillaume/Ishaq 133ff. {{Bukhari|9|92|379}}.</ref> The only response available to him was, “The Qur’an is my miracle,”<ref>{{Quran|24|1}}. {{Quran-range|98|1|4}}.</ref> but it is clear that he was not happy about this response. He subsequently claimed to have [[Moon Split Miracle|split the moon]] and to have travelled to Jerusalem and back [[The Holy Qur'an: Al-Isra (The Night Journey)|in one night]]. Later tales, omitted from the earliest histories, claimed that he had multiplied food like [[Jesus]] Christ,<ref>[http://www.soebratie.nl/religie/hadith/IbnSad.html#Book 42.35/ Ibn Saad, ''Tabaqat'' 1:42:35-36]; Matthew 14:13-21.</ref> transfigured wood into iron, reminiscent of Elisha’s retrieval of the borrowed axe-head,<ref>[http://www.soebratie.nl/religie/hadith/IbnSad.html#Book 42.38/ Ibn Saad, ''Tabaqat'' 1:42:38]; II Kings 6:5-7.</ref> or cursed his enemy’s camel to sink in the sand.<ref>[http://www.soebratie.nl/religie/hadith/IbnSad.html#Book 42.40/ Ibn Saad, ''Tabaqat'' 1:42:40].</ref> Yet in the hostile atmosphere of Mecca, where a miracle was desperately desired to reinforce Muhammad’s credibility, he never pointed to his wife’s extraordinary fecundity. He never called it a blessing similar to Sarah’s gestation of Isaac<ref>Genesis 17:15-21, 21:1-7.</ref> or Elizabeth’s of John the Baptist.<ref>Luke 1:5-25, 57-80.</ref> In fact nobody expressed even mild surprise that a woman of Khadijah’s age had produced so many children.
Muhammad’s detractors in Mecca asked him why he did not perform any miracles.<ref>{{Quran|2|118}}. {{Quran|2|145}}. {{Quran|6|37}}. {{Quran|6|109}}. {{Quran|10|20}}. {{Quran|13|7}}. {{Quran|17|59}}. Guillaume/Ishaq 133ff. {{Bukhari|9|92|379}}.</ref> The only response available to him was, “The Qur’an is my miracle,”<ref>{{Quran|24|1}}. {{Quran-range|98|1|4}}.</ref> but the Islamic tradition seems not to have accepted this answer and numerous other traditions claim that he performed a variety of miracles. It is claimed that he [[Moon Split Miracle|split the moon]] and travelled to Jerusalem and back [[The Holy Qur'an: Al-Isra (The Night Journey)|in one night]]. Later tales, omitted from the earliest histories, claimed that he had multiplied food like [[Jesus]] Christ,<ref>[http://www.soebratie.nl/religie/hadith/IbnSad.html#Book 42.35/ Ibn Saad, ''Tabaqat'' 1:42:35-36]; Matthew 14:13-21.</ref> transfigured wood into iron, reminiscent of Elisha’s retrieval of the borrowed axe-head,<ref>[http://www.soebratie.nl/religie/hadith/IbnSad.html#Book 42.38/ Ibn Saad, ''Tabaqat'' 1:42:38]; II Kings 6:5-7.</ref> or cursed his enemy’s camel to sink in the sand.<ref>[http://www.soebratie.nl/religie/hadith/IbnSad.html#Book 42.40/ Ibn Saad, ''Tabaqat'' 1:42:40].</ref> The tradition never points to the fecundidity of Khadijah as a miracle, even though the biblical tradition records a similar miracle in the birth of Isaac to Abraham. He never called it a blessing similar to Sarah’s gestation of Isaac<ref>Genesis 17:15-21, 21:1-7.</ref> or Elizabeth’s of John the Baptist.<ref>Luke 1:5-25, 57-80.</ref> In fact nobody expressed even mild surprise that a woman of Khadijah’s age had produced so many children.
Perhaps that was because Khadijah’s fertility was a commonplace for a woman of her age. Perhaps she was still in her thirties when she bore Muhammad’s children. Perhaps, when her daughter Fatima was weaned in 607,<ref>{{Tabari|39|166}}; see {{Quran|2|233}} and Guillaume/Ishaq 71 for two years as the customary duration of nursing.</ref> Khadijah was still a few months short of forty – and that was why her childbearing ceased.
Perhaps that was because Khadijah’s fertility was a commonplace for a woman of her age. Perhaps she was still in her thirties when she bore Muhammad’s children. Perhaps, when her daughter Fatima was weaned in 607,<ref>{{Tabari|39|166}}; see {{Quran|2|233}} and Guillaume/Ishaq 71 for two years as the customary duration of nursing.</ref> Khadijah was still a few months short of forty – and that was why her childbearing ceased.


====Conclusion====
====Problems with the Chronology and Final Calculation====


If Khadijah was only two to three years older than Muhammad, this makes sense of a great deal. It explains how she was able to use her sex appeal as well as her money to attract him. It explains how she was able to produce six children in ten years and why she then stopped childbearing. It explains why Muhammad remained attracted to Khadijah for so long when, in later life, he was to reject older women.<ref>See Bewley/Saad 8:40, 111, 113; {{Tabari|9|pp. 139, 140}}.</ref> It explains why, after twenty years of marriage, he began thinking about younger women,<ref>[http://www.answering-islam.org/Books/Muir/Life2/chap4.htm/ Muir (1861) 2:141-144]. See also [http://www.muhammadanism.org/Canon_Sell/Quran/p024.htm/ Sell, E. (1923). ''The Historical Development of the Qur'an'', 4th Ed, pp. 25-26. London: People International.]</ref> for Khadijah would have been at that time menopausal and ''first'' losing her looks.
Taken together, all of these issues around the dating of Khadijah's age at marriage are emblamatic of the problems presented by the dating of the lives of figures in the Islamic tradition. If Khadijah was only two to three years older than Muhammad, this makes sense of a great deal. It explains how her sex appeal as well as her money factored in to his attraction to her. It explains how she was able to produce six children in ten years and why she then stopped childbearing. It explains why Muhammad remained attracted to Khadijah for so long when, in later life, he was to reject older women.<ref>See Bewley/Saad 8:40, 111, 113; {{Tabari|9|pp. 139, 140}}.</ref> It explains why, after twenty years of marriage, he began thinking about younger women,<ref>[http://www.answering-islam.org/Books/Muir/Life2/chap4.htm/ Muir (1861) 2:141-144]. See also [http://www.muhammadanism.org/Canon_Sell/Quran/p024.htm/ Sell, E. (1923). ''The Historical Development of the Qur'an'', 4th Ed, pp. 25-26. London: People International.]</ref> for Khadijah would have been at that time menopausal and ''first'' losing her looks.


{{Quote|Mughaltay, ''Al-Zahr al-Basim fi Sirat Abi’l-Qasim'', cited in Kister, M. J. (1993). The Sons of Khadijah. ''Jerusalem Studies in Arabic and Islam, 16'', 59-95.|The Prophet returned with Maysara from Syria on the 14th night from the end of Dhu’l-Hijja in the 25th year from the Day of the Elephant [3 May 595] … The Prophet married Khadijah two months and 15 days after his return from Syria, at the end of Safar in the 26th year.}}
{{Quote|Mughaltay, ''Al-Zahr al-Basim fi Sirat Abi’l-Qasim'', cited in Kister, M. J. (1993). The Sons of Khadijah. ''Jerusalem Studies in Arabic and Islam, 16'', 59-95.|The Prophet returned with Maysara from Syria on the 14th night from the end of Dhu’l-Hijja in the 25th year from the Day of the Elephant [3 May 595] … The Prophet married Khadijah two months and 15 days after his return from Syria, at the end of Safar in the 26th year.}}
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While this date, not found in the major ''hadith'' collections, might be an educated fabrication rather than literally historical, there are no rival suggestions for Muhammad and Khadijah’s wedding date. The year at least fits with all the generally accepted information about the ages of Muhammad and his children. 26 Elephant was 28 BH. A wedding date of 29 Safar that year would have fallen on 16 July 595.
While this date, not found in the major ''hadith'' collections, might be an educated fabrication rather than literally historical, there are no rival suggestions for Muhammad and Khadijah’s wedding date. The year at least fits with all the generally accepted information about the ages of Muhammad and his children. 26 Elephant was 28 BH. A wedding date of 29 Safar that year would have fallen on 16 July 595.


If Khadijah was 28 at that time, she was born in the year between March 568 and March 569, some dozen years later than Hakim ibn Hizam claimed. Her age in solar years could have been anywhere between 26 years 4 months and 27 years 4 months. All we can do is take the median and accept it as an approximation.
If Khadijah was 28 at that time, she was born in the year between March 568 and March 569, some dozen years later than Hakim ibn Hizam claimed. Her age in solar years could have been anywhere between 26 years 4 months and 27 years 4 months. Using the median as an approximation yields the following result:


*Khadijah’s Median Age = 26 years and 10 months.
*Khadijah’s Median Age = 26 years and 10 months.
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*Age Difference = (minus) 2 years and 7 months.
*Age Difference = (minus) 2 years and 7 months.


Far from being a “much older” woman, it appears that Khadijah was the only one of Muhammad’s wives who might fairly be deemed the same age as himself.
Far from being a “much older” woman, it appears that Khadijah might have been the only one of Muhammad’s wives who was close to him in age.


===Sawdah's Age===
===Sawdah's Age===


No contemporary historian gives Sawdah’s exact age, so we can only make an educated guess. The wedding date, however, is widely agreed.
None of the early Islamic sources gives an exact age for Sawdah. Tabari gives the date of her wedding as follows:


{{Quote|{{Tabari|39|p. 170}}.|The Prophet married Sawdah in Ramadan, in the tenth year after his prophethood. This was after Khadijah’s death and before his marriage to Aisha.}}
{{Quote|{{Tabari|39|p. 170}}.|The Prophet married Sawdah in Ramadan, in the tenth year after his prophethood. This was after Khadijah’s death and before his marriage to Aisha.}}


Ramadan fell between 13 April and 12 May 620; but as Khadijah died on 10 Ramadan<ref>Bewley/Saad 8:152. See also {{Tabari|39|pp. 4, 161}}.</ref> (22 April), Muhammad probably married Sawdah towards the end of the month. We can call the date “May 620” without being far wrong.
Ramadan fell between 13 April and 12 May 620; but as Khadijah died on 10 Ramadan<ref>Bewley/Saad 8:152. See also {{Tabari|39|pp. 4, 161}}.</ref> (22 April), Muhammad probably married Sawdah towards the end of the month.   “May 620” thus works as an approximination.


Because Sawdah is described as “older” than her co-wives, this has led to extreme guesses that she was a bride of 65<ref>[http://www.islamforamal.com/contents-2/prophet-s-biography/prophets-wives/ Prophet’s Wives (Ummul Momineen)].</ref> or even 80<ref>[http://books.google.com.au/books?id=lJe3PNVAnK4C&dq=Sawdah+became+an+old+woman&q=Sawdah#v=snippet&q=Sawdah&f=false/ Al Ghoudairy, F. Why Did Prophet Muhammed Marry Aisha; the Young Girl, p. 24. Dare to read.]</ref> However, while trying to establish Sawdah’s age, we can immediately rule out any estimates that ignore three established facts.
Because Sawdah is described as “older” than her co-wives, this has led to extreme guesses that she was a bride of 65<ref>[http://www.islamforamal.com/contents-2/prophet-s-biography/prophets-wives/ Prophet’s Wives (Ummul Momineen)].</ref> or even 80<ref>[http://books.google.com.au/books?id=lJe3PNVAnK4C&dq=Sawdah+became+an+old+woman&q=Sawdah#v=snippet&q=Sawdah&f=false/ Al Ghoudairy, F. Why Did Prophet Muhammed Marry Aisha; the Young Girl, p. 24. Dare to read.]</ref> However, while trying to establish Sawdah’s age, we can immediately rule out any estimates that ignore three established facts.
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{{Quote|Bewley/Saad 8:43.|Sawdah bint Zamaa died in Medina in Shawwal of 54, during the caliphate of Muawiya.}}
{{Quote|Bewley/Saad 8:43.|Sawdah bint Zamaa died in Medina in Shawwal of 54, during the caliphate of Muawiya.}}


This date is between 11 September and 9 October 674 – more than 54 years after the day when Sawdah married Muhammad. If she had lived to be 134, or even 114, someone would have commented. But if she was only about 40 on her wedding day, she must have survived to her mid-90s, which is impressive but plausible.
This date is between 11 September and 9 October 674 – more than 54 years after the day when Sawdah married Muhammad. If she had lived to be 134, or even 114, someone would have commented. But if she was only about 40 on her wedding day, she must have survived to her mid-90s, which is impressive but plausible (but once again emblamatic of the problem of the Islamic tradition attributing extremely and even absurdly long lives to the companions and taabi'uun).


====Sawdah had Not Reached Menopause====
====Sawdah had Not Reached Menopause====
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In the culture of the medieval Arabs, when a woman’s value to society depended on her capacity to bear children, a woman only had three life-stages: childhood (before she could bear children), adulthood (childbearing age) and old age (when she was past childbearing). So an “old” woman was simply one who was too old to have children – possibly a healthy, active, sharp-minded woman as young as 40. It is practically certain that the sentence “Sawdah became old” really only means “Sawdah reached menopause.”<ref>Personal communication with native speakers of Arabic. See also [[:File:Kahla3.jpg|this]] image of an “elderly” lady (''kahla'') from Afghanistan.</ref>
In the culture of the medieval Arabs, when a woman’s value to society depended on her capacity to bear children, a woman only had three life-stages: childhood (before she could bear children), adulthood (childbearing age) and old age (when she was past childbearing). So an “old” woman was simply one who was too old to have children – possibly a healthy, active, sharp-minded woman as young as 40. It is practically certain that the sentence “Sawdah became old” really only means “Sawdah reached menopause.”<ref>Personal communication with native speakers of Arabic. See also [[:File:Kahla3.jpg|this]] image of an “elderly” lady (''kahla'') from Afghanistan.</ref>


When did Sawdah reach menopause? Obviously it was after Muhammad had consummated his marriage to Aisha in 623. So we already know that Sawdah was pre-menopausal in 620. But in fact it was even later than this, for the near-divorce episode is referred to in {{Quran|4|128}}. Ibn Kathir frankly admits:
When did Sawdah reach menopause? Obviously it was after Muhammad had consummated his marriage to Aisha in 623 CE. So we already know that Sawdah was pre-menopausal in 620 CE. But in fact it was even later than this, for the near-divorce episode is referred to in {{Quran|4|128}}. Ibn Kathir frankly admits:


{{Quote|Ibn Kathir, ''Tafsir'' on Q4:128.|Ibn Abbas said that the ''ayah'' refers to, “When the husband gives his wife the choice between staying with him or leaving him, as this is better than the husband preferring other wives to her.” However, the apparent wording of the ''ayah'' refers to the settlement where the wife forfeits some of the rights she has over her husband, with the husband agreeing to this concession, and that this settlement is better than divorce. For instance, the Prophet kept Sawdah bint Zam’ah as his wife after she offered to forfeit her day for A’ishah.}}
{{Quote|Ibn Kathir, ''Tafsir'' on Q4:128.|Ibn Abbas said that the ''ayah'' refers to, “When the husband gives his wife the choice between staying with him or leaving him, as this is better than the husband preferring other wives to her.” However, the apparent wording of the ''ayah'' refers to the settlement where the wife forfeits some of the rights she has over her husband, with the husband agreeing to this concession, and that this settlement is better than divorce. For instance, the Prophet kept Sawdah bint Zam’ah as his wife after she offered to forfeit her day for A’ishah.}}


The fourth ''[[surah]]'' of the [[Qur'an]] is long and was probably not written all at once. But it all belongs to the same general period. It covers many family issues, including inheritance rights. {{Quran-range|4|7|11}} was written to answer the complaint of an Uhud widow,<ref>{{Abudawud|18|2885}}; [http://www.qtafsir.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=711&Itemid=59/ Ibn Kathir, ''Tafsir'' on Q4:7]; [http://www.qtafsir.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=707&Itemid=59/ Ibn Kathir, ''Tafsir'' on Q4:11].</ref> so it must date from after 22 March 625. This same incident confirmed the limitation of the number of wives to four,<ref>{{Quran|4|3}}.</ref> so it must have been written before Muhammad was given permission to take a fifth concurrent wife<ref>{{Quran|33|50}}.</ref> on 27 March 627.<ref>{{Tabari|8|pp. 1-4}}; {{Tabari|39|p. 182}}; Bewley/Saad 8:72-73, 81.</ref> The ''surah'' is also full of invectives against the Jews<ref>{{Quran-range|4|46|59}}; {{Quran-range|4|150|175}}.</ref> and “hypocrites,”<ref>{{Quran-range|4|60|68}}; {{Quran-range|4|136|149}}.</ref> who were no longer a problem after April 627.<ref>Guillaume/Ishaq 466.</ref> So the episode in which Sawdah “became old” and pleaded with Muhammad to not divorce her occurred between mid-625 and early 627.
The fourth ''[[surah]]'' of the [[Qur'an]] is long and was probably not written all at once. But it all belongs to the same general period. It covers many family issues, including inheritance rights. {{Quran-range|4|7|11}} was written to answer the complaint of an Uhud widow,<ref>{{Abudawud|18|2885}}; [http://www.qtafsir.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=711&Itemid=59/ Ibn Kathir, ''Tafsir'' on Q4:7]; [http://www.qtafsir.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=707&Itemid=59/ Ibn Kathir, ''Tafsir'' on Q4:11].</ref> so it must date from after 22 March 625. This same incident confirmed the limitation of the number of wives to four,<ref>{{Quran|4|3}}.</ref> so it must have been written before Muhammad was given permission to take a fifth concurrent wife<ref>{{Quran|33|50}}.</ref> on 27 March 627.<ref>{{Tabari|8|pp. 1-4}}; {{Tabari|39|p. 182}}; Bewley/Saad 8:72-73, 81.</ref> The ''surah'' is also full of invectives against the Jews<ref>{{Quran-range|4|46|59}}; {{Quran-range|4|150|175}}.</ref> and “hypocrites,”<ref>{{Quran-range|4|60|68}}; {{Quran-range|4|136|149}}.</ref> who were supposedly no longer a problem after April 627 according to the tradition (although in point of fact, according to the non-Islamic sources Jews were working with the Arab invaders well into the conquest period, and Muhammad may not have died until after he had personally conquered Jerusalem).<ref>Guillaume/Ishaq 466.</ref> So the episode in which Sawdah “became old” and pleaded with Muhammad to not divorce her occurred between mid-625 and early 627.


In fact, we strongly suspect that the date was towards the end of this period. Muhammad most likely considered divorcing Sawdah in December 626 or January 627 expressly because he wanted to marry a fifth woman but was trying to observe the limit of four wives.<ref>{{Quran|4|3}}.</ref> If Muhammad had not been contemplating marriage to a fifth woman, there would have been no point in divorcing Sawdah, for she was no trouble to him at home.<ref>Bewley/Saad 8:40.</ref> It was only after he had decided to keep Sawdah that he needed the special dispensation to marry unlimited wives. However, the sources do not explicitly state this circumstance as the reason for the near-divorce. They only say that Sawdah “became old” and so Muhammad wanted to divorce her.
The are strong reasons to suspect it did happen during this period. Muhammad most likely considered divorcing Sawdah in December 626 or January 627 expressly because he wanted to marry a fifth woman but was trying to observe the limit of four wives.<ref>{{Quran|4|3}}.</ref> If Muhammad had not been contemplating marriage to a fifth woman, there would have been no point in divorcing Sawdah, for she was no trouble to him at home.<ref>Bewley/Saad 8:40.</ref> It was only after he had decided to keep Sawdah that he needed the special dispensation to marry unlimited wives. However, the sources do not explicitly state this circumstance as the reason for the near-divorce. They only say that Sawdah “became old” and so Muhammad wanted to divorce her.


If Sawdah was menopausal in 626, or perhaps 625, this suggests she was then aged about 45, making her around 40 when she married Muhammad.
If Sawdah was menopausal in 626, or perhaps 625, this suggests she was then aged about 45, making her around 40 when she married Muhammad.


====Conclusion====
====Calculation of Sawdah's Likely Age====


When Muhammad married Sawdah in May 620, he was 49. It is possible that Sawdah was also about that age<ref>[http://www.themodernreligion.com/prophet/prophet_aisha.htm/ Ahmed, S. “Prophet Muhammad and Aisha Siddiqa.”]</ref> and that she lived to be over 100. But it is unlikely. Allowing that she was not yet menopausal and that she had a father living, she was probably closer to 40.
When Muhammad married Sawdah in May 620, he was 49. It is possible that Sawdah was also about that age<ref>[http://www.themodernreligion.com/prophet/prophet_aisha.htm/ Ahmed, S. “Prophet Muhammad and Aisha Siddiqa.”]</ref> and that she lived to be over 100. But it is unlikely. Allowing that she was not yet menopausal and that she had a father living, she was probably closer to 40.
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===Aisha's Age===
===Aisha's Age===


This question has already been adequately answered [[Refutation of Modern Muslim Apologetics Against Aishas Age|here]] and [[Responses to Apologetics: Muhammad and Aisha|here]]. In sum, there is absolutely no reason to doubt Aisha’s own statements.
This question has already been adequately answered [[Refutation of Modern Muslim Apologetics Against Aishas Age|here]] and [[Responses to Apologetics: Muhammad and Aisha|here]]. In sum, if the Islamic tradition is to be trusted at all, she was six years old when Muhammad married her and nine years old when Muhammad consummated the marriage.


{{Quote|Bewley/Saad 8:44.|The Messenger of Allah married me when I was six and consummated the marriage when '''I was nine'''. I was playing on a see-saw … I used to play dolls.}}
{{Quote|Bewley/Saad 8:44.|The Messenger of Allah married me when I was six and consummated the marriage when '''I was nine'''. I was playing on a see-saw … I used to play dolls.}}
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===Hafsah's Age===
===Hafsah's Age===


There is some discrepancy about Hafsah’s exact age but there is no doubt at all concerning her approximate age.
There is some discrepancy in the sources about Hafsah’s exact age but there they agree concerning her approximate age.


{{Quote|Bewley/Saad 8:56.|Hafsah was born when the Quraysh were building the House, five years before the Prophet was sent.}}
{{Quote|Bewley/Saad 8:56.|Hafsah was born when the Quraysh were building the House, five years before the Prophet was sent.}}
   
   
This was the year from 30 January 605 to 19 January 606, so the median birthdate for Hafsah is 26 July 605. Muhammad’s daughter Fatima was born in the same year.<ref>{{Tabari|39|p. 166}}.</ref>
This was the year from 30 January 605 to 19 January 606, so the median birthdate for Hafsah is 26 July 605 according to the traditional sources. Muhammad’s daughter Fatima was born in the same year.<ref>{{Tabari|39|p. 166}}.</ref>


{{Quote|{{Tabari|39|p. 174}}.|Hafsah died in Shabaan AH 45 during the caliphate of Muawiya. She was then 60 years old.}}
{{Quote|{{Tabari|39|p. 174}}.|Hafsah died in Shabaan AH 45 during the caliphate of Muawiya. She was then 60 years old.}}
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This was the month between 20 October and 17 November 665, which is a contradiction. If Hafsah died at the age of 60 Islamic years, she would have been born in 607 (median = 4 July 607), two years later than Ibn Saad claims. However, the date “when the Quraysh were rebuilding the House” is precise, and so is the mention of Shabaan as the month of death. If both these details are correct, it is possible that “she was then 60” was only meant as an approximation.
This was the month between 20 October and 17 November 665, which is a contradiction. If Hafsah died at the age of 60 Islamic years, she would have been born in 607 (median = 4 July 607), two years later than Ibn Saad claims. However, the date “when the Quraysh were rebuilding the House” is precise, and so is the mention of Shabaan as the month of death. If both these details are correct, it is possible that “she was then 60” was only meant as an approximation.


So we will assume that Hafsah was born in 605; but we should bear in mind she might have been two years younger than this.
An approximate birth year that emerges from the sources 605; but it should be borne in mind that she might have been two years younger than this.


{{Quote|{{Tabari|39|p. 174}}.|The Prophet married Hafsah in Shabaan 30 months after [the ''Hijra''], before the battle of Uhud.}}
{{Quote|{{Tabari|39|p. 174}}.|The Prophet married Hafsah in Shabaan 30 months after [the ''Hijra''], before the battle of Uhud.}}
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*Age Difference = 34 years and 2 months.
*Age Difference = 34 years and 2 months.


It does not really matter whether Hafsah was 19 or 17. The important points are that (1) she was biologically a woman and not a child, but (2) she was a ''young'' woman, while Muhammad was biologically old enough to be her grandfather.
It can thus be surmised from the sources that Hafsah was between 17 and 19 years old, an adult but very young woman.  


===Zaynab bint Khuzayma's Age===
===Zaynab bint Khuzayma's Age===


Zaynab’s life is not well documented, which has led to guessing about her age.
Zaynab’s life is not well documented, which has led to conjecture about her age.


{{Quote|[http://www.questionsonislam.com/question/could-you-give-information-about-prophet%E2%80%99s-wives-and-his-polygamy/ Hussein (2011). “Could you give information about the Prophet’s wives and his polygamy?”] in ''Questions on Islam''.|Zainab bint Huzaima … was 60 years old … Of course, it is impossible for a marriage with a sixty-year old woman to have passion. The only aim of this marriage was to help someone who was left alone.}}
{{Quote|[http://www.questionsonislam.com/question/could-you-give-information-about-prophet%E2%80%99s-wives-and-his-polygamy/ Hussein (2011). “Could you give information about the Prophet’s wives and his polygamy?”] in ''Questions on Islam''.|Zainab bint Huzaima … was 60 years old … Of course, it is impossible for a marriage with a sixty-year old woman to have passion. The only aim of this marriage was to help someone who was left alone.}}


However, there is no need for this kind of guessing, for her age is in fact recorded.
Tabari and S'ad both report similar ages for her though:


{{Quote|{{Tabari|39|164}}.|I asked, “How old was she when she died?” He said, “'''Thirty years''' or so.”}}
{{Quote|{{Tabari|39|164}}.|I asked, “How old was she when she died?” He said, “'''Thirty years''' or so.”}}
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{{Quote|Bewley/Saad 8:82.|[Muhammad] married [Zaynab] in Ramadan at the beginning of the 31st month of the Hijra. She remained with him for eight months and then died at the end of Rabi al-Akhir at the beginning of the 39th month.}}
{{Quote|Bewley/Saad 8:82.|[Muhammad] married [Zaynab] in Ramadan at the beginning of the 31st month of the Hijra. She remained with him for eight months and then died at the end of Rabi al-Akhir at the beginning of the 39th month.}}


Zaynab was therefore married on or soon after 18 February 625. She died on or just before 11 October 625. If she was “about 30” in 4 AH, she was born in October 596, plus or minus a few years.
According to the above sources Zaynab was therefore married on or soon after 18 February 625. She died on or just before 11 October 625. If she was “about 30” in 4 AH, she was born in October 596, plus or minus a few years.


*Zaynab’s Median Age = 28 years and 4 months.
*Zaynab’s Median Age = 28 years and 4 months.
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*Age Difference = 25 years and 6 months.
*Age Difference = 25 years and 6 months.


Zaynab married five times.<ref>Ibn Hisham note 918; Bewley/Saad 8:82; {{Tabari|9|p. 138}}; {{Tabari|39|pp. 163-614}}.</ref> Her fifth choice, it seems, fell on a high-status and already-married man old enough to be her father.
Zaynab married five times.<ref>Ibn Hisham note 918; Bewley/Saad 8:82; {{Tabari|9|p. 138}}; {{Tabari|39|pp. 163-614}}.</ref> Her fifth choice, it seems, fell on a high-status and already-married man old enough to be her father when she was in her late 20's.  


===Hind's Age===
===Hind's Age===
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*Hind’s Median Age = 28 years and 6 months.
*Hind’s Median Age = 28 years and 6 months.
*Muhammad’s Age = 55 years and 0 months.
*Muhammad’s Age = 55 years and 0 months.
*Age Difference = 26 years and 5 months.
*Age Difference = 26 years and 6 months.


It is very plausible that Hind was 28 when she married Muhammad, for her fourth child was then a newborn<ref>Bewley/Saad 8:63-66.</ref> while her eldest daughter was about ten years of age.<ref>Guillaume/Ishaq 147.</ref>
It is very plausible that Hind was 28 when she married Muhammad, for her fourth child was then a newborn<ref>Bewley/Saad 8:63-66.</ref> while her eldest daughter was about ten years of age.<ref>Guillaume/Ishaq 147.</ref>
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{{Quote|Bewley/Saad 8:81|Uthman ibn Abdullah al-Jahshi said, “The Messenger of Allah married Zaynab bint Jahsh at the beginning of the month of Dhu’l-Qada in 5 AH. '''She was 35''' at the time.”}}
{{Quote|Bewley/Saad 8:81|Uthman ibn Abdullah al-Jahshi said, “The Messenger of Allah married Zaynab bint Jahsh at the beginning of the month of Dhu’l-Qada in 5 AH. '''She was 35''' at the time.”}}


Thirty-five years before 5 AH brings us to a birth-year of 31 BH (20 June 592 - 8 June 593), a discrepancy of three years. Probably Umar ibn Uthman was giving a round number when he said she was married at 35; to be conservative, we will assume the earlier birthdate. However, we must bear in mind that Zaynab might have been some three years younger than this.
Thirty-five years before 5 AH brings us to a birth-year of 31 BH (20 June 592 - 8 June 593), a discrepancy of three years. Probably Umar ibn Uthman was giving a round number when he said she was married at 35; to be conservative, for the sake of calculation an earlier fate can be assumed. However, we must bear in mind that Zaynab might have been some three years younger than this.


*Zaynab’s Median Age = 37 years and 2 months.
*Zaynab’s Median Age = 37 years and 2 months.
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*Age Difference = 18 years and 9 months.
*Age Difference = 18 years and 9 months.


Therefore we have to discard modern commentaries claiming that Zaynab was “in late middle age.”<ref>[http://www.ispi-usa.org/muhammad/appendix2.html/ Akhter, J. (2001). “The Prophet's Marriages and Wives”] in ''The Seven Phases of Prophet Muhammad's Life''. Chicago: ISPI.</ref> While her contemporary community might not have considered her “a young woman,” this is relative. She was still young enough to have been Muhammad’s daughter.
Modern commentaries claiming that Zaynab was “in late middle age”<ref>[http://www.ispi-usa.org/muhammad/appendix2.html/ Akhter, J. (2001). “The Prophet's Marriages and Wives”] in ''The Seven Phases of Prophet Muhammad's Life''. Chicago: ISPI.</ref> thus seem to be off the mark. While her contemporary community might not have considered her “a young woman,” this is relative. She was still young enough to have been Muhammad’s daughter.


===Juwayriyah's Age===
===Juwayriyah's Age===


Juwayriyah’s age is only mildly controversial.
Juwayriyah’s age is only mildly disputed.


{{Quote|{{Tabari|39|p. 184}}.|According to Juwayriyah: “'''I was 20 years old''' when the Prophet married me.”}}
{{Quote|{{Tabari|39|p. 184}}.|According to Juwayriyah: “'''I was 20 years old''' when the Prophet married me.”}}
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{{Quote|Guillaume/Ishaq 495.|The greatest offenders were … Hamna bint Jahsh, for the reason that her sister Zaynab bint Jahsh was one of the apostle’s wives and only she could rival me in his favour. As for Zaynab, Allah protected her by her religion and she spoke nothing but good. But Hamna spread the report far and wide, opposing me for the sake of her sister.}}
{{Quote|Guillaume/Ishaq 495.|The greatest offenders were … Hamna bint Jahsh, for the reason that her sister Zaynab bint Jahsh was one of the apostle’s wives and only she could rival me in his favour. As for Zaynab, Allah protected her by her religion and she spoke nothing but good. But Hamna spread the report far and wide, opposing me for the sake of her sister.}}


This makes it very clear that Muhammad was already married to Zaynab during this controversy, which arose before the warriors had even arrived home from the al-Muraysi expedition. He married Zaynab in late 5 AH, so Ibn Ishaq’s date of 6 AH for the raid must be the correct one. It does seem odd that Aisha would give the wrong sequence for two such dramatic events as the raid at al-Muraysi and the Prophet’s marriage to Zaynab. However, it is more likely that, when asked for a date, she accidentally named the wrong expedition than that, recalling what could be considered 'the crisis of her life', she could not remember whether she had been veiled or who had been spreading gossip about her.
This makes it very clear that Muhammad was already married to Zaynab during this controversy, which arose before the warriors had even arrived home from the al-Muraysi expedition. He married Zaynab in late 5 AH, so Ibn Ishaq’s date of 6 AH for the raid seems to be the correct one. It does seem odd that Aisha would give the wrong sequence for two such dramatic events as the raid at al-Muraysi and the Prophet’s marriage to Zaynab. However, it is more likely that, when asked for a date, she accidentally named the wrong expedition than that, recalling what could be considered 'the crisis of her life', she could not remember whether she had been veiled or who had been spreading gossip about her; either that, or the traditions related here may have been fabricated by someone other than she.  


If Juwayriyah was 20 years old in 6 AH, she must have been born in 15 BH (between 29 December 607 and 17 December 608). That would make her only 64, not 65, at her death in 50 AH. This is not a serious discrepancy, but it does mean that one of these ages is only an approximation. On balance, the younger age is more likely to be correct. Young people are usually accurate about their ages (“When my husband was killed, I was definitely 20, not 19 or 21”) whereas the elderly are more likely to use round numbers (“I think this will be my final illness, for I’m already in my mid-60s”).
If Juwayriyah was 20 years old in 6 AH, she must have been born in 15 BH (between 29 December 607 and 17 December 608). That would make her only 64, not 65, at her death in 50 AH. This is not a serious discrepancy, but it does mean that one of these ages is only an approximation. On balance, the younger age is more likely to be correct. Young people are usually accurate about their ages (“When my husband was killed, I was definitely 20, not 19 or 21”) whereas the elderly are more likely to use round numbers (“I think this will be my final illness, for I’m already in my mid-60s”).


Nevertheless, to be on the safe side, we shall take a two-year range for Juwayriyah’s birthdate, between 9 January 607 and 17 December 608. The median is 28 December 607. She was married in Shabaan 6 AH, a median date of 2 January 628.
Nevertheless, for the sake of calculation, a two-year range for Juwayriyah’s birthdate, between 9 January 607 and 17 December 608, will be used. The median is 28 December 607. She was married in Shabaan 6 AH, a median date of 2 January 628.


*Juwayriyah’s Median Age = 20 years and 0 months.
*Juwayriyah’s Median Age = 20 years and 0 months.
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*Age Difference = 36 years and 9 months.
*Age Difference = 36 years and 9 months.


So another one of Muhammad's wives, Juwayriyah, was young enough to be his granddaughter.
So another one of Muhammad's wives, Juwayriyah, was young enough to be his granddaughter when she married him at just around 20.  


===Safiyah's Age===
===Safiyah's Age===


[[Safiyah]] gives us unusual precision, for it appears that she knew her age to the month.
[[Safiyah]] is given with unusual precision, down to the month:


{{Quote|{{Tabari|39|p. 185}}.|'''I was not even 17''', or '''I was just 17''', the night I entered the Prophet.}}
{{Quote|{{Tabari|39|p. 185}}.|'''I was not even 17''', or '''I was just 17''', the night I entered the Prophet.}}
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{{Quote|Guillaume/Ishaq 510, 511, 530|The apostle stayed in Medina during Dhu’l-Hijja and part of al-Muharram ... Then he marched against Khaybar … The apostle seized the property piece by piece and conquered the forts one by one as he came to them … The apostle took captives from them, among whom was Safiyah bint Huyayy ibn Akhtab. The apostle chose Safiyah for himself … When the apostle returned from Khaybar to Medina he stayed there from the first Rabi’ until Shawwal.}}
{{Quote|Guillaume/Ishaq 510, 511, 530|The apostle stayed in Medina during Dhu’l-Hijja and part of al-Muharram ... Then he marched against Khaybar … The apostle seized the property piece by piece and conquered the forts one by one as he came to them … The apostle took captives from them, among whom was Safiyah bint Huyayy ibn Akhtab. The apostle chose Safiyah for himself … When the apostle returned from Khaybar to Medina he stayed there from the first Rabi’ until Shawwal.}}


The Muslims therefore began the march to Khaybar in late May or early June 628 and were back in Medina before the end of July. So Muhammad married Safiyah early in Rabi-Awwal 7 AH (mid-July 628). Safiyah apparently knew that she had been born in Rabi-Awwal 17 years earlier, though she did not know whether it had been late or early in the month and therefore did not know whether she had reached 17 full years on the particular night when she married Muhammad. The Rabi-Awwal of 17 years earlier fell between 14 January and 12 February 612, giving Safiyah a birthdate of 28 January 612, plus or minus a fortnight.
The Muslims therefore began the march to Khaybar in late May or early June 628 and were back in Medina before the end of July according to ibn Ishaq. So Muhammad married Safiyah early in Rabi-Awwal 7 AH (mid-July 628). Safiyah apparently knew that she had been born in Rabi'-Awwal 17 years earlier, though she did not know whether it had been late or early in the month and therefore did not know whether she had reached 17 full years on the particular night when she married Muhammad. The Rabi'-Awwal of 17 years earlier fell between 14 January and 12 February 612, giving Safiyah a birthdate of 28 January 612, plus or minus a fortnight.


*Safiyah’s Age = 16 years and 6 months.
*Safiyah’s Age = 16 years and 6 months.
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*Age Difference = 40 years and 9 months.
*Age Difference = 40 years and 9 months.


Safiyah was yet another bride who was young enough to be Muhammad’s granddaughter.
Safiyah was yet another bride who was young enough to be Muhammad’s granddaughter, most likely still being in her teens while Muhammad was in his 50's.  


===Ramlah's Age===
===Ramlah's Age===
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{{Quote|[http://www.islamawareness.net/Muhammed/ibn_kathir_wives.html/ Ibn Kathir, “Umm Habiba”] in ''The Wives of the Prophet''.|[Ramlah] married the Prophet Muhammad in 1 AH, although she did not actually come to live with him in Medina until 7 AH, when the Prophet was 60 years old and '''she was 35'''.}}
{{Quote|[http://www.islamawareness.net/Muhammed/ibn_kathir_wives.html/ Ibn Kathir, “Umm Habiba”] in ''The Wives of the Prophet''.|[Ramlah] married the Prophet Muhammad in 1 AH, although she did not actually come to live with him in Medina until 7 AH, when the Prophet was 60 years old and '''she was 35'''.}}


Ibn Kathir makes Muhammad 25 years older than Ramlah. This is not a serious contradiction. If Muhammad was 53 in 1 AH, then he was only 59 and not 60 in 7 AH; so calling Ramlah’s age 35 rather than 36 may also be an approximation, much like Tabari’s “thirty-odd”. Since Ibn Kathir is not a primary source, we shall be conservative and assume that “thirty-odd” means 36 and that Ramlah was born in 30 BH.
Ibn Kathir makes Muhammad 25 years older than Ramlah. This is not a serious contradiction. If Muhammad was 53 in 1 AH, then he was only 59 and not 60 in 7 AH; so calling Ramlah’s age 35 rather than 36 may also be an approximation, much like Tabari’s “thirty-odd”. Since Ibn Kathir is a source far removed in time from the life of the prophet, for calculation it will be assumed that “thirty-odd” means 36 and that Ramlah was born in 30 BH.


30 BH fell between 9 June 593 and 28 May 594, giving Ramlah a median birthdate of 2 December 593. Her marriage to Muhammad was consummated upon his return from Khaybar in July 628.<ref>Guillaume/Ishaq 526, 529-530.</ref>
30 BH fell between 9 June 593 and 28 May 594, giving Ramlah a median birthdate of 2 December 593. Her marriage to Muhammad was consummated upon his return from Khaybar in July 628.<ref>Guillaume/Ishaq 526, 529-530.</ref>
Line 368: Line 375:
*Age Difference = 22 years and 8 months.
*Age Difference = 22 years and 8 months.


Ramlah was young enough to be Muhammad’s daughter.
Ramlah was young enough to be Muhammad’s daughter. although older than many of Muhammad's other wives.  


===Maymunah's Age===
===Maymunah's Age===


There are two traditions about Maymunah, neither of which makes very much sense.
The traditions about Maymunah are hard to reconcile:


{{Quote|{{Tabari|39|p. 186}}.|Maymunah died in the year 61 AH during the caliphate of Yazid ibn Muawiya. She was the last of the wives of the Prophet to die, and her age was then 80 or 81.}}
{{Quote|{{Tabari|39|p. 186}}.|Maymunah died in the year 61 AH during the caliphate of Yazid ibn Muawiya. She was the last of the wives of the Prophet to die, and her age was then 80 or 81.}}
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This was between 4 February and 4 March 629 (median = 18 February), indicating that her age at marriage was 26, plus or minus a year.
This was between 4 February and 4 March 629 (median = 18 February), indicating that her age at marriage was 26, plus or minus a year.


But in fact the death-date of 61 AH might have been a mistranscription. Other sources indicate that she could not have been the last survivor of Muhammad’s widows, for Aisha outlived her, and Hind, of course, outlived Aisha.
But in fact the death-date of 61 AH might have been a mistake. Other sources indicate that she could not have been the last survivor of Muhammad’s widows, for Aisha outlived her, and Hind, of course, outlived Aisha.


{{Quote|{{Tabari|39|p. 177}}.|Zaynab was the first of the Prophet’s wives to die, and Umm Salama [Hind] was the last.}}
{{Quote|{{Tabari|39|p. 177}}.|Zaynab was the first of the Prophet’s wives to die, and Umm Salama [Hind] was the last.}}
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{{Quote|[http://www.islamawareness.net/Muhammed/ibn_kathir_wives.html/ Ibn Kathir, “Maymunah”] in ''The Wives of the Prophet''.|After the Prophet's death, Maymunah continued to live in Medina for another forty years, dying at the age of 80, in 51 AH [21 January 671 - 10 January 672], being the last but one of the Prophet's wives to die.}}
{{Quote|[http://www.islamawareness.net/Muhammed/ibn_kathir_wives.html/ Ibn Kathir, “Maymunah”] in ''The Wives of the Prophet''.|After the Prophet's death, Maymunah continued to live in Medina for another forty years, dying at the age of 80, in 51 AH [21 January 671 - 10 January 672], being the last but one of the Prophet's wives to die.}}


This is still not correct, as not one, but four or five, of Muhammad’s widows were still alive in 51 AH (Hind, Aisha, Sawdah, Safiyah and perhaps Juwayriyah). Ibn Kathir, writing 700 years after the event, was either trying to harmonise the conflict without considering all the facts – also known as “guessing” – or else blindly copying the text of someone else who did. If Ibn Kathir (or his source) guessed at which part of his original text was the error, he might also have been guessing at the year of Maymunah’s death. So we have no real confidence that the correct year was either 51 ''or'' 61 AH. The only consistency is that Maymunah lived to be about 80.
This doesn't seem to be correct, as not one, but four or five of Muhammad’s widows were still alive in 51 AH (Hind, Aisha, Sawdah, Safiyah and perhaps Juwayriyah) according to other sources. Ibn Kathir, writing 700 years after the event, was either trying to harmonize the conflict without considering all the facts or merely restating the words of someone else who likewise failed to consider the facts. If Ibn Kathir (or his source) guessed at which part of his original text was the error, he might also have been guessing at the year of Maymunah’s death. Thusly neither 51 n''or'' 61 AH can be confidently taken as her death date. The only consistency amongst the reports is that Maymunah lived to be about 80.


While we do not really know Maymunah’s death-date, and therefore her birth-date, we will accept Ibn Kathir’s more conservative tradition. According to this, she was born in 30 BH, i.e., between 9 June 593 and 28 May 594 (median = 2 December 593). This would make her about 35 when she married Muhammad in February 629, although we will bear in mind that she might have been many years younger.
While we do not really know Maymunah’s death-date, and therefore her birth-date, for the purposes of calculation Ibn Kathir’s more conservative tradition will be accepted here. According to this, she was born in 30 BH, i.e., between 9 June 593 and 28 May 594 (median = 2 December 593). This would make her about 35 when she married Muhammad in February 629, although she mind that might have been many years younger.


*Maymunah's Median Age at Marriage = 35 years and 2 months.
*Maymunah's Median Age at Marriage = 35 years and 2 months.
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*Age Difference = 22 years and 8 months.
*Age Difference = 22 years and 8 months.


Sir William Muir’s unsourced comment that “Maymunah is said to have been at this time 51 years of age”<ref>[http://www.answering-islam.org/Books/Muir/Life4/chap22.htm/ Muir, W. (1861). ''The Life of Mahomet'' vol. 4 p. 89. London: Smith, Elder & Co.]</ref> is thus wide of the mark.
Sir William Muir’s unsourced comment that “Maymunah is said to have been at this time 51 years of age”<ref>[http://www.answering-islam.org/Books/Muir/Life4/chap22.htm/ Muir, W. (1861). ''The Life of Mahomet'' vol. 4 p. 89. London: Smith, Elder & Co.]</ref> is thus shown to be extremely doubtful. Muhammad was around 20 years older than he when they married.  


===Mulaykah's Age===
===Mulaykah's Age===
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If they expected Mohammed to believe that “she is too young to think for herself,” they were suggesting that she was barely an adult – someone whose body had so recently reached puberty that her mind had not yet caught up.
If they expected Mohammed to believe that “she is too young to think for herself,” they were suggesting that she was barely an adult – someone whose body had so recently reached puberty that her mind had not yet caught up.


This makes sense in the light of the fact that Mulaykah found a new fiancé within days of her divorce from Muhammad, before she had completed her three-month waiting-period.<ref>Bewley/Saad 8:106; {{Tabari|39|p. 165}}.</ref> It looks as if this man had already been a suitor before it became politically necessary for Mulaykah to marry Muhammad. If she had been courted but not married, this also suggests that she was very young.
This makes sense in the light of the fact that Mulaykah found a new fiancé within days of her divorce from Muhammad, before she had completed her three-month waiting-period<ref>Bewley/Saad 8:106; {{Tabari|39|p. 165}}.</ref>, indicating that the marriage was likely not consummated. It looks as if this man had already been a suitor before it became politically necessary for Mulaykah to marry Muhammad. If she had been courted but not married, this also suggests that she was very young.


Since the mean age of menarche was 12½ years,<ref>[http://www.mum.org/menarage.htm/ Finley, H. (2003). “Average age at menarche in various cultures.”]</ref> this indicates that Mulaykah was about 13, plus or minus a couple of years. As for the date of the wedding:
Since the mean age of menarche was 12½ years,<ref>[http://www.mum.org/menarage.htm/ Finley, H. (2003). “Average age at menarche in various cultures.”]</ref> this indicates that Mulaykah was about 13, plus or minus a couple of years. As for the date of the wedding:
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{{Quote|{{Tabari|8|p. 187}}.|In this year [8 AH] the Messenger of God married Mulaykah ... He had killed her father the day of the conquest of Mecca [14 January 630].}}
{{Quote|{{Tabari|8|p. 187}}.|In this year [8 AH] the Messenger of God married Mulaykah ... He had killed her father the day of the conquest of Mecca [14 January 630].}}


The year 8 AH did not end until 22 April 630. But in fact Muhammad must have married Mulaykah earlier than this. Her tribe lived near Mecca; they had resisted him at Mecca on 14 January; and Muhammad left Mecca on 28 January to fight the Hawazinites and Thaqifites.<ref>{{Tabari|9|pp. 2-3}}.</ref> It is practically certain that he married Mulaykah during his fortnight of residence in the city, i.e. in the second half of January 630.
The year 8 AH did not end until 22 April 630 CE. But in fact Muhammad must have married Mulaykah earlier than this. Her tribe lived near Mecca; they had resisted him at Mecca on 14 January; and Muhammad left Mecca on 28 January to fight the Hawazinites and Thaqifites.<ref>{{Tabari|9|pp. 2-3}}.</ref> It seems that he married Mulaykah during his fortnight of residence in the city, i.e. in the second half of January 630.


*Mulaykah’s Probable Age = about 13 years.
*Mulaykah’s Probable Age = about 13 years.
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*Age Difference = 45 years and 9 months.
*Age Difference = 45 years and 9 months.


While this is only a guess, we were also only guessing about Sawdah. By the time Muhammad married Mulaykah, Aisha had become 16. Although Mulaykah was an older bride, she was almost certainly younger in years than Aisha.
While this is only an estimation, we were also only guessing about Sawdah. By the time Muhammad married Mulaykah, Aisha had become 16. Although Mulaykah was an older bride, she was almost certainly younger than Aisha.


===Asma's Age===
===Asma's Age===


Asma’s age is unknown but her age-range is clearly implied.
Asma’s age is unknown but her age-range is clearly implied in the sources.


{{Quote|{{Tabari|39|pp. 188-189}}.|“O Messenger of Allah, shall I give you in marriage the most beautiful among the Arab widows? She had been married to a relative of hers, but he died, and she lost her way…”}}
{{Quote|{{Tabari|39|pp. 188-189}}.|“O Messenger of Allah, shall I give you in marriage the most beautiful among the Arab widows? She had been married to a relative of hers, but he died, and she lost her way…”}}
Line 448: Line 455:
===Amrah's Age===
===Amrah's Age===


Amrah’s age is not stated anywhere. However, we do know the approximate age of her first husband.
Amrah’s age is not extant in any sources surveyed for this study. However, the age of her first husband is, however, recorded. He was Muhammad’s cousin, Al-Fadl ibn Abbas.<ref>Ibn Ishaq, cited in Guillaume, A. (1960). ''New Light on the Life of Muhammad'', p. 55. Manchester: Manchester University Press.</ref> Al-Fadl’s brother Abdullah recalled: “We reached Allah’s Apostle five years after he had made ''Hijra'' and were with the Quraysh when they marched during the year in which the Battle of ''Ahzab'' [Trench] was fought [627]. I was with my brother Fadl … I was then eight years old while my brother was 13.”<ref>Tabrani/Haythami vol. 6 p. 64 reported on the chain of narrators for this hadith. Cited in Khandhlawi, M. M. Y. (1959). ''Hayatus Sahaba''. Translated by Elias, A. H. (2008). ''The Lives of the Sahabah'', vol. 1, p. 373. Farid Book Depot (Pvt.) Ltd.</ref>
 
He was Al-Fadl, the older brother of Abdullah ibn Abbas.<ref>Ibn Ishaq, cited in Guillaume, A. (1960). ''New Light on the Life of Muhammad'', p. 55. Manchester: Manchester University Press.</ref> Abdullah was born in early 620,<ref>{{Tabari|39|55}}.</ref> while their next brother, Ubaydallah, was only a year younger.<ref>{{Tabari|39|p. 95}}.</ref> A fourth brother, Quthum, was born before March 624;<ref>Guillaume/Ishaq 313</ref> a sister, Umm Habib, before 630;<ref>Guillaume/Ishaq 311. Bewley/Saad 8:94.</ref> and there were also two other brothers, Maabad and Abdulrahman, both born before Muhammad’s death in June 632.<ref>{{Tabari|39|p. 201}}. Bewley/Saad 8:94.</ref> The close spacing of the whole family suggests that Al-Fadl, the firstborn,<ref>{{Tabari|39|p. 95}}.</ref> was only a few years older than Abdullah. Since Abdullah was only 12 when Muhammad died, Al-Fadl was surely a teenager.
 
The following episode must have occurred after the family of Abbas emigrated to Medina, which was after Muhammad’s return from the conquest of Mecca in late March 630.<ref>{{Tabari|39|p. 202}}.</ref>
 
{{Quote|{{Muslim|5|2347}}|Abdulmuttalib ibn Rabi'a narrated. … [Al-Fadl ibn Abbas and I] spoke: “Messenger of Allah, you are the best of humanity and the best to cement the ties of blood-relations. '''We have reached the marriageable age.''' We have come so that you may appoint us as tax-collectors, and we would pay you just as The Thins [''apparently slang for “tax-collectors”''] pay you, and receive our share as others receive it [so that we can earn our living and afford to marry].” ... [Muhammad said]: “It is not suitable for Muhammad's family to collect tax ... Call to me Mahmiyah (and he was the treasurer) and Nawfal ibn Harith ibn Abdulmuttalib.” They both came to him, and he said to Mahmiyah: “Marry your daughter to this young man (Al-Fadl),” and he married her to him. And he said to Nawfal ibn Harith: “Marry your daughter to this young man (Abdulmuttalib),” and he married her to me. He said to Mahmiyah: “Pay the dower on behalf of both of them out of the treasury.”}}
 
It is not clear whether these marriages were long-standing betrothals that the young men wanted to consummate or whether they were spontaneous choices made by Muhammad. The point here is that the young cousins had to remind Muhammad that they had reached puberty, so they must have been quite recently pubescent. This suggests that Al-Fadl was born in 615, plus or minus a year. Mahmiyah ibn Jazi did not take his family on his emigration to Abyssinia,<ref>Guillaume/Ishaq 148, 527.</ref> so his daughter must have been conceived in Mecca before 615. Her age is not known beyond this; we can only guess that she was paired off with Al-Fadl (her cousin) because they were roughly the same age, i.e., about 15.


Later Al-Fadl married Amrah bint Yazid. It is safe to say that he married her willingly. Amrah was of no political importance, and Al-Fadl was extremely susceptible to pretty girls.<ref>See {{Bukhari|8|74|247}}.</ref> So it is highly unlikely that Amrah was older than Al-Fadl (or that she was plain). She would have been the same age as her bridegroom or a little younger. However, Al-Fadl subsequently divorced Amrah, and she was afterwards married to Muhammad.
If Al-Fadl was 13 in 627, he was born in late 613 or 614 – that is, he was exactly the same age as Aisha. His family emigrated to Medina three years later,<ref>{{Tabari|39|p. 202}}.</ref> and soon afterwards, Al-Fadl petitioned Muhammad to arrange a marriage for him. Muhammad found him a wife on the same day, but it was not Amrah bint Yazid. The girl whom Al-Fadl married in 630 was his cousin, Safiya bint Mahmiyah.<ref>{{Muslim|5|2347}}.</ref>


While the date of Amrah’s marriage to Muhammad is unknown, there would scarcely have been time for all these events to have occurred before January 631. Since Muhammad fell ill and then died in early June 632,<ref>Guillaume/Ishaq 689</ref> the latest possible date for his marriage to Amrah would be May 632. So the median wedding date is September 631.
It is a little strange that such a young man would so soon afterwards take on a second wife, but it is seems that he did so willingly, for Amrah was of no political importance. There is no obvious reason for this marriage beyond the documented fact that Al-Fadl was susceptible to pretty girls.<ref>See {{Bukhari|74|247}}.</ref> He was also said to be the eldest son of a very wealthy man,<ref>Guillaume/Ishaq 113, 114, 309-310.</ref> so if he wanted a second wife, there was nothing to stop him taking one. It is therefore highly unlikely that Amrah was plain or that she was older than Al-Fadl. She would have been the same age as her bridegroom or a little younger.


We do not know how old Amrah was in 631, but it is reasonable to suggest that she was 14 or 15 – a couple of years younger than Aisha.
However, Al-Fadl divorced Amrah within a matter of months, and she was afterwards married to Muhammad. While the date of this marriage is unknown, there would scarcely have been time for all these events to have occurred before January 631. Since Muhammad fell ill and then died in early June 632,<ref>Guillaume/Ishaq 689</ref> the latest possible date for his marriage to Amrah would be May 632. So the median wedding date is September 631. We do not know how old Amrah was in 631, but Al-Fadl was 17, so it is reasonable to suggest that Amrah was about 15 – a couple of years younger than Aisha.


*Amrah’s Probable Age = about 15 years.
*Amrah’s Probable Age = about 15 years, give or take 5 years.
*Muhammad’s Age at Marriage = 60 years and 5 months.
*Muhammad’s Age at Marriage = 60 years and 5 months.
*Age Difference = 45 years and 5 months.
*Age Difference = around 45 years and 5 months.


Again, this is a guess, but it is an estimate based on real data about Amrah’s life. We can make no such guesses about the remaining women in Muhammad’s life.
There is alot of guesswork that went into this estimation, but it is an estimate based on real data about Amrah’s life. No data remains extant for the remainder of Muhammad's wives.  


==Ages Unknown==
==Ages Unknown==


Muhammad had some kind of marriage contract with several other women, but most of these unions were dissolved before consummation. The other women with whom he is known to have had a sexual relationship are the five listed below, four of whom were technically concubines (sex [[Slavery|slaves]]) rather than legal wives. The ages of these five women are unknown.
Muhammad had other marriage contracts with several other women, but most of these unions were dissolved before consummation and thus were not true marriages according to Islamic law. The other women with whom he is known to have had a sexual relationship are the five listed below, four of whom were technically concubines (sex [[Slavery|slaves]]) rather than legal wives. The ages of these five women are unknown.


===Rayhanah bint Zayd ibn Amr===
===Rayhanah bint Zayd ibn Amr===
Line 488: Line 487:
===Mariyah bint Shamoon===
===Mariyah bint Shamoon===


Mariyah’s age is not stated anywhere. The only certain fact is that, since she bore Muhammad a son in 630, she must have been of childbearing age.<ref>{{Tabari|9|pp. 39, 137}}.</ref> Various guesses that she was 20<ref>[http://www.a2youth.com/ebooks/the_wives_of_the_prophet/Maymunah_bint_al-harith/ Thomson, H. A. (1993). “Maymunah bint Al-Harith”] in ''The Wives of the Prophet Muhammad''. London: Ta-Ha Publishers Ltd.</ref> or 17<ref>[http://www.themodernreligion.com/prophet/prophet_aisha.htm/ Ahmed, S. “Prophet Muhammad and Aisha Siddiqa.”]</ref> betray the assumptions of the secondary historians that if she attracted Muhammad, she must have been young. The truth is, they are probably right. But because we don’t ''know'' Mariyah’s age, we have omitted her from the calculation.
Mariyah’s age is not stated anywhere. The only certain fact is that, since she bore Muhammad a son in 630, she must have been of childbearing age.<ref>{{Tabari|9|pp. 39, 137}}.</ref> Various guesses that she was 20<ref>[http://www.a2youth.com/ebooks/the_wives_of_the_prophet/Maymunah_bint_al-harith/ Thomson, H. A. (1993). “Maymunah bint Al-Harith”] in ''The Wives of the Prophet Muhammad''. London: Ta-Ha Publishers Ltd.</ref> or 17<ref>[http://www.themodernreligion.com/prophet/prophet_aisha.htm/ Ahmed, S. “Prophet Muhammad and Aisha Siddiqa.”]</ref> betray the assumptions of the secondary historians that if she attracted Muhammad, she must have been young. Given the other evidence this is likely correct, but there is no data to support this conclusion.


===Fatima ("Al-Aliya") bint Al-Dahhak===
===Fatima ("Al-Aliya") bint Al-Dahhak===


The only objective clue to Fatima’s age is that she lived another 50 years after Muhammad divorced her.<ref>Bewley/Saad 8:100</ref> Subjectively, her behaviour seems immature and suited to a child aged 15 or 16.<ref>{{Tabari|39|pp. 187-188}}; Bewley/Saad 8:101.</ref> But because we do not know Fatima’s age, we have omitted her from the calculation.
The only objective clue to Fatima’s age is that she lived another 50 years after Muhammad divorced her.<ref>Bewley/Saad 8:100</ref> Subjectively, her behaviour seems immature and suited to a child aged 15 or 16.<ref>{{Tabari|39|pp. 187-188}}; Bewley/Saad 8:101.</ref> There is not any concrete data for calculation of her age though.


==="Al-Jariya" and Tukanah===
==="Al-Jariya" and Tukanah===


These two concubines were presumably selected for their looks and were presumably young. But presumption is not fact. We do not know their ages and so we have omitted them from the calculation.
These two concubines were presumably selected for their looks and were presumably young. But presumption is not fact. There ages are unknown and there is not available data for calculation.


==Mean Ages==
==Mean Ages==
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===Muhammad’s Wives===
===Muhammad’s Wives===


We can now calculate the mean age of 14 of Muhammad’s wives at the time he married them.
Based on the above sources the calculations of the ages of Muhammad's wives at marriage (including the various estimations above) are as follows:


#Khadijah’s Median Age = 26 years and 10 months.
#Khadijah’s Median Age = 26 years and 10 months.
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#Asma’s Maximum Age = 20 years.
#Asma’s Maximum Age = 20 years.
#Amrah’s Approximate Age = 15 years.
#Amrah’s Approximate Age = 15 years.
*Total Years = 343 years and 10 months.
*Total Years = 343 years and 10 months.
*Mean Age of Muhammad’s Brides = ''24.56 years''
*Mean Age of Muhammad’s Brides = ''24.56 years''


The mean age of Muhammad’s brides was about ''24½ years''. Even by the historical Arabian standards, a woman of 24 was not quite “middle-aged”.
The mean age of Muhammad’s brides was about ''24½ years''. To call such a woman middle-aged, even in Arabia at the time, seems uncalled for. Rather it appears that (like most rules of his stature) Muhammad preferred younger women.  


===Muhammad as Bridegroom===
===Muhammad as Bridegroom===


We can also calculate Muhammad’s mean age as a bridegroom. Here is his age when he consummated each of these marriages.
Based on the above data, it is also possible to calculate Muhammad's age as a bridgegroom in each other cases mentioned above. Here is his age when he consummated each of these marriages.


#Khadijah = 24 years and 3 months.
#Khadijah = 24 years and 3 months.
Line 541: Line 541:
#Asma = 59 years and 3 months (not consummated, but legalities finalised).
#Asma = 59 years and 3 months (not consummated, but legalities finalised).
#Amrah = 60 years and 5 months (not consummated, but legalities finalised).
#Amrah = 60 years and 5 months (not consummated, but legalities finalised).
*Total Years = 751 years and 4 months.
*Total Years = 751 years and 4 months.
*Mean Age of Muhammad as Bridegroom = ''53.66 years''
*Mean Age of Muhammad as Bridegroom = ''53.66 years''
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===Skewed Statistics===
===Skewed Statistics===


Muhammad’s first marriage to Khadijah skews the statistics. She was the ''only'' wife whom Muhammad married as a young man. She was the ''only'' wife who was close to his own age, as opposed to being significantly younger. Some statisticians would exclude her as an outlier before they began the calculation.
Muhammad’s first marriage to Khadijah skews the the mean. According to the traditional sources, she was the ''only'' wife whom Muhammad married as a young man. She was the ''only'' wife who was close to his own age, as opposed to being significantly younger. Some statisticians would exclude her as an outlier before they began the calculation.


A more serious skew of the statistics is caused by the fact that these 14 wives were not the only women whom Muhammad married. He also had four known concubines and at least one other full wife. While we do not know the ages of any of these women, we can infer a definite trend. They all seem to have been teenagers – significantly younger than the mean. If their ages could be added to the calculation, the mean age of Muhammad’s brides would be even lower, perhaps around 22 years.
A more serious skew of the statistics is caused by the fact that these 14 wives were not the only women whom Muhammad married. He also had four known concubines and at least one other full wife. While we do not know the ages of any of these women, we can infer a definite trend. They all seem to have been teenagers – significantly younger than the mean. If their ages could be added to the calculation, the mean age of Muhammad’s brides would be even lower, perhaps around 22 years.


Muhammad acquired these five women in the last five years of his life, so his mean age as bridegroom has to be raised. While we don’t know all of his wedding dates, the new figure would probably come to about 55 years – making the age difference between Muhammad and his “average wife” a grand mean of 33 years.
Muhammad acquired these five women in the last five years of his life, so his mean age as bridegroom has to be raised. While we don’t know all of his wedding dates or the dates where he first sexually assaulted his slaves, the new figure would probably come to about 55 years – making the age difference between Muhammad and his “average wife” a grand mean of 33 years.
 
Therefore our calculation that Muhammad’s average wife was 29 years younger than himself and that she became his bride when she was 24½ has to be taken as conservative.
 
==Conclusion==
 
The widows whom Prophet Muhammad married after Khadijah’s death do indeed fall into two distinct age-groups. But to label these two groups as “the middle-aged” and “the elderly” gives atypical definitions to these terms. The “elderly” group would refer to those brides between 28 and 40 while the “middle-aged” group would mean the teenagers.
 
The inevitable conclusion is that Muhammad preferred younger women, and the widely repeated claim that almost all of his wives were elderly has no basis in historical fact. He loved Khadijah, who was the same age as himself, when they were both young. He rejected Sawdah, who was a little younger than himself, when they were both middle-aged. All his other wives were young enough to be his daughters and several were young enough to be his granddaughters.  


In addition, he divorced one woman before consummating the marriage<ref>Bewley/Saad 8:111</ref> and broke off another courtship<ref>Bewley/Saad 8:113</ref> solely because he decided that these women were “too old” for him, and he continued to pursue teenagers until the day he died.<ref>Bewley/Saad 8:105</ref> Nor does he seem to have been embarrassed by his own preference.<ref>"''Nothing was dearer to the Prophet of Allah than a horse. Then he said: “O Allah! Excuse me, no! The women!” (i.e., not dearer than women).''" - [http://www.soebratie.nl/religie/hadith/IbnSad.html#Book 90.6/ Ibn Saad, ''Tabaqat'' Vol. 1 Chapter 90:6].</ref>
It should thus be kept in mind that the calculation that Muhammad’s average wife was 29 years younger than himself and that she became his bride when she was 24½ should be seen as conservative, and under representing both the age gap and the youth of Muhammad's female lover in each case.


==See Also==
==See Also==


* [[Muhammad's Wives]]'' - A hub page that leads to other articles related to Muhammad's wives and concubines''
*[[:Category:Muhammad's wives and concubines|Muhammad's wives and concubines]]


==References==
==References==
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[[Category:Muhammad]]
[[Category:Muhammad]]
[[Category:Islam and Women]]
[[Category:Women]]
[[Category:Islamic Propaganda]]
[[Category:Muhammad's wives and concubines]]
[[Category:Marriage]]
[[Category:Sahabah (companions)]]
[[Category:Ahl al-Bayt (People of the House)]]
{{page_title|Ages of Muhammad's Wives at Marriage}}
{{page_title|Ages of Muhammad's Wives at Marriage}}
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