The Age of Aisha: Mubalagha in the Narrative

The question of ʿĀʾisha’s age remains open to further research, critical analysis, and engagement across traditions. However, in a brief fatwa shared on the Telegram channel Qanāt al-Zaydiyya, Sayyid Muḥammad ibn ʿAbdullāh ʿAwad al-Muʾayyadī (b. 1377 AH) suggests that the oft-repeated age of nine may be a case of mubālagha (exaggeration) by transmitters of the tradition.

The term “mubālagha” (exaggeration) is a recognised rhetorical device in the Arabic language. It refers to “hyperbole” or “exaggeration” and is used in Arabic grammar and eloquence to enhance the impact of the language by overstating the characteristics or capabilities of the subject.

Question:
Did the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, marry Aisha when she was nine years old?

Answer:
It is possible that the narrators exaggerated (yubālighūn) Aisha’s age at the time of her marriage to the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, and attributed this to her superiority (faḍlihā) over his other wives. There is no doubt that the Prophet married her when she was young and a virgin. However, specifying her age as nine years old might be an exaggeration (mubālagha) by the narrators, as this would be contrary to the customs of that time and throughout history, except for some rare exceptions. It is not recorded that the Prophet gave any of his daughters in marriage at such a young age.

Source: Telegram post containing a fatwa by Sayyid Muhammad ibn ʿAbdullah ʿAwad al-Muʾayyadi (b. 1377 AH) on the age of ʿĀʾisha at the time of her marriage, posted on Qanat al-Zaydiyya, post no. 11804, https://t.me/azzaidiah/11804
(accessed January 24, 2026).