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Message: <blockquote data-quote="saharaz" data-source="post: 3757703" data-attributes="member: 99166">PUBERTY = MATURITY = MARRIAGE  The above points having been presented, some additional details on a few of them is worthwhile. An interesting article on the age at which people married in Biblical times is <a href="http://www.theology.edu/marriage.htm" target="_blank">Ancient Israelite Marriage Customs</a>, by Jim West, ThD—a Baptist minister. This article states that: "The wife was to be taken from within the larger family circle (usually at the outset of puberty or around the age of 13) in order to maintain the purity of the family line;"This is just one reference to the fact that the onset of puberty was considered the age at which young people could marry. That people in Biblical times married at an early age is widely endorsed. While discussing the meaning of the word 'almah, which is the Hebrew word for "young woman" or "adolescent female",  Gerald Segal says:  "It should be noted, however, that in biblical times females married at an early age".<a href="http://www.alharamain.org/english/articles/youngmarriage.htm#3B" target="_blank">3</a> In spite of its somewhat arrogant Western talk of "primitive cultures", <a href="http://www.theology.edu/relig02.htm" target="_blank">An Overview of the World's Religions</a> makes it clear that puberty is an age old symbol of adulthood:"Almost all primitive cultures pay attention to puberty and marriage rituals, although there is a general tendency to pay more attention to the puberty rites of males than of females. Because puberty and marriage symbolize the fact that children are acquiring adult roles, most primitive cultures consider the rituals surrounding these events very important. Puberty rituals are often accompanied with ceremonial circumcision or some other operation on the male genitals. Female circumcision is less common, although it occurs in several cultures. Female puberty rites are more often related to the commencement of the menstrual cycle in young girls."Some female authors agree:  "Puberty is defined as the age or period at which a person is first capable of sexual reproduction, in other eras of history, a rite or celebration of this landmark event was a part of the culture." (<a href="http://www.earthspirit.com/fireheart/fhpub.html" target="_blank">Rites of Passage: Puberty</a>, by Sue Curewitz Arthen)  "Getting your period" marks a rite of passage for young girls entering womanhood (From the Women's Resource Center) Another contemporary reference relating marriage age to puberty is an article on Central Africa, which says: ". . . women marry soon after puberty"<a href="http://www.alharamain.org/english/articles/youngmarriage.htm#4B" target="_blank">4</a>. The previous quotations, and plenty of others which were not used, should prove to any intelligent person what anthropologists and historians already know: in centuries past, people were considered ready for marriage when they reached puberty.  It should be mentioned that from an Islamic point of view, many problems in society today can be traced back to the abandonment of early marriage. Due to the way that Almighty God has created man and woman, i.e. with strong sexual desires, people should marry young. In the past, this was even more true since life expectancy was very low (i.e. you were considered "old" if you made it to 40!). Not only does marriage provide a legal outlet for people with strong sexual desires, but it usually produces more children. One of the main purposes of marriage is to produce children—"be fruitful and multiply" as the Bible says (Genesis 8:17). This was especially important in the past, when people did not live for as long as they do now and the infant morality rate was much higher. THE AGE OF PUBERTY  Even though we have established that puberty has been the historical, cultural and religious norm for indicating readiness for marriage, some may wonder at which age puberty normally takes place. This is somewhat meaningless in regards to our specific discussion of Muhammad PBUH and 'Aishah, since the hadith literature makes it clear that she had reached puberty. However, in regards to puberty and at what age most girls have their first menstrual cycle, 'Abdul-Hamid Siddiqi says: Islam has laid down no age limit for puberty for it varies with countries and races due to the climate, hereditary, physical and social conditions. Those who live in cold regions attain puberty at a much later age as compared with those living in hot regions where both male and female attain it at a quite early age. "The average temperature of the country or province," say the well-known authors of the book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN=0006730426/muslimanswersA/" target="_blank">Woman</a>, "is considered the chief factor here, not only with regard to menstruation but as regards the whole of sexual development at puberty."<a href="http://www.alharamain.org/english/articles/youngmarriage.htm#5B" target="_blank">5</a> Raciborski, Jaubert, Routh and many others have collected and collated statistics on the subject to which readers are referred. Marie Espino has summarised some of these data as follows: (a) The limit of age for the first appearance of menstruation is between nine and twenty-four in the temperate-zone; (b) The average age varies widely and it ay be accepted as established that the nearer the Equator, the earlier the average age for menstruation.<a href="http://www.alharamain.org/english/articles/youngmarriage.htm#6B" target="_blank">6</a>  Additionally, an article entitled Puberty in Girls by an Australian government Public Health organization, says: "The first sign of puberty is usually a surge of growth: you become taller; your breasts develop; hair begins to grow in the pubic area and under the arms. This may start from 10 years to 14 years - even earlier for some and later for others." An article Physical Changes in Girls During Puberty has this to say: "During puberty, a girl's body changes, inside and out, into the body of a woman. The changes don't come all at once, and they don't happen at the same time for everybody. Most girls start showing physical changes around age 11, but everyone has her own internal schedule for development. It's normal for changes to start as early as 8 or 9 years of age, or not until 13 or 14. Even if nothing looks or feels different yet, the changes may have already begun inside your body." Many will readily agree with the information above, but still may harbour reservations about whether a marriage to an older man could be happy for such a young girl. Putting aside the modern Western notions of "happiness" for a moment, the marriage of 'Aishah and the Prophet PBUH was a mutually happy and loving one as in expressed in numerous hadeeth and seerah books. That happy marriages occur between people with a fairly large difference in ages is known among psychologists: "When the differences (in ages) is great, e.g. exceeds fifteen to twenty years, the results may be happier. The marriage of an elderly (senescent) not, of course, an old (senile) man to a quite young girl, is often very successful and harmonious. The bride is immediately introduced and accustomed to moderate sexual intercourse" <a href="http://www.alharamain.org/english/articles/youngmarriage.htm#7B" target="_blank">7</a></blockquote>

Verification: Nawa warak dahaya keeyada? (Namaya wadi kireema dahaya)

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