Aisha goes to the Prophet (peace be upon him) as a bride

In the month of Shawwal in the same year, Aisha bint Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with her), the truthful one and the daughter of the truthful one, the Mother of the Believers, went to live with the Prophet as a bride. The Prophet (peace be upon him) had written the marriage contract with her in Shawwal in the tenth year of the call; and in Shawwal in the first year of Hijra, Aisha went to live with him as a bride. Saad ibn Zararah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that he heard Aisha say, “The Prophet (peace be upon him) married me in Shawwal in the tenth year of the call, three years before the immigration to Medinah, when I was six years old. After that, the Prophet immigrated, arriving in Medinah on Monday, the 12^th night of Rabi’a Al-Awwal. And I went to live with him as a bride in Shawwal, 8 months later. I was 9 years old when the marriage was consummated” [At-Tabaqat Al-Kubra by Ibn Saad, and The Noble Lineage by Al-Balathary].

Aisha referred to this day when she said, “The Prophet (peace be upon him) married me when I was six years old. Then we came to Medinah and settled among Banu Harith ibn Khazraj. I became ill and my hair fell out. Then it grew back and became abundant. My mother, Um Ruman, came to me while I was on a swing with some of my friends, and called for me. I went to her, and I did not know what she wanted. She took me by the hand and made me stand at the door of the house. I was panting at the time. When I got my breath back, she took some water and wiped my face and head, and led me into the house. There were some Ansar women in the house. They said, ‘With blessings and good fortune (from Allah).’ My mother handed me over to them and they tidied me up. I did not see the Prophet until the forenoon. She (Um Ruman) handed me over to him. I was, at that time, nine years old” [related by Al-Bukhari].

Although Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) was young at that time, she was old enough to marry at that age with regards to being able to marry and fill the responsibilities of marriage, as Aisha herself explained by saying, “If a young girl reaches 9 years, she is (considered) a women” [related by At-Tirmidhi].

In any situation, the Prophet (peace be upon him) did not marry Aisha for pleasure. He was 55 at that time. This was the case, especially since the Message had become a heavy weight on his shoulders. The marriage with Aisha was to strengthen the connection with Abu Bakr (the second most important man in the Ummah (Islamic nation) and the most loved man by the Prophet) through this marriage. Aisha enjoyed prestige and a high status through the Prophet. It has been reported from her that she used to proudly refer to this.

Aisha said, “The Prophet (peace be upon him) wrote a contract of marriage with me in Shawwal, and took me to his home as a bride in Shawwal. And who, among the Prophet’s wives, was dearer to him than I?!” [related by Muslim].