:salam2:
Sister Asja may be this might help.
Let us define some terms first of all before we proceed.
1.
Puberty:
Puberty refers to the process of physical changes by which a child's body becomes an adult body capable of reproduction. Although there is a wide range of normal ages, on average, girls begin the process of puberty about 1-2 years earlier than boys (with average ages of 9 to 14 for girls and 10 to 17 for boys), and reach completion in a shorter.
Source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puberty
2. Child: (The whole debate is on this one word lol)
Various definitions: Wikipedia alone provides about 4 definition, wonder why all this argument.
a. A child is a human being between the stages of birth and puberty.
b. The legal definition of "child" generally refers to a minor, otherwise known as a person younger than the age of majority.
c. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child defines a child as "every human being below the age of 18 years unless under the law applicable to the child, majority is attained earlier.
d. Biologically, a child is anyone in the developmental stage of childhood, between infancy and adulthood.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Child
3. Age of consent:
While the phrase age of consent typically does not appear in legal statutes,[1] when used in relation to sexual activity, the age of consent is the minimum age at which a person is considered to be legally competent of consenting to sexual acts.
Social (and the resulting legal) attitudes toward the appropriate age of consent have drifted upwards in modern times. For example, while ages from 10 to 13 were typically acceptable in western countries during the mid-19th century,[1] 15 to 18 had become the norm in many countries by the end of the 20th century.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ages_of_consent
4. Marriageable age
Marriageable age (or marriage age) is the age at which a person is allowed to marry, either as of right or subject to parental or other forms of consent. The age and other requirements vary between countries. Age varies from puberty (which is around age of 9) is some countries to 21 years in others.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marriageable_age
It is interesting to note that in quite a few countries age of consent is below the marriageable age.
Prophet Muhammad (Pbuh) marriage to Ayesh (may Allah be pleased with her):
First of all, early procreation was a necessity for human survival. Lifespan ranged from 20 to 30 years due to high death rates (1). Even until the 18th century, 8 children were still needed by each fertile wife just to maintain the population (2). Also, sexual attraction accompanies puberty, which genetically ranges from ages 7 to 13 in women (3). So, whether one believes this instinct resulted from evolution, or part of God’s plan, procreation after puberty in history is natural and acceptable.
Source 1: Historical Average Lifespan at Birth years
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life_expectancy#_ref-4
http://www.channel4.com/history/microsites/H/history/guide12/part06.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/241864.stm
http://www.longevitymeme.org/articles/printarticle.cfm?article_id=11
http://books.google.com/books?id=1i...ts=64iSt2R0Jo&sig=nuMiuWMIEOOfNvBPuqVrm9Hlbkw - Page 26
http://ije.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/full/34/3/526
Source 2:
http://www.uwmc.uwc.edu/geography/Demotrans/demtran.htm
Source 3:
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3659/is_199804/ai_n8795272/pg_8/
According to the Journal of Psychology & Human Sexuality, the “age of consent throughout history…usually coincided with the age of puberty” with “the absolute minimum at seven”. (4) Both that Journal and Encyclopedia Britannica state that age of consent laws were passed from Roman law to the Church to English Common Law, which states: “between 7 years and puberty there could be consent but not consummation” until puberty, with no parental consent required from the age of 12 (5). This was confirmed in 1877 by the US Supreme Court (6). Even today, 6 states and the District of Columbia allow this Common Law marriage, (source 8) and such marriages are then constitutionally recognized in all 50 states (7).
Source 4:
http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/content~db=all?content=10.1300/J056v16n02_03
Source 5:
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/201326/family-law
Source 6:
http://supreme.justia.com/us/96/76/
source 7:
http://topics.law.cornell.edu/wex/table_marriage
Source 8:
http://www.ncsl.org/programs/cyf/commonlaw.htm
Marriage as early as age 7, which was considered the “age of reason”, or directly after puberty was the norm for the vast majority of all human society even until the 19th century.
The delay of puberty in industrialized cities between 1700 and 1850 does not disprove the norm of early marriage in history, because that was an abnormal result of poor sanitation, lack of exercise, and the vast introduction of cheap, un-nutritious cereal diets
Psychological Maturity in History
The fact is that even until the 18th century, reaching puberty meant becoming an “adult”, in terms of maturity, behavior and responsibility, as stated in the Journal of Social History, Online Etymology Dictionary, Journal of Marriage and the Family, and numerous academic references.
http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=puberty&searchmode=none
Children faced the daily struggle for physical and economic survival, (9) and while this type of “environmental stress” actually causes puberty at a younger age, (10) it is proven to have also speeded psychological maturity (11). This maturity helped in coping with the responsibilities of early marriage and childbearing.
Source 9:
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/537102/human-sexual-behaviour
http://books.google.com/books?id=1i...ts=64iSt2R0Jo&sig=nuMiuWMIEOOfNvBPuqVrm9Hlbkw
source 10:
http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/historyonline/familyhistory.cfm
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2248/is_n126_v32/ai_19619407/
Source 11:
http://www.soton.ac.uk/mediacentre/news/2005/nov/05_206.shtml
It was only in the industrial mid-18th century that psychological maturity started to delaydue to side effects that are proven to delay maturity such as: increasing comforts of life, diminished parental guidance, (12) and that “children remained children longer to complete their education”.
Source 12:
http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPorta...&ERICExtSearch_SearchType_0=no&accno=ED250776
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/537102/human-sexual-behaviour
http://www.medical-hypotheses.com/article/PIIS0306987707002095/abstract
Current situtation
US statistics:
50% of child sexual abuse offenders are adolescents themselves,committing sexual abuse, child *!*!*!*!ography, child prostitution and incest, using deception, force or coercion.
35% of all 17 year olds have been sexually abused.
12% of all 14 year olds have had sex “involuntarily”.
“Half of all new HIV infections occur among adolescents”.
70% of 13 year olds who had sex said it was “against their will”.
7% of 12 year olds have had sex.
90% of prostitutes were victims of child sexual abuse.
“The average age at which girls first become victims of prostitution is 12-14”.
Sexually active teenagers are 3 to 8 times as likely to attempt suicide.
76% of unplanned teen mothers end up on welfare
Every year in the world’s richest countries, there are 1.25 million teen pregnancies and 500,000 teen abortions.
Source:
http://www.advocatesforyouth.org/publications/factsheet/fsabuse1.htm
http://www.troubledteens.com/troubled-teens-statistics.html
http://www.aclu.org/reproductiverights/youth/16389res20030718.html
http://www.unicef-irc.org//publications/pdf/repcard3e.pdf
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3693/is_199707/ai_n8773781/pg_3/
http://www.usdoj.gov/criminal/ceos/prostitution.html
Major World Religions:
1. Talmudic Law fixed the legal age of contracting marriage at puberty.
2. Hindu Law of Manu fixed the legal age of marriage at puberty and even before.
3. Catholics believe Mary, may Allah be pleased with her married to Joesph when she was 12 and he was around 90.
Under Islamic Law:
Under Islamic Law a person is legal responsible for his/her actions when he/she around this age. A person has to start praying and fasting around this time.
Other source:
http://www.islamictube.net/watch/c4ec58c0063a90deb396/Dr.-Ali-Shehata---Prophets-Marriage-to-Aisha
And Allah swt knows best!
..but I am telling what I have learned as it is my duty)
marraige to 'Aa'ishah (radhiyAllaahu anh), I think you should read this which makes it clear,