my Greatest Exposition: The Maturity of Aisha
By Dr. Peregrino Brimah
I have been compelled to present the story and details of what I believe is my most significant historical, academic, religious and sociological discovery. The findings here change a lot and undoubtedly affects and has potential influence on billions of lives.
Background
It was sometime in 2007. I was on a then very popular forum among Nigerians in the diaspora: NaijaRyders. We used to engage in stimulating debates on all social, political and religious issues on the forum, no holds barred. This particular day was one of the discussions on young, so-called ‘underage’ marriage in Islam. It followed the typical course, with some saying Islam permitted pedophilia. Now I must say about myself that I am one who believes in the excellence of the Prophets. Studious in comparative religions by self interest I debate monotheism over atheism aggressively and seek the confluence of the various faiths over discord. I believe that all should be one and all faiths should strive for nearness to the One Lord. Unbeknownst to many, the Bhagavad Gita in no unclear terms declares Hindus as monotheists with only One God while discouraging the obeisance to other gods as I read in my personal copy. I fanatically find unity between faiths (in addition to ethnicities, nations and other human groups) with evidences that include the central role of Abraham to not only the Judeo-Christianity and Islamic faiths but even up to Hinduism, one of the oldest faiths. The Hindus call him Brahma and not by coincidence, Brahma’s wife in Hinduism is called “Saraswati.” Brahma and Saraswati is aBraham and Sarah, by all means.
Where some might say Islam copied these names from Christianity and Christianity copied them from Judaism and the Judists copied it from the Hindus. What I say is that the Holy books in all these faiths, the Quran, New Testament, Old Testament, the Bhagavad Gita, other originally true Hindu books, Zoroastrian books and more were simply inspiration from the same source. GOD sent thousands of prophets, messengers (those who brought books) and anointeds to all peoples.
He sent several to Africa among other regions. I understand that Judeo-Christianity and Islam is not foreign to Africa. Even if we do not remember names of several of Africa’s prophets in this line, many being listed in the Bible but we may not have tracked most due to changed names of countries, I know that after-all the Ten commandments hit the earth in Africa’s Egypt. So how much more an intricate part can Africa be? I have observed identical commandments in ancient Kemet (Egypt)–the 42 Declarations of Innocence/42 Admonitions of Ma’at as obtains in the Pyramid Texts of Unas (ca. 2375 BCE and 2345 BCE), in Iraq’s ancient Mesopotamia, the Sumerian 2100–2050BC Code of Ur-Nammu; in the 1848-ish BC Code of Hammurabi and else where.
Islam for instance says definitively that there is nothing absolutely new of the characteristic “Contact prayers” Muslims are seen observing. Mary (Maryam) 19:58: “These are some of the prophets whom GOD blessed. They were chosen from among the descendants of Adam, and the descendants of those whom we carried with Noah, and the descendants of Abraham and Israel, and from among those whom we guided and selected. When the revelations of the Most Gracious are recited to them, they fall prostrate, weeping. [19:59] After them, He substituted generations who lost the Contact Prayers (Salat), and pursued their lusts. They will suffer the consequences.”
I have discovered very much the same Islamic-time and physical ritual-type “Contact prayers” in Judaism, [http://www.rebjeff.com/blog/we-bow-we-prostrate-we-give-thanks] I bought one of the foremost Jewish prayer books, “To Pray As A Jew” by Rabbi Hayim Halevy Donim, to read more on this and view images. I also bought a primary Kemet book of prayer, Ashutat; Egyptian Book of Prayer, and saw what appeared to be the same ‘Contact prayers’ in it.
People of my school of understanding view all these as inspiration from the same source (GOD) though distorted and lost over time, hence the need for new reminders in new editions.
Prelude To My Discovery
So as we debated this particular day, with one side saying the prophet of Islam was a pedophile because he consummated with a 9 year old as is reported; I was confident that this could not be. Now I must underline the importance of my “discovery.” In several Islamic nations, men marry women who are of such very young ages and not yet biologically mature. They justify this based on the account of the prophet of Islam without yet having the knowledge of my discovery. I searched far and wide and did not come across any popular Islamic text or scholar’s rendition that had yet presented the discovery; of course I may be wrong, but thus far, this most vital piece of evidence is practically unknown. So you can appreciate the importance of my discovery and getting it known across the world.
Necessary Definition: Pedophilia
Pedophilia is defined as a psychiatric disorder in which an adult or older adolescent experiences primary or exclusive sexual attraction to prepubescent children.
Thus while to qualify to be a pedophile, your primary attraction is to prepubescent (un-mature) children, so a man who has a one-off with a prepubescent child does not actually fit the medical definition of pedophilia, we know it is still accepted by layman definition to castigate single activities with the label.
So the question was: is prophet Mohammed a pedophile and since Muslims are encouraged to emulate him, is pedophilia encouraged in Islam?
I had argued that it is not. I stated categorically that Islam does not permit marriage to any lady who is not yet mature. When the other party appreciated my “social, mental and biological maturity” clause before any man or woman ins allowed to marry, they intelligently quizzed me, “can you provide evidence about your ‘maturity’ claim and prove from the religious/historical documents that in the Prophet’s example at that extreme of age, Aishawas mature?”
The Discovery Of Aisha’s Maturity
I said, “no doubt.” And then I went a-searching. I consider myself an internet research professional. I know how to optimally use search tools. While I do know that not nearly all information is online, in today’s world we have come to accept that almost all is. I dug in and out and saw no reference to Aisha’s maturity. I searched high and low and found nothing. Now typically, being what I consider, rather skilled in public dialogue and argument, I typically have ready responses and leave my opponents to take several-hour time-outs to go reconfigure and attempt to re-approach intellectual combat with me. “Come let’s reason together,” as the scriptures say (Isaiah 1:18) is my signature disposition; and I, being highly convicted, am always confident of logically superior arguments, supported with religious, scientific and commonsensical evidence.
But for a first time that 2007, I was unable to counter and back my claim. For a first time I had to take a time-out. I left the computer screen that night with reply field blank, after reading several Hadith (narrations of the Prophet of Islam’s life) and being yet unable to find evidence of her maturity and went out.
As I was out that fateful night, as is written of Kekule and his “twinning serpents/monkeys” inspired discovery of the Benzene ring, I ruminated over the Hadiths I had read of Aisha and the consummation of the marriage to the Prophet(p), perplexed. What was I missing?
The Sahih Bukhari Hadith and personal account according to chief witness, Aisha(R) reads:
“The Prophet engaged me when I was a girl. We went to Medina and stayed at the home of Bani-al-Harith bin Khazraj. Then I got ill and my hair fell down. Later on my hair grew (again) and my mother, Um Ruman, came to me while I was playing in a swing with some of my girl friends. She called me, and I went to her, not knowing what she wanted to do to me. She caught me by the hand and made me stand at the door of the house. I was breathless then, and when my breathing became Alright, she took some water and rubbed my face and head with it. Then she took me into the house. There in the house I saw some Ansari women who said, “Best wishes and Allah’s Blessing and a good luck.” Then she entrusted me to them and they prepared me (for the marriage). Unexpectedly Allah’s Apostle came to me in the forenoon and my mother handed me over to him, and at that time I was a young girl.”
Do you see it?
I didn’t at first. I don’t know anyone who had seen it. I had seen Muslim scholars give various defenses and excuses, sometimes even alluding, but no mention of the relevant aspect.
Perhaps my being a Medical Doctor had set me up to be the one who discovered this for our era and made it known in dignification of Aisha and towards the protection of young women around the world.
In any case as I believe is the source of all true knowledge and discoveries and how Kekule discovered the Benzene ring, rather than say, it hit me, I say, “I was inspired with the answer, right there in the innocent girl’s miracle account.
So here it was:
“My hair fell off.”
“Later my hair re-grew.”
I thought, why mention your hair falling off in a documented account for the reading of the peoples of the world and billions of Muslims to inherit the planet? There must be something here. I started to tremble as I felt it. I must say, true inspiration gives you goose bumps. Indeed, whenever I am told something new and insightful, I tremble. Pure knowledge shines a light…more like radiation through the seeker of knowledge. Knowledge is a vibration, a real force and not just black and white arranged letters or words spoken. The way some feel when they get a new classy car is how I feel when I learn of something new, or get other intellectual breakthrough. Having felt the ‘light,’ the vibration, I already knew I had hit the secret before I confirmed it.
I trembled as I used my back-in-the-day, 12-digit phone keypad to browse for the link between hair loss and puberty.
You can imagine my excitement when I found the below. I had unravelled the DNA code for over a billion Muslims and most especially for potential young victims of ignorance.
“…Female hair loss can first show up at puberty. However, this may be due to normal hormonal changes and it invariably rectifies itself….” https://solutions0321.wordpress.com/2010/10/27/female-hair-loss/
“..The very first signs of the effects of androgens on scalp hair growth occur soon after puberty, which is the stage in the human life when the reproductive organs reach maturity. In boys, puberty occurs around age 13. After puberty, the front hairline above the temples may recede. In some men, this may be as far as the balding process will develop…” http://www.ehealthmd.com/library/hairloss/HL_causes.html
“…When blood levels of androgen decrease during puberty, patterned hair loss may begin its pattern….” http://www.aocd.org/skin/dermatologic_diseases/female_pattern_hai.html
“…Female pattern hair loss may begin as early as puberty…” http://www.aocd.org/?page=FemalePatternHair
Aisha gave us the code. She explained both aspects of the physiological reaction in one single Hadith. Note that hair does not fall off and re-grow in an instance. Wow! She was telling us quite explicitly that perhaps some months before, her hair had fallen off (which could have been disease) but that when it re-grew, which medically suggests puberty, the women, matrons, trained and skilled in evaluation and confirmation, seeing this as the sign of established puberty, held her, washed her face (no other pathological/medicinal cure was given, thus suggesting normal physiology and not disease) and said, “it is time.”
I ran from where I was hanging out that night, back home to my system and proudly typed the evidence to the crowd.
Yes, Islam does not teach pedophilia. Maturity is a must for potential brides and grooms. Additionally as I have detailed in the past, potential brides must be fully consulted and freely give their consent. They further have the explicit right to terminate any marriage at anytime they desire, hence they can never be trapped. These fundamental rights of women must be ensured, supervised by the State and religious authorities and fully protected.
What I got right was inspiration from my Lord and what I got wrong is my error to which I seek forgiveness. Praise be to the Lord, Master of all knowledge.
Thanks for reading. I pray you share this so everyone can benefit.