I've got some questions about Islam :)

[Islamic Teacher]

LaceNChains

Why do women have to cover their head? Why are women not allowed to go out anywhere without a male with them? Are women really respected and liberated in Islam? Why did Muhammad marry a 6 year old girl?

I have more questions but this is enough for now I think.

I've found some answers

1 ) Allah Almighty created us in a beautiful form, and had put in us desires and emotions to make the journey of life more meaningful and to help us be more faithful to our spouses.

Allah Almighty created sexual desires in both men and women to help them live their marital lives together until death separates them. Otherwise, life would get too boring for the couples very quickly. He did also create ways for both men and women to increase their sexual desires:

1- For men, the eye is what increases their sexual desires. That's why it's common for men in the west to look lustfully at western women (who dress inappropriately by exposing 60% of their bodies and up).

2- For women, the feeling of a touch is what increases their sexual desires. That is why it is not common among women to look at men lustfully (as much as men do look at women) in the western societies where open sexuality is common among people. It is generally the men who seek the women and look at them lustfully. The vise versa is not true!.

Knowing the above facts, it is important for us as good Muslims or good followers of Allah Almighty to reduce wickedness in our society to the very minimum. For these reasons, Allah Almighty ordered women to cover up so that they don't look sexually intimidating, and He ordered men not to touch women whom those men are not their "mahram" (guardians). In other words, a man can touch his daughter on the shoulder for instance, or his mother. But he can't go around and touch stranger women, because depending on the woman, this could raise her sexual desires to lead her to commit fornication or adultery.

Men and women in Islam are not also allowed to talk too openly in public together, so no wickedness can take place among them. Women are encouraged to talk in a low voice and to not hit the ground with their heels too loud when they walk.

These types of teachings keep the society in a healthy mental state. If you look at the Western World's Grade Schools and High Schools where they have mixed genders, then you would easily see how teenage males (boys) get disturbed and lose focus in their studies because they would be thinking too much about sex with other classmate girls.

This sexual atmosphere creates nothing but psychological and emotional difficulties and insecurities among the teenage boys, who will then grow up to be sexually insecure.

In Islam, teenage boys and girls are prohibited to attend the same school. Girls must go to girls schools and boys must go to boys schools. In Universities its a different case, even though some Muslims still believe that there should be Women-only universities and Men-only universities. But I personally agree with the Muslims that don't have a problem with mixed genders universities as long as the men and women dress modestly and Islamicly, because in college, men and women are a lot more mature and responsible than the teenage kids. Plus it is an opportunity for Muslim men and women to get to know each others for marital purposes, since they are all old enough for marriage.

"O ye who believe! Ye are forbidden to inherit women against their will. Nor should ye treat them with harshness, that ye may take away part of the dower [money given by the husband to the wife for the marriage contract] ye have given them, except where they have been guilty of open lewdness; on the contrary live with them on a footing of kindness and equity. If ye take a dislike to them it may be that ye dislike a thing, and God brings about through it a great deal of good. (The Noble Quran, 4:19)"


Muhammad's (peace be upon him) Marriage with Aisha

Let's discuss the age of Aisha being 9 when she married our Prophet in Islam!

First of all, it is important to know:

Aisha's parents were the ones who married her to our Prophet, and that no Muslim or even pagan objected to the marriage because it was widely practiced. And even until today in 3rd world countries (Muslims and non-Muslims), little girls as young as 9 or 10 do get married. Anyway, the reason no one objected was to the Prophet's marriage was:

People used to have very short life-spans in Arabia. They used to live between 40 to 60 years maximum. So it was only normal and natural for girls to be married off at ages 9 or 10 or similar.


Marriage for young girls was widely practiced among Arabs back then, and even today in many third-world non-Muslim and Muslim countries.

It is important to know that girls during the Biblical and Islamic days used to be married off at young ages when they either had their first periods, or their breasts start showing off. In other words, when they turn into "women", then they get married off. It was quite different for men on the other hand, because physical power and the ability of living an independent life had always been and will always be a mandatory requirement for men to have in life. So men waited much longer than women in terms of getting married. The guy had to develop both his body and mind before he was ready for marriage.

That is why you see girls as young as 9 or 10 were married to men as old as 30 or even older. The culture back then and in many third world countries today (NON-MUSLIM ONES TOO) is quite different than what you live in today.

Also, the fact that there is no AGE LIMIT to how girls in the Bible were sold off and married off to other men, WITHOUT ANY CHOICE, who were much much older than them as also the case with the Biblical Prophets who married 100s of wives each clearly proves the hypocrisy of some Christians who attack Islam through Aisha's very young age, while they clearly ignore the same fact in their own Bible. Here is a sample of the 100s of wives of the Biblical Prophets:

In Exodus 21:10, a man can marry an infinite amount of women without any limits to how many he can marry.

In 2 Samuel 5:13; 1 Chronicles 3:1-9, 14:3, King David had six wives and numerous concubines.

In 1 Kings 11:3, King Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines.

In 2 Chronicles 11:21, King Solomon's son Rehoboam had 18 wives and 60 concubines.

Even today, girls in many third-world countries are married off at the same or similar age. Also, it is believed by many Jews and Roman Catholics that Mary was 12 - 14 when she had Jesus. Also as I said, the Biblical Prophets who had 100s of wives each most probably married young girls as well.

Also, what about Aisha's PARENTS (MOM AND DAD)? Didn't they see it right and fit to marry their daughter at that age and at that time? Who are we to judge?