ASK A MUSLIM: IDOLATRY & Aisha

Muslim Rebuttals
Jul 10, 2017 · 3 min read
Taweez — an amulet used to ward off evil and misfortune. Recognized as idolatry or “shirk” by most Islamic scholars and hence, forbidden or “haram”.

Let’s make one thing clear: do NOT approach a random Muslim with this or any question. That is NOT polite at all. But if you’re in existing discussion, ask them about Islam and idolatry. The conversation may go something like this:

YOU: Is idolatry highly forbidden in Islam?

THEM: Yes. Very much so. Islam strictly forbids all forms of idolatry because we don’t worship objects. We worship Allah.

YOU: So is that why Muhammad smashed the idols of the polytheists in Mecca?

THEM: Yes. It may sound intolerant but considering the historical context, it was justified because any form of idol worship would stray people against Allah. During Islam’s early days, being strict on idolatry was very necessary.

YOU: OK. Next question: Is it true that Muhammad had sex with his 9 year old wife, Aisha?

THEM: Yes, Aisha was only 9 years old but times were different then and people matured faster due to shorter lifespans. I assure you that given the historical context, she was both mentally and physically mature for sex with the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him.

YOU: But there are also Hadiths (words and deeds of Muhammad) that say she was playing with dolls at the time of consummation. Someone who is mature enough to have sex with an older man wouldn’t be playing with dolls. These are Hadiths that are given the exact same authenticity and chain of narration as other Hadiths that you accept like “heaven is at the feet of your mother.”

THEM: Well, remember that this was 1400 years ago. In today’s context, dolls are something only children play with but we don’t know what dolls were used for back then. How do we know that dolls were toys for children? How do we know they weren’t used as fashion accessories for women?

Various ancient dolls

YOU: Well, Fath Ul-Bari added in his commentary of that Hadith that dolls were forbidden for adults becuse of idolatry but since Aisha was just a child, she was allowed one.

THEM: He’s not a reliable source!

YOU: Who isn’t?

THEM: The person you just named.

YOU: So you don’t even know his name but you know he’s not reliable?

THEM: Yes.

YOU: How do you know?

THEM: Because I know for a fact that sex with a child is forbidden in Islam.

YOU: So you’re saying you KNOW for a fact that Fath Ul-Bari was wrong and that post-pubescent girls old enough for sex with their older husbands owned dolls?

THEM: Yes, because sex with an actual child is completely against Islam!

YOU: But wouldn’t this commentary about dolls being forbidden to adults go inline with the historical context of the time AND what you said earlier about the low tolerance for idolatry? You always say that cutting off someone’s hand was a normal punishment for it’s time which is why it was practiced. Doesn’t the historical context support this claim? You’re always complaining about how people talk about Islamic scripture without considering the historical context.

THEM: Um, I don’t know. Islam is complicated. I just know that Allah exists because I can feel him in my heart. But if you want to get better answers, you should talk to a scholar. He’ll explain everything to you.

YOU: Aren’t you curious yourself?

THEM: No. I’m content with my faith in Allah swt. I’m happy. Unlike you who is so full of hatred against a beautiful religion. You should spend your time doing positive things.

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