Does The Qu’ran Imply The Permissibility To Sleep With Little Girls?
Question:
Assalamu ‘alaykum.
Does verse 65:4 of the Qur’an imply that it’s okay to have sex with little girls? For example, if a contract was issued with a 3-year-old girl, does this verse imply its okay to consummate with her?
Answer: Wa ‘alaykum assalam wa rahmatullah wa barakatuh.
I pray you are well.
The Qur’an Does Not Permit Harming Others
The short answer is: no, the Qur’an does not imply that it is okay to sleep with little girls. Such an act would be harmful to this child on many levels – physically, mentally, and emotionally, as she would not be ready to process this experience. There would also be a likelihood of physically harming her severely.
Such a notion comes to people’s minds when they project the lowest practices and morals of their culture onto the Qur’an without understanding it on its own terms. We’ve discussed this at great length in this lesson and the next lesson on this topic. I advise you to listen to both for a full understanding.
What Does the Verse Refer To?
The verse was translated by Dr. Mustafa Khattab as follows:
“As for your women past the age of menstruation, in case you do not know, their waiting period is three months, and those who have not menstruated as well…” (Qur’an, 65:4).
This verse gives us the ruling for the ‘idda period for ladies who do not have menstrual cycles, either due to them having passed the menopause, or them not having started their menstrual cycles. This can refer to someone in their teens too, and in many pre-modern cultures marrying young was the norm.
There were no societal expectations of finishing school, getting a degree, or pursuing higher education. Marriage was normal at younger ages. This is all discussed in detail in the lessons above.
In any case, a marriage could not be consummated if there was any chance of harming the wife. So the projected ideas you’ll find on the internet don’t apply.
Don’t Entertain Information Which is Inaccurate
The internet is a place where you will come across a lot of information about Islam, and not all of it is accurate. It’s a terrible idea to listen to the arguments against Islam that many people present. Usually, they are inaccurate, biased, and decontextualized. This fills people with doubts.
Engage with what will benefit you and deepen your faith. May Allah facilitate the matter for you.
[Shaykh] Abdul-Rahim
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat began his studies in Arabic Grammar and Morphology in 2005. After graduating with a degree in English and History he moved to Damascus in 2007 where, for 18 months, he studied with many erudite scholars. In late 2008 he moved to Amman, Jordan, where he continued his studies for the next six years in Sacred Law (fiqh), legal theory (Usul al-fiqh), theology, hadith methodology, hadith commentary, and Logic. He was also given licenses of mastery in the science of Quranic recital and he was able to study an extensive curriculum of Quranic sciences, tafsir, Arabic grammar, and Arabic eloquence.
