Prepubescent Marriage in Islam

Qur’an 33:49 states that a waiting period (“Iddah”) is needed if a marriage was consummated. This is to make sure that the woman isn’t pregnant.
Qur’an 65:4 outlines three different categories of women regarding the Iddah:
- Pregnant women whose waiting period ends with the delivery of the child
- Those who don’t have periods any more have a waiting period of 3 months
- Those who have never menstruated have to wait 3 months
Ibn Kathir’s commentary (14th Century) confirms who this last group is:
- “The same for the young, who have not reached the years of menstruation. Their `Iddah is three months like those in menopause.”
Al-Jalalayn (16th Century) says the same:
- …and [also for] those who have not yet menstruated, because of their young age, their period shall [also] be three months
Sahih al-Bukhari 5133 and Sunan an-Nasa’i 3378 (among others) confirm that Muhammad married Aisha when she was six and consummated the marriage when she was nine when she was still playing with dolls.