I Dare Say

“While in Mecca, he had remained married to only one wife, Khadija, who died after twenty-five years of marriage. During his first year in Medina, Muhammad signed a marriage contract with the daughter of one of his most loyal followers, Abu Bakr. This would not seem unusual except that the girl was only six years old. Islamic history says that Muhammad did not consummate the marriage with the girl, named Aisha . . . until she was nine, but this arrangement was highly unusual, even in Arabian society. She remained married to Muhammad until his death, when she was eighteen years old. However, she was not his only wife. Muhammad married eleven others during his years in Medina. Muhammad spent a fair amount of energy managing his wives” (Mark Gabriel, Jesus and Muhammad, p. 58).