Divorcing Children?

A claim made by investigateislam and iceyyy is that the Quran allows Muslims to divorce children The Verse they refer to Quran 65:4, and they use the explanation of Ibn Abass. They often raise this in their debates.

Response

First of all Islam has no problem with early marriage, in general it is left to the parents to decide if their children should marry or not. But if they are married at young age the marriage should be consummated AFTER the age of puberty and after the girl reaches her menses, this is because the Prophet Muhammed (pbuh) consummated his marriage after Aisha reached puberty.

Islam does no support Paedophilia or child molestation under any circumstances. This is because the Quran associates marriage to physical & mental maturity and Adulthood. I will give two Quran verses to prove this.

Quran 4:6 Make trial of orphans until they reach the age of marriage; if then ye find sound judgment in them, release their property to them; but consume it not wastefully, nor in haste against their growing up. If the guardian is well off, Let him claim no remuneration, but if he is poor, let him have for himself what is just and reasonable. When ye release their property to them, take witnesses in their presence: But all sufficient is God in taking account.

Quran 4:21 and how could ye take it when ye have gone in unto each other, and they have Taken from you a solemn covenant

Both of these Verses together indicate that marriage is an covenant (agreement) between men and women at the age of maturity and where they can make good judgements. Therefore they have to be developed.

Quran Surah 65:4

The Verse Christianprince aka investigateislam quotes is Quran 65:4 Here is the ayah.

Quran 65:4 Such of your women as have passed the age of monthly courses, for them the prescribed period, if ye have any doubts, is three months, and for those who have no courses (it is the same): for those who carry (life within their wombs), their period is until they deliver their burdens: and for those who fear God, He will make their path easy

This verse is referring to women who have already passed puberty, but who stop having menses because of old old and or women who at one point did have menses but due to psychological or physiological reasons, have stopped menstruating before menopause. Also pregnant women don’t reach their periods either.

Investigateislam only quotes a commentator of the Quran to support his argument. Commentators can make mistakes because they are infallible human beings.  So ibn Abass’s opinion on this issue makes no difference, the Quran on its on is clear and We also can follow the Prophet Muhammed’s example, most of his wives were widows and they were often older than him. If anything contradicts the quran we discard it. So if any interpretations or even some hadiths go against the teaching of the Qu’ran, we put it aside.