Girls'Age for Marriage in Islamic Law

Marriage is one of the most important periods in a person's life. But to set A fixed age for marriage is a serious issue which is discussed in this article. The question is whether it is possible to have a minium fixed age for marriage. The majority of Theologians believe that the age of nine which is the age that puberty begins is a proper age for a girl to get married. Therefore this is the minium age set for marriage. Thus this is the time that marital status starts which is considered a major event in our lives. After studying the Theological sources and the differences of opinions, the author tries to reach a concensus regarding the proper age for marriage which would be compatible with Islamic laws. Taking into consideration the legal reasoning and the opinions of the knowledgeable, we come to the conclusion that the proper age for marriage is when a girl is physically and mentally mature enough to be conscious of the objectives of marriage. As there are individual differences among young girls, a certain age for marriage cannot be determined.