Alex: Alright, but let me ask you this: Prophet Muhammad’s last wife was Aisha, right?

     Tate: Actually, Aisha bint Abi Bakr was one of his wives, but she was his third wife, not his last.

     Alex: The girl who was six years old at the time of her marriage to him?

     Tate: (Silence)

     Alex: The same one, yes? The same girl—according to historical records—who consummated her marriage with him at nine or ten years old? (I had done my research)

     Tate: Alex, she was around twelve.

     Alex: Sorry, my friend—call me a liar for a year or two.

     I was armed with information, which wasn’t easy to come by in prison. I had to get creative, relying on “forbidden contrabands” to conduct online research—and Wikipedia was my go-to resource. Given its massive user base and the fact that Islam has a following of nearly 2 billion people globally, I figured if the information was completely fabricated, it would’ve been taken down by now. If it was on Wikipedia, it had to be somewhat reliable, right?

     Wikipedia notes the following about Aisha bint Abi Bakr:

     Classical Islamic sources state that Aisha was six at the time of her marriage with Muhammad and nine at the time of its consummation. In a hadith recorded in Sahih al-Bukhari, Aisha recalls being married at the age of six. Ibn Sa’d’s biography holds her age at the time of marriage as between six and seven, and gives her age at consummation to be nine while Ibn Hisham’s biography of Muhammad suggests she may have been ten years old at consummation. Al-Tabari notes Aisha to have stayed with her parents after the marriage and consummated the relationship at nine years of age since she was young and sexually immature at the time of marriage; however, elsewhere Tabari appears to suggest that she was born during the Jahiliyyah (before 610 C.E), which would translate to an age of about twelve or more at marriage.

     This account was corroborated by several other sources, all presenting similar narratives. I went on to discuss these findings with Tate in depth.

     Tate: Times were different back then, Alex. Things are not like this today, my brother.

     Honestly, I don’t buy the “times were different” argument. A nine-year-old is a nine-year-old, regardless of the era. The justification didn’t sit well with me.

     I’d like to preface this by stating that I strongly believe in the fundamental rights of freedom of choice, freedom of religion, and freedom of speech. These principles empower me to ask questions, form opinions, and engage in open discussions. When it comes to respecting different religions, I may not always agree with them, but I respect every individual’s right to their own beliefs and choices.

     Alex: Let’s pause here, Tate, and reflect. Just to confirm, Jesus is widely regarded in Islam as a man born of a miracle, performed countless miracles Himself, and lived a life of unparalleled righteousness, while Muhammad was a warrior who had sex with a nine-year-old. And that’s the spiritual path you chose to follow …

     Tate remained silent, unable to address my concerns.

     Alex: Let’s keep the conversation going, my friend. I have one more question, but I need to clarify something. As a prophet sent by God, was Jesus capable of lying?

     Tate: Of course not.

     Alex: Then how do you interpret His statement, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me”? Was He being dishonest?

     Tate remained silent once more.

     Alex: Well, my friend, that brings me to my final question. Was Jesus a liar?