Muslims, in an attempt to shield Muhammad from criticism about him marrying and having intercourse with 9 year-old Aisha (Sahih al-Bukhari 5133, etc.), often make the accusation that Isaac married his wife Rebekah when she was a three year-old.
This article examines this claim, considering the account of Isaac and Rebekah given in the book of Genesis.
Muslims assert that Rebekah was three years old by looking at the following information:
Looking at the above, Muslims assert that Rebekah was born when Isaac was 37. As covered above, this is based on the errant assumptions that Rebekah was a newborn baby when Abraham is told about his brother's family in Genesis 22:21-24, and that Sarah dying happened immediately after Abraham offering Isaac, when in reality, no explicit timeline is given in the text.
An examination of the actual description given of Rebekah before she marries Isaac reveals the Muslim claim regarding her age to be extremely dishonest.
The account says:
Genesis 24:13-28
13 Behold, I stand here by the well of water; and the daughters of the men of the city come out to draw water:
14 And let it come to pass, that the damsel to whom I shall say, Let down thy pitcher, I pray thee, that I may drink; and she shall say, Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also: let the same be she that thou hast appointed for thy servant Isaac; and thereby shall I know that thou hast shewed kindness unto my master.
15 And it came to pass, before he had done speaking, that, behold, Rebekah came out, who was born to Bethuel, son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham's brother, with her pitcher upon her shoulder.
16 And the damsel was very fair to look upon, a virgin, neither had any man known her: and she went down to the well, and filled her pitcher, and came up.
17 And the servant ran to meet her, and said, Let me, I pray thee, drink a little water of thy pitcher.
18 And she said, Drink, my lord: and she hasted, and let down her pitcher upon her hand, and gave him drink.
19 And when she had done giving him drink, she said, I will draw water for thy camels also, until they have done drinking.
20 And she hasted, and emptied her pitcher into the trough, and ran again unto the well to draw water, and drew for all his camels.
21 And the man wondering at her held his peace, to wit whether the LORD had made his journey prosperous or not.
22 And it came to pass, as the camels had done drinking, that the man took a golden earring of half a shekel weight, and two bracelets for her hands of ten shekels weight of gold;
23 And said, Whose daughter art thou? tell me, I pray thee: is there room in thy father's house for us to lodge in?
24 And she said unto him, I am the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milcah, which she bare unto Nahor.
25 She said moreover unto him, We have both straw and provender enough, and room to lodge in.
26 And the man bowed down his head, and worshipped the LORD.
27 And he said, Blessed be the LORD God of my master Abraham, who hath not left destitute my master of his mercy and his truth: I being in the way, the LORD led me to the house of my master's brethren.
28 And the damsel ran, and told them of her mother's house these things.
Very simply, anyone who can read the above, and repeat the assertion that Rebekah was 3 years old, lacks integrity. She is described as "very fair to look upon, a virgin, neither had any man known her" (Genesis 24:16). This is God giving a description of her, calling her attractive, and including the fact that she was a virgin. That describes a young lady, not a toddler.
She talks to a grown man, Abraham's servant, in complete sentences, not child-speak. She knows enough about her family situation, and has enough awareness, authority and autonomy, to offer them lodging (Genesis 24:25). She draws enough water for "all his camels" (Genesis 24:20). Camels can easily drink over a dozen gallons of water in one sitting.
Further, the account continues:
Genesis 24:58-67
58 And they called Rebekah, and said unto her, Wilt thou go with this man? And she said, I will go.
59 And they sent away Rebekah their sister, and her nurse, and Abraham's servant, and his men.
60 And they blessed Rebekah, and said unto her, Thou art our sister, be thou the mother of thousands of millions, and let thy seed possess the gate of those which hate them.
61 And Rebekah arose, and her damsels, and they rode upon the camels, and followed the man: and the servant took Rebekah, and went his way.
62 And Isaac came from the way of the well Lahairoi; for he dwelt in the south country.
63 And Isaac went out to meditate in the field at the eventide: and he lifted up his eyes, and saw, and, behold, the camels were coming.
64 And Rebekah lifted up her eyes, and when she saw Isaac, she lighted off the camel.
65 For she had said unto the servant, What man is this that walketh in the field to meet us? And the servant had said, It is my master: therefore she took a vail, and covered herself.
66 And the servant told Isaac all things that he had done.
67 And Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah's tent, and took Rebekah, and she became his wife; and he loved her: and Isaac was comforted after his mother's death.
Once again, above, we see what describes the actions of a young woman, not a toddler. They allow her to decide to go on the journey to Abraham's country to marry Isaac. She gets off a camel herself (Genesis 24:64), and veils her face (Genesis 24:65), after once again having a very non-childlike conversation with Abraham's servant.
Muslims point out the fact that Rebekah went with her nurse (Genesis 24:59) as part of their assertion that she was an infant. Again, anyone thinking that the above describes one who wasn't even weaned yet, is simply being dishonest with the text. Rebekah's nurse lived with her for her entire life, and dies with her (Genesis 35:8). So, her family sent her as a companion and caretaker with Rebekah, to Abraham's house.
So, the actual descriptions of Rebekah prior to her marriage to Isaac, given in the text, prove that the Muslim assumptions discussed in the first part of this article are invalid, and wrong. Rebekah was a young woman, not a toddler, or a little girl, when she married Isaac.
In an attempt to vindicate Muhammad's perverted marriage to a child, Muslims slander another prophet, Isaac, and accuse him of something that he did not even do. This accusation is impossible to derive from any fair reading of the text.