Homo sapiens reproduction

Sexual maturity

Sexual maturity in humans is the biological, mental, psychological and emotional capability and readiness to reproduce.

Biological

Objections and refutations against them

1. Biological maturity is not a requirement

ʿAlī al-Ḥusaynī al-Sīstānī

ʿAlī al-Ḥusaynī al-Sīstānī is an Iranian-Iraqi Islamic scholar, one of the most senior scholars of Twelver Shia with the rank of Grand Ayatollah and marja' and has been described as the spiritual leader of Shia Muslims worldwide.

In his treatise on practical law (risālah), he states:

Ruling 2428. If a person marries a non-bālighah (prepubescent) girl, it is unlawful for him to have sexual intercourse with her until she has completed nine lunar years.

Ruling 2528. There is no ʿiddah for a girl who has not completed nine lunar years nor for a postmenopausal woman. This means that even if their husbands have had sexual intercourse with them, they can marry immediately after divorce.

The above two rulings appear to imply that ʿAlī al-Ḥusaynī al-Sīstānī believes that sexual intercourse with a prepubescent girl is permissible.

Ruhollah Khomeini

Ruhollah Khomeini was an Iranian Islamic revolutionary, politician and religious leader who served as the first supreme leader of Iran from 1979 until his death in 1989. He was the founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the main leader of the Iranian Revolution and has been described as the "virtual face of Shia Islam in Western popular culture."

In his book Tahrīr al-Wasīlah (Liberation of the Intercession), which he wrote as a commentary on a traditional theological text and as a guide for Shia jurists on his opinions, he stated:

Issue #12: It is not permissible to have intercourse with the wife before completing nine years of age, whether the marriage is continuous (permanent) or interrupted (temporary).

References

• Khomeini, Ruhollah (1986). Tahrīr al-Wasīlah, volume 2, page 343.