The Age of Aisha in Context

About this lecture

In this lecture, Professor Jonathan A.C. Brown of Georgetown University examines the historical and cultural context surrounding the Prophet Muhammad's marriage to Aisha, drawing on his book *Misquoting Muhammad*. Using data on marriage ages across Roman, European, South Asian, Chinese, and American history — as well as dramatic shifts in life expectancy, puberty onset, and the rise of mandatory schooling — he argues that modern moral reactions to this topic are rooted in very recent and geographically specific changes in human experience, not timeless universal norms. The lecture challenges Muslims and non-Muslims alike to contextualize their moral intuitions historically, while also honestly engaging with the strength of the relevant Hadith evidence.