Hawzah News Agency- Among the discussions related to the life of Imam Mahdi (PBUH), his life span is magnificent. For some, the question arises as to how it is possible for a human being to have such a long life?!
The reason for raising this question is that what is common and common in today's world is limited lifespans, and some, upon seeing and hearing such lifespans, cannot believe in a long life; otherwise, a long life span is not impossible from the point of view of human reason and knowledge, and scientists have come to the truth by studying the parts of the body that it is possible for a human being to live for very long years and not even suffer from old age.
Scientists' efforts to find ways to overcome aging and achieve longevity indicate the possibility of such a phenomenon, as successful steps have been taken in this direction.
In the religious and historical books, many people are mentioned by name and biography whose lifespan was much longer than that of today's humans.
There is a verse in the Holy Quran that not only informs about a long life, but also about the possibility of eternal life, and that verse is about Prophet Yunus (PBUH) which says:
فَلَوْلَا أَنَّهُ کَانَ مِنَ الْمُسَبِّحِینَ، لَلَبِثَ فِی بَطْنِهِ إِلَی یَوْمِ یُبْعَثُونَ.
And if he had not been one of those who glorified Allah, he would have remained in the belly of the fish until the Day of Resurrection. (Surah As-Saffat, verses 143 and 144)
Therefore, according to the Quran, a very long lifespan, from the time of Prophet Yunus (peace be upon him) until the Day of Resurrection, which in the terminology of biologists is called eternal life, is possible for humans and fish.
The Holy Quran says about Prophet Noah (PBUH):
«وَلَقَدْ أَرْسَلْنَا نُوحًا إِلَیٰ قَوْمِهِ فَلَبِثَ فِیهِمْ أَلْفَ سَنَةٍ إِلَّا خَمْسِینَ عَامًا فَأَخَذَهُمُ الطُّوفَانُ وَهُمْ ظَالِمُونَ.»
And We sent Noah to his people; and he stayed among them for a thousand years except fifty years; but finally, the flood engulfed them while they were wrongdoers. (Surah Al-Ankabut, verse 14)
What is mentioned in the verse is the duration of his prophethood, and according to some narrations, the lifespan of this great man was 2450 years.
Interestingly, it is narrated from Imam Sajjad (PBUH) that he said:
«فِی اَلْقَائِمِ مِنَّا سُنَنٌ مِنَ اَلْأَنْبِیَاءِ ... فَأَمَّا مِنْ آدَمَ وَ نُوحٍ فَطُولُ اَلْعُمُرِ.»
In our Qa’im, there are traditions from the prophets, and his tradition from Adam and Noah is long lifespan. (Kamaluddin, vol. 1, p. 321)
The Holy Quran also says about Prophet Jesus (PBUH):
«وَمَا قَتَلُوهُ وَمَا صَلَبُوهُ وَلَٰکِنْ شُبِّهَ لَهُمْ ... بَلْ رَفَعَهُ اللَّهُ إِلَیْهِ.»
“And they did not kill him nor crucify him, but Allah raised him up to Himself.” (Surah An-Nisa, verses 157 and 158)
In addition to the Holy Quran, the Torah and the Gospel also mention long lives.
The Torah states:
“So, all the days of Adam that he lived were nine hundred and thirty years, and he died. And Seth lived a hundred and five years, and begat Enosh. And Seth lived after he begat Enosh eight hundred and seven years, and begat sons and daughters. And all the days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years, and he died... And all the days of Lamech were seven hundred and seventy-seven years, and he died. And Noah was five hundred years old, and Noah begat Shem, Ham, and Japheth." (Genesis 5:5-32)
Therefore, the Torah explicitly acknowledges the existence of people with long lives (over nine hundred years).
There are also passages in the Bible that indicate that Jesus, peace be upon him, was resurrected after being crucified and ascended to heaven, and that he will descend at some point, and it is certain that the life of that great man is more than two thousand years.
This statement makes it clear that the followers of both Judaism and Christianity must also believe in long lives since they believe in the Holy Bible.
In addition to the fact that long life is scientifically(1) and rationally acceptable and has many instances throughout history, it is also demonstrable in the scale of God's infinite power. According to the belief of all followers of heavenly religions, all particles of the universe are in the hands of God and all causes and effects depend on His will and if He does not will, the causes will cease to have an effect and He also creates without any natural cause or effect.
He is the God who brings forth a camel from the heart of the mountain and makes the burning fire cool and safe for Prophet Abraham (PBUH) and dries up the sea for Moses and his followers and makes them pass between two walls of water. Will He be unable to grant a long life to the essence of the prophets and saints and the last divine reserve and the ultimate hopes and desires of all the righteous and the fulfiller of the great promise of the Quran?!
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(1) The purpose of "scientific possibility" is to see that some things that cannot be made practical with today's means, from the point of view of scientific laws, there is no obstacle to their occurrence and realization. Important scientists such as the famous German scientist Weizmann, the famous physicist Fluker, the American Dr. Kelvor DeHaus, Professor Ettinger and Diemand Weberl, professors at John Hopkins University, and others have considered it possible to extend human life spans by even several hundred years.
This discussion continues...
Extracted from the book “Negine Afarinesh (The Jewel of Creation)”, with slight changes
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