How Long Will the Hidden Imam Live?
part 1
Dr. Jalali
Mr. Hoshyar: The term of his life has not been fixed. But the hadith reported on the authority of the Imams introduce him as the one endowed with a long life. For instance, Imam Hasan `Askari related:
After me my son is the Qa'im. He is the one in whom two characteristics of the ancient prophets, namely, long life and occultation, will be realized. His occultation will be so much prolonged that the hearts of the people will become hard and dark [with doubt]. Only those who receive God's special favor and whose hearts are made unwavering and who are confirmed by the holy spirit will remain faithful to him.
Dr. Jalali: All that you have explained about the Imam of the Age so far is both rational and appropriate. However, there is one thing that really troubles my mind as well as the minds of those who are here in our gathering, namely, the problem of longevity. Educated and intelligent people do not find such a claim of longevity plausible, because the age of the human cell is limited. Bodily organs like the heart, brain, kidney, and abdomen have a precise potential to perform their function. It is logically impossible for me to believe that the heart of a normal person can function for more than a thousand years. Let me be very honest about the fact that you cannot present such a phenomenon to the public in this age of science and space technology.
Mr. Hoshyar: Dr. Jalali, I do confess that the extended age of the Guardian of the Age (peace be upon him) is among the difficult things to believe. I have no knowledge of medicine or biology. However, I am ready to accept the truth. Hence, I request you to share your knowledge about long life with us.
Dr. Jalali: I too should acknowledge that my own scientific knowledge is not sufficient to allow me to solve the fundamental question we are faced with. As such, it is better to get some expert opinion on this subject. I think that Dr. Nafisi, the Dean and Professor of the Medical School at the University of Isfahan, would be the most appropriate person to address our concern. Besides his thorough training in the field of medicine in general, he has lot of interest in the question of longevity.
Mr. Hoshyar: I have no objection to your proposal. I will make the necessary inquiries and write a letter to Dr. Nafisi, inviting him to join the group in one of its session. It might be in our interest to wait to hear from him and, therefore, I will suggest that we meet again after getting enough information about longevity so that we can enter our discussions with a better understanding. When Dr. Nafisi replies to our invitation I will ask Dr. Jalali to contact you by phone to let you know about our next meeting.
The Research about Longevity
It was almost a month later when Dr. Jalali informed everyone about the next meeting on Friday evening at his residence. The group had come together to resume the discussion. After a brief introduction and some refreshments the session was formally opened by Mr. Hoshyar, who informed the gathering about the letter he had received from Dr. Nafisi. He asked Dr. Jalali to read it aloud. Dr. Jalali agreed and read the letter:
Dear Mr. Hoshyar:
Thanks for your letter and your invitation to speak to your group about my research on longevity. Since I am too busy to accept any speaking engagement and since the subject is very dear to me, I thought I would respond to your questions in writing, however brief, for the benefit of your colleagues. I hope that my responses will be satisfactory.
Is There Any Fixed Term for Human Age?
Mr. Hoshyar: Is there any term fixed for human age in medical science or biology beyond which any transgression is impossible?
Dr. Nafisi: There is no such age fixed for human life the transgression of which would be impossible. However, ordinarily the longest period for human life is a little less than a hundred years. It appears that in the recorded history of humankind this period has remained without any considerable change.
Nevertheless, average age differs, depending upon the region, climate, race, heredity and life style, and has varied at different times in each historical period. Hence, in comparison to other periods, in the last century the average life span has varied considerably. For example, between the years 1838 and 1854 in England the average age of a man was 39.91 and of a woman 41.85 years. But in the year 1937 this average had increased to 60.18 and 64.4 years respectively.
In the United States the average age for a man in 1901 was 48.23 and for a woman 51.8 years. On the other hand, in 1944 it was 63.5 and 68.95 years respectively. This increase is clearly the result of a better survival age for infants as a result of improved health care and preventive medicine, more particularly immunization against infectious disease. However, cures related to the diseases of old age have not had much success.
Mr. Hoshyar: Is there a general rule or standard to determine the life span of living beings?
Dr. Nafisi: The widespread belief is that there is a direct correlation between the size of a body and its life span. For example, it is worth observing the difference between the short age of a moth or a fly and that of a turtle, which might live as long as two centuries. However, this correlation is not as constant as it might seem, because a parrot or a crow, more often than not, live longer than birds that are bigger in size, and even longer than the majority of the mammals. Some fish, like salmon, live up to a hundred years; whereas a horse does not live more than thirty years.
From the time of Aristotle, there has been a belief that the life span of each being is in accord with the time it takes to grow. This equation for animals, as estimated by some scholars, was eight times the period that was required for a species to mature, whereas others maintained it to be five times that period. For human beings, one hundred years is regarded as a normal span. This opinion is widely held even now. However, David, the Prophet, has regarded seventy years as a natural age.
In those ancient periods several individuals are believed to have lived for over a hundred years. However, their identity and the actual scale of their life may not be as accurate as it seems. Among these individuals are Henry Jenkins, who died in December 1670 at the alleged age of 169 years; Thomas Parr, who died in November 1635 at the alleged age of 152 years; and Catherine, countess of Desmond, who died in 1604 at the alleged age of 140 years. Some other names appear in different journals across the world today.
The Reasons for Longevity
Mr. Hoshyar: What are the factors that lead to longevity?
Dr. Nafisi: The following have been considered as probable factors of longevity.
(1) Heredity: The significance and the influence of heredity in longevity are self-evident. There are families whose members have been observed to live longer than the average human life expectancy, except in cases where death occurs because of an accident.
In this connection it is relevant to mention the research done by Raymond Peril. In a book that he co-authored with his daughter, he studied a family that had a record of longevity going back seven generations. The total number of years going back seven generations in that family was 699 years, including two persons who were killed in an accident. In addition, in more recent statistics conducted by insurance companies it has been proven that longevity in the progenitor has a direct influence on longevity in the progeny.
The heredity factor can be neutralized by other factors such as environment and bad habits. However, heredity can explain the reason why certain individuals living under unfavorable circumstances, such as alcoholics, can live longer. An offspring inherits strong and healthy body parts and organs from parents, including the nervous system and blood circulation. The famous proverb, "The age of a person can be gauged from the shape of his arteries," is based upon recognition of this heredity factor. In other words, for a number of people, when they reach their old age, their arteries become blocked because of hereditary traits. Moreover, the majority of the people who die before the age of ninety because of a heart attack or stroke have been found to suffer from arteriosclerosis.
(2) Environment: This is the second most important factor in longevity. The environment that offers moderate climate and clean air, is free of harmful microbes and poisons, and contains safe and peaceful living conditions has a bearing upon the well being and longevity of its inhabitants.
(3) Profession: The type of work and the working conditions as well as the duration in hours, in addition to spiritual and psychological activities, have an impact upon longevity. It appears that when a person enjoys good physical health and mental tranquility, it affects their life span significantly. On the other hand, a stressful life accompanied by a lack of physical respite and mental peace, even more so than hard physical and psychological labor, reduces life span.
It is for this reason that there are more persons enjoying longevity among religious scholars and prime ministers than among ordinary people. This longevity is directly related to their style of working and managing their stress under the constant pressure that is exerted by their profession. It is for this reason that joblessness and early retirement at a younger age might actually lead to the shortening of one's life span.
To be continued ...
Source: imamalmahdi.com
Other Links:
A brief look at Imam Hussein (A.S)-part 4
The Beauties of Ashura: The Most Beautiful Choice
The Beauties of Ashura: The Most Beautiful Words
The Beauties of Ashura: The Most Beautiful Respect
Karbala, the Scale of Love
