How Long Will the Hidden Imam Live?

part 2

4) Nutrition: The kinds of food and the amount we consume have an impact upon our life span. The majority of the people whose life span exceeded more than a hundred years have been found to be dieters. There are numerous proverbs that signify the harm caused by overeating. Among these are: "A person digs his grave with his own teeth." To be sure, overeating requires the entire body to work harder and is a cause of digestive disorders, heart and kidney diseases, and other ailments. Unfortunately, these overeaters enjoy enormous energy by which they are deceived until symptoms of disorders begin to surface. During World War I, it was observed that death as a result of diabetes had significantly declined in some countries. The main reason was the shortage of food in those areas. Hence, it appears that poverty as a cause of reduced intake of food is a blessing in disguise. Moreover, consumption of large amounts of meat after the age of forty is extremely harmful.

Dr. McCay's experiments on mice at Cornell University have demonstrated that thin mice were able to overcome fat ones. A mouse reaches physical maturity at the age of four months; becomes old at two years, and dies before three. Dr. McCay's experiments involved keeping a group of mice under a strict low calorie diet that was enriched with vitamins and minerals. After some time he came to this conclusion: The period of their physical maturity could be prolonged to a thousand days instead of four months. Further, he observed that the oldest mice who were fed on a regular diet died after 965 days. But the mice who were kept under strict diet remained young and full of energy for a longer than usual time. In relative comparison to a human life span, this latter group had lived a life of a hundred or a hundred and fifty years. More importantly, this group remained healthier, suffering no ailments, and smarter than those who were on a regular diet. Such experiments have been conducted on fish and amphibians with similar results.

It is important to bear in mind that just as overeating can become a cause for a shorter life span, poor eating can lead to a surge in illness and a shortening of life span. That is, dieting must be accompanied with proper nourishment, otherwise it could lead to one being afflicted with diseases.

Senility and Its Causes

Mr. Hoshyar: What is the meaning of 'senility' or 'getting old'?

Dr. Nafisi: 'Senility' is marked by the wear and tear on human organs like the heart, stomach, brain, and internal glands which can no longer perform their functions to their capacity, mainly because they are unable to renew their cells and increase the excretions they need to refurbish themselves. This leads to the infirmity and weakness that become apparent in the human body at this stage.

Mr. Hoshyar: What causes senility?

Dr. Nafisi: The signs of old age begin to appear at a certain stage in human life. However, it is not certain that senility is defined by the passage of time and by specific signs in the parts of the body such that one could assert that when a person has lived a number of years he has reached an old age. It is more correct to maintain that the main reason for senility and its manifestation is the onset in of the disturbance of a equilibrium at this age.

As such, the main reason for senility is not the passage of time; rather, it is a deficiency that appears in the proper functioning of the body parts. At this age, different bodily functions slow down, and anatomically the tissues become smaller and their blood supply decreases. Digestive and alimental systems become weaker since they are unable to perform their function to the full. This causes an overall weakening of the body. The procreative power becomes less, and the brain slows down. In most people memory power reduces, especially recollection of names or dates becomes difficult.

Nonetheless, it is quite possible that while physical functions are reduced, spiritual powers are augmented. It is important to remember that all these occurrences and weaknesses that set in at a given stage in life are the result of a disturbance of the equilibrium that has occurred. Hence, it is more accurate to say that senility is not the cause; it is the effect. In other words, if a person is found who, despite an advanced age, does not experience any deficiency or loss of equilibrium, then he might continue to live much longer with a healthy body and mind. The Opposite has been observed too whereby despite a young age, a person might lose vitality and become old before the age that is ordinarily regarded as senile.

Mr. Hoshyar: What causes the balancing system of the body to become weak and lethargic?

Dr. Nafisi: The body's organs from the time of the birth of each person possess the ability to perform their naturally endowed function. This ability in the organs, as we have mentioned earlier in our discussion about the elements that impact upon longevity, is very much affected by the physical constitution of the parents and the kind of nutrition, environment, and climate to which they are exposed. Following that, it appears that as long as no deficiency sets in they will continue to provide their natural function as long as a person lives. But, if a deficiency affects one or any of them resulting in the reduction of its normal workload, then senility with all its signs peeps through and old age becomes manifest.

In short, the human body is continuously assailed by different kinds of viruses, bacteria, and microorganisms that endlessly attack it, producing toxic substances inside the body which destroy the healthy cells, thereby obstructing the continuation of life. When these things happen, on the one hand, the human body has a greater responsibility for providing the necessary nutrients for its survival and, on the other, it has to put up a defence against the attack of the microorganisms that cause infirmity in it.

Moreover, the body has to restore the healthy state of those organs that were assaulted and get rid of excessive toxic matter in the blood stream while sending help to the infirmed organs. However, as soon as one enemy is brought under control it is faced with another attack, and so on. Hence, the internal defence system of the body has to remain alert all the time. In order to equip itself with its defenses, the body has to seek help from outside. Unfortunately, humans do not have sufficient knowledge about their own physical constitution and their internal needs. Moreover, in this sacred battle of self preservation, not only do human beings not cooperate with their body, but because of their ignorance and short-sightedness they actually end up assisting its enemy by eating the wrong foods and, as a consequence, open the doors to reducing their health and life span. Evidently, when the body is unable to furnish the necessary tissues, it looses the ability to perform vital functions when attacked by merciless microorganisms. Under these conditions the human body begins to decline and the signs of infirmity become manifest.

Just as the human body becomes tied to the destiny of being senile under the impact of hard work, it also becomes the victim of senility as a consequence of the extremely stressful episodes in life. Some scientists believe that untimely senility is caused by some diseases or harmful habits. According to the findings of some research, the toxic secretions that are produced by the fermentation of intestinal microbes could be the cause of senility; hence, if these microbes are exterminated age could be prolonged.

The basis for such a conclusion is provided by the empirical data collected in the Balkans, more particularly in Bulgaria, Turkey, and the Caucasus. In these areas, a greater number of people live for over a hundred years. The reason for this longevity has been sought in yoghurt which is consumed in large amounts by these peoples. Scientists believe that since yoghurt possesses lactic acid that kills the microbes in the intestine, the person consuming it is able to live longer.

Mr. Hoshyar: Is the cause of death and of the termination of the bodily functions, that same longevity and the immense toil that it involves? In other words, is death a necessity and certainty in old age because of longevity and toil, even if the main reason for death might be something else?

Dr. Nafisi: The main reason for death is the occurrence of deficiencies which set in all the main organs of a body. As long as those deficiencies do not occur, death does not result. In fact, if the weaknesses occur before old age, then even a young person dies. But if he remains immune from these death-causing symptoms, then ordinarily as determined by the natural course of life, these symptoms definitely occur in old age. Having said all this, it is important to keep in mind that if an unusual person is born who lives a long life, but because of his unique physical constitution and other social conditions none of his organs has suffered any deficiency, then his having lived a long life will not necessarily cause him to die.

Mr. Hoshyar: Is it not possible that a human being in the future might be able to discover a medication by means of which he might be able to increase the vitality of his body and prevent it from getting old and physically deficient?

Dr. Nafisi: This is entirely possible. On the basis of the insufficient knowledge that we possess today, we cannot reject such a possibility. Scientists have always conducted and continue to do research about the phenomenon of long life. Hopefully, one day they will discover the secret of longevity and human beings will be able to overcome old age and the short life span.

The Long Life of the Twelfth Imam

Mr. Hoshyar: As you know, the Shi`a believe that the promised Mahdi in the Prophet's hadith is identical with Imam Hasan `Askari's son who was born in the year 255 AH/873 CE or 256 AH/874 CE. He has been alive since that time and continues to be in that state in occultation. Moreover, he may continue to live for centuries in that invisible state. Does the science of medicine regard such a long age strange and impossible?

Dr. Nafisi: The question that has remained a mystery for me, insofar as my information and knowledge of the books that I have read goes, is the secret of the longevity of the Qa'im (may God hasten deliverance through him) from the family of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny). However, with the phenomenal advancement made in natural sciences, and with God's endorsement of such endeavors, we might see a breakthrough in this regard and those of us who are seeking to understand this mystery might be able to see God's wisdom in this connection.

The only thing I can say at this stage of human knowledge is that one cannot reject such a possibility on the basis of the analogy that since it has not been empirically observed it cannot exist. The reason is that besides the principle of probability, there is a list of things in nature whose long life span is beyond any doubt.

To be continued ...

Source: imamalmahdi.com

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