Rather...

Rather, it explains a general law of creation that whosoever lives a long life, will become abject in state. But those possibilities are in the hands of Allah. If He wants, He can render his condition pitiable or else, He can also allow him to remain young and handsome despite longevity. Thus, the terms of Quran are such that both the possibilities are mentioned and both of them are related to divine intention.

First, He explains the general law that whosoever He increases his lifespan, He will render him abject in state. Now, we ask humbly, O Allah! If You want to give somebody a long life and prevent his condition from being pitiable, can You not do so? He, the Almighty, will retort angrily, ‘Of course! I can. The choice lies with Me (because I have power over all things). Therefore, nowhere does the aforementioned Quranic verse create any doubt whatsoever.

For, Allah’s sunnah is such that He can provide exceptions for any rule that He makes. For example, the sunnah of Allah is that He brings a person into existence after copulation of man with a woman and the necessary processes that follow. But in one instance, Allah the Almighty, willed to create Hazrat Eesa (a.s.) without a father. There are plenty of such exceptions.

After replying to the verses that are cited as evidences against longevity, now let us proceed to establish longevity from the Quranic verses itself. The first clear proof from the Quran is about the longevity of Hazrat Nuh (a.s.). The Holy Quran informs, « و لقدارسلنا نُوحاً إلي قومِهِ فلبث فيهم الف سنه إلّا خمسين عاما فاخذهم الطوفانْ و ه.م ظالمون » “And indeed We sent Nuh to his nation, then he stayed with them for a thousand save fifty years.

Later, the deluge overtook them while they were unjust.70” Obviously, Hazrat Nuh (a.s.) did survive for quite a few years even after the deluge. This is not an absolutely clear verse of Quran that does not call for esoteric interpretation nor is it an ambiguous verse. Likewise, in the Majestic Quran, there are various instances when Allah the Almighty has displayed His Power and granted long lives to some of His creatures. Here, we shall mention one such verse for the benefit of our readers.

In the story of Hazrat Ozair (a.s.) [or Irmiya (a.s.) according to some interpreters as the name is not mentioned in the Quran] it has come down as follows: أو كالّذي مرُّ علي قريهٍ و هي خاويه. علي ع.رْوشها قال أنّي يحيي هذه اللّه. بعد موتها فأماته. اللّه. » مائه عامٍ ثم.