The Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement Blog

Hadith reports about the age of Jesus

Someone by the name of Rifhan Mohamed Ibn Ahmad has sent the following submission, in relation to a thread from 2009.

The Prophet (pbuh) informed me (Hazrath Fatima) that any prophet that comes after another prophet lives half of the life of the prophet before him. And he said to me, Isa ibn Maryam lived for 120 years, so I see that I am going to leave (this world) as 60.

– Dala’il al-Nabuwwah 7:166 – Imam Bayhaqi (rh)

Apart from Dala’il al-Nabuwwah, this statement and its variations
have been narrated in other sources like Musnad Ishaq, al-Ahad wa al-Mathani, Sharh al-Mushkil al-athar and Mujam al-Kabir.

“Aisha (ra) said that, in his illness in which he died, the Holy Prophet (sa) said: ‘Every year Gabriel used to repeat the Holy Quran with me once, but this year he has done it twice. He has informed me that there is no prophet but he lives half as long as the one who preceded him. And he has told me that Jesus lived a hundred and twenty years, and I see that I am about to leave this world at sixty’.”

– Kanz al-Ummal, vol. 6, p. 160 Narrated by Fatimatuz-Zahra (ra)

Tabarani says concerning this hadith: “Its narrations are reliable, and it is reported in a number of different versions” Narrated by Aysha (ra)

– Mu’jam Tabarani Kabeer Hadith 18464,

– Tarikh Damishq 47/481-482 Ibn Asaakir

– Ibn Saa’d’s Tabaqaat Al-Kubra (2/195)

– Mawahib al-Ladinya, vol. 1, p. 42 and Hujjaj al-Kiramah, p. 428

In the Mustadrak Al Hakim, it is reported from Ibn Umar(ra) that Jesus lived to the age of 120 years. – Tafsir Kamalain

“As for what is related about the Messiah that he was raised up to heaven at the age of 33 years, there is no sound authority for this which one could turn to.”

– Zad al-Ma‘ad, vol. i, p. 20 Ibn al-Qayyim

“If Jesus and Moses had been alive, they would have had no choice but to follow me.”

– Kathir vol II, p 245 and al yawaqit wal Jawahir, part 2, page 24; Fath al-Bayan, vol. 2, p. 246; Tafsir Ibn Kathir, under verse 81 of Al Imran, Zurqani, Vol. VI, p. 54, Tibrani Kabeer.