We reach spiritual maturity around the age of 40, as the Holy Quran says, “when he attains his full maturity and reaches [the age of] forty years.” (Surah al-Ahqaf, Ch.46: V.16)
However, why does this not coincide with when we reach physical maturity and cognitive maturity?
By the time we reach our 30s, we have peaked and our physical decline has begun.1 Our favourite athletes, in any sport requiring explosive strength, are considered seniors in their 30s. By 40, most have retired. This is not just for elite athletes; we all experience and feel physical decline in our 30s.2
Additionally, we also reach cognitive maturity much earlier. By the time we reach 40, we have peaked and our cognitive decline has begun. For example, in chess, the average peak ELO age for grandmasters is 30.3 Elite chess players are seen as seniors in their 30s, and by 40 they are well past their prime.
Again, this is not just for elite grandmasters; we all experience cognitive decline by our 30s. For example, our information processing speed is at its highest around ages 18 to 19, then it starts to decline. Our short-term memory improves until about age 25 and begins to decline around age 35. Our ability to remember faces peaks around age 30, then gradually decreases. Our short-term memory starts to weaken around age 35.4
Before 40, we begin our decline in just about all aspects of “fluid intelligence,” which is our brain’s raw processing power and its ability to adapt to unfamiliar situations and learn new things for the first time. Some cognitive peaks happen even in adolescence. For example, the ideal age that Hifz-ul-Quran schools admit students is between seven and 10. The critical age for second language acquisition ends at around 17, and to achieve proficiency like that of a native speaker, it is best to start learning by age 10.5
By the time we are 40, our physical and cognitive decline has begun. The realities of how life is passing us by impress on our hearts what this verse of the Holy Quran reminds us: “By the [testimony] of time, surely, man is in [a state of] loss.” (Surah al-‘Asr, Ch.103: V.2-3)
When we realise that time is passing and we are suffering irreversible loss with the decline of our body and mind plants the seed of something new in our hearts: grief. This maturity comes later because we need to experience loss to spiritually mature in the first place. The Promised Messiah (as) explained:
“As man approaches forty, he starts shedding the vagaries of his youth and ruefully looks back at many of his follies from which his counsellors had failed to dissuade him. The ebullience of his youth naturally begins to subside, for his physical condition declines with advancing age. The rebellious blood is no longer there, nor is there any more physical vitality and recklessness of youth. The time of deterioration and decay approaches fast.
“At this stage, he also witnesses the passing away of his elders and even the untimely death of younger people whose loss leaves him stricken with grief. His parents too are probably no more and the world begins to betray its transience in a number of ways. It is as if God places before him a mirror and says, ‘Look, this is the reality of life of which you are so fond.’ It is then that he recalls his past mistakes with regret and undergoes a radical transformation ushering in a new life, provided he is well-meaning by nature and is one of those whom God has summoned.” (The Philosophy of the Teachings of Islam, pp. 12C-12D)
Wisdom comes from a long experience with the hardships of life. This is why, when we look for wisdom, we look to our elders rather than our youth. If we want to learn about new technologies, or anything requiring fluid intelligence, we ask our youth for guidance because they easily adopt new innovations and are more familiar with them. You would ask your 20-year-old nephew for advice on a new technology, but you would not turn to that same nephew for wisdom on how to live life. Wisdom takes time to develop.
When the Holy Quran describes the prophets Moses (as) and Joseph (as) reaching the age of maturity, it describes the wisdom and knowledge they were given as signs of that maturity. Allah the Almighty says about Moses (as):
“And when he reached his [age of] full strength and attained maturity, We gave him wisdom and knowledge.” (Surah al-Qasas, Ch.28: V.15)
Similarly, we read about Joseph (as): “And when he reached the [age of] maturity, We granted him judgement and knowledge.” (Surah Yusuf, Ch.12: V.23)
Here, the Holy Quran refers to wisdom and knowledge being signs of spiritual maturity. These are characteristics that actually peak later in life rather than earlier.
There is a form of intelligence called “crystallised intelligence,” which is our ability to utilise the accumulated knowledge and skills we have gained through a lifetime of experience. This is the type of intelligence that peaks in later life.
For example, our ability to evaluate other people’s emotional states peaks in our 40s and 50s and our vocabulary skills continue to grow in our 60s. Our crystallised intelligence peaks in our 60s and 70s. While the raw power of our brain slowly decreases, our ability to use it much more effectively increases the older we get.
Wisdom is what restrains us from ignorant behaviour. The root of the Arabic word hikmah (wisdom) means to restrain someone for their reformation, which is why this root is used to describe the bridle used to restrain a horse.6 An unrestrained horse may have great strength, but it can be harmful if not guided. It becomes useful when its impulses are restrained.
Peak fluid intelligence does not stop us from ignorant behaviour; it just gives us the ability to process those ignorant decisions more quickly than someone older. The restraint we gain from crystallised intelligence is what prevents us from ignorant behaviour.
The Promised Messiah (as) said, “I feel hesitation in accepting the Bai’at of young people. Until a person reaches the age of forty, they are not truly mature. In youth, there are certainly fluctuations. I do not intend to take allegiance in such a state, but considering the possibility of causing hurt feelings, I sometimes accept it. When a person turns forty, they contemplate the reality of death. But what reliance is there in someone who has not yet even felt the fear of death?” (Malfuzat [Urdu], Vol. 3, p. 393)
Spiritual maturity comes so long after physical maturity and cognitive maturity because we need to feel loss to gain wisdom; we need a long period of experience to gain true knowledge of what is actually important in life. After we are 40, we may feel down over how we are now in physical and cognitive decline. We may be apprehensive about getting older. We should dwell on these feelings of suffering continuous loss, on how death is coming closer, because this feeling of grief is a path to gaining wisdom.
Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud (ra) said:
“Maturity is of two types. One is physical maturity that occurs between the ages of 18 and 21 and the other is intellectual maturity that occurs between the ages of 18 and 25. However, besides these two types, there is also spiritual maturity, in which a person’s natural instincts become mature and they formulate a specific course of action for themselves, keeping their circumstances in mind. Regarding the age of spiritual maturity, the Holy Quran and the accounts of revered personalities indicate that it is at the age of 40.” (Anwar-ul-Ulum, Vol. 19, p. 123)
Endnotes
1. Age of Peak Competitive Performance of Elite Athletes: A Systematic Review. Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.), 45(10), 1431-1441
2. Rise and Fall of Physical Capacity in a General Population: A 47-Year Longitudinal Study. Journal of cachexia, sarcopenia and muscle, 16(6), e70134
3. Estimating the peak age of chess players through statistical and machine learning techniques. Sci Rep 15, 33977
4. When does cognitive functioning peak? The asynchronous rise and fall of different cognitive abilities across the life span. Psychol Sci. 2015;26(4):433-443
5. A critical period for second language acquisition: Evidence from 2/3 million English speakers. Cognition. 2018;177:263-277
6. Lane’s Lexicon, Root: حكم Entry: حكم، حِكْمَةٌ