Faateh Malik, Missionary, Kyrgyzstan
It is the divine will of Allah Almighty to manifest the truth of His chosen servants to the world from every conceivable perspective. Throughout history, He has provided a myriad of signs – each attesting to the truthfulness of His prophets in ways suited to the hearts and minds of all people.
The seeker of wisdom may recognise this truth through the lens of philosophy, the scholar may find confirmation in the annals of history, the scientist may discern it through the laws of nature, and the ordinary observer may perceive it through personal experience.
In this way, Allah’s guidance reaches every soul according to its capacity to understand and appreciate His signs. Allah Almighty articulates this concept in the Holy Quran as follows:
سَنُرِيْہِمْ اٰيٰتِنَا فِي الْاٰفَاقِ وَفِيْٓ اَنْفُسِہِمْ حَتّٰى يَتَبَيَّنَ لَہُمْ اَنَّہُ الْحَقُّ
“Soon We will show them Our Signs in all parts [of the earth], and among their own people until it becomes manifest to them that it is the truth.” (Surah al-Ra’ad, Ch.41: V.54)
This Quranic verse highlights that the signs of Allah manifest in diverse ways, guiding individuals according to their capacity to perceive them. Likewise, various companions recognised the Holy Prophet’ssa truthfulness in ways suited to their own understanding and experience. Some observed his exemplary character and moral integrity, while others noted his wisdom, foresight, and the fulfilment of prophecies he shared.
During the time of the Messengersa of Allah, those familiar with the Torah recognised his truthfulness within its scriptures. Scholars of the heavens discerned his authenticity through the movements of the stars, while Waraqah bin Nawfal affirmed the truth of his words by studying the histories of previous prophets.
Hazrat Khadijara drew upon her close companionship with him, witnessing his inherent goodness and purity, as evidence of his truthfulness. Similarly, various companions acknowledged the authenticity of the Holy Prophetsa through different perspectives, each finding guidance according to their understanding and insight.
A sign for the advent of the Messiah & Mahdi
This principle similarly applies to the Promised Messiahas. In the ahadith, the Holy Prophetsa described various signs of the coming Messiah and Mahdi, allowing individuals to recognise the one who is to appear according to these signs, each according to their own discernment.
Among these signs, a notable indication of the Mahdi is the prolongation of life spans during his era. This tradition, narrated by Hazrat Alira, has been documented in several texts, including the following specific wording.
وَتُطَوّلُ الْأَعْمَارُ وَتُؤَدَّى الْأَمَانَةُ وَتُهْلَكُ الْأَشْرَارُ
“And lifespans will be lengthened, and trusts will be fulfilled, and the wicked will be destroyed.” (Muhammad b Ahmad as-Saffarini, Kitab Lawa’ih al-Anwar al-Bahiyya wa-Sawa’i’ al-Asrar al-Athariyya, 1905-06, Vol. 2, p. 72)
At another place it is stated:
وتطول الأعمار، وتؤدى الأمانة، وتحمل الأشجار، وتتضاعف البركات، وتهلك الأشرار، وتبقى الأخيار، ولا يبقى من يبغض أهل البيت، عليهم السلام.
“And lifespans will be lengthened, and trusts will be fulfilled, and trees will bear fruit, and blessings will be multiplied, and the wicked will be destroyed, and the righteous will remain, and there will not remain anyone who hates the People of the House (Ahl al-Bayt), peace be upon them.” (Yusuf b Yahya al-Maqdisi as-Sulami, ʻIqd ad-Durar fi Akhbar al-Muntazar wa-huwa al-Mahdi ʻalayhi as-Salam, 1989, p. 268)
All the prophecies mentioned in these ahadith have been fulfilled in various ways in the present era. However, the prophecy that warrants particular attention in this article is the extension of life spans during the time of the Promised Messiahas.
A testament of truthfulness
This prophecy can be examined from multiple perspectives, serving as compelling evidence of the truthfulness of the Promised Messiah and Mahdias. The Promised Messiahas highlights this sign among the numerous signs of his authenticity based on the traditions found in the hadiths as follows:
“What has been mentioned in the hadith that in the era of the Promised Messiah lifespans will become longer does not mean that the door of death will be completely closed and no person will die.
“Rather, it indicates that those people who will be his sincere companions in providing financial and physical support, and who will be engaged in the service of religion, their lifespans will be extended for the reason that they will be beneficial existences, and Allah the Exalted has promised:
“‘But that which benefits people remains on the earth.’
“This matter is in accordance with the law of nature that lifespans will be extended. This era which has been extended is also due to His mercy and there is some special wisdom in it.” (Al Hakam, 17 August 1903, Vol. 7, p. 10)
He mentioned this matter in another place as follows:
“What has been mentioned in the ahadith that in the time of the Promised Messiah lifespans will be increased – the meaning of this that has been explained to me is that the lifespans of those people who will be servants of religion will be increased.
“One who cannot be a servant is like an old ox that the owner may slaughter whenever he wishes, and one who is a servant with a true heart becomes dear to God, and God the Exalted has reluctance in taking his life. Therefore, it has been stated: ‘But that which benefits people remains on the earth.’” (Al Hakam, 31 August 1902, Vol. 6, p. 8)
He further said:
“I have a very deep longing and offer supplications so that the lives of my friends are prolonged and the prophecy in the hadith is fulfilled, which states that in the era of the Promised Messiah, death will vanish from the earth for forty years.”
Then, the Promised Messiahas said:
“This obviously, cannot imply that the cup of death will be taken away from all living creatures during this time. What this means is that those from among them who are beneficial to humanity and valuable individuals, Allah the Almighty will bless their lives.” (Malfuzat [English], Vol. 2, p. 25)
One interpretation of this hadith, which the Promised Messiahas himself presented, as proven from the above quotations, is that Allah the Almighty will grant an extraordinary extension in the lives of the Promised Messiah and his companions who are beneficial to mankind.
Evidence through a prolonged life
One potential interpretation of the fulfilment of this prophecy is the blessed life of Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian, the Promised Messiahas.
Despite suffering for a long time from diabetes and migraine, Allah the Almighty granted him miraculously blessed and prolonged life, in accordance with His revelation. Not only did he continue his mission until his last breath despite illnesses, but he was also protected – under the divine promise “I will be your Helper, I shall protect you” (Tadhkirah [English], 2018, p. 103) – from the plots and attempts on his life by evildoers and opponents.
Another perspective: The companions
Viewed from another angle, this prophecy also appears to be fulfilled in those companions of the Promised Messiahas who attained long lives as a result of his prayers.
The literature of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat contains scores of such examples during the era of Promised Messiahas, in which Allah the Almighty saved people from certain death through his prayers and remedies, and granted them miraculous longevity.
Incidents such as that of Abdur Rahim of Hyderabad, the recovery of Seth Abdur Rahman Sahib and the revelation regarding the “Signs of Life,” and the healing of Hazrat Nawab Muhammad Ali Khan’sra son from illness are only a few among countless historical examples. Through these, Allah the Almighty manifested the acceptance of the Promised Messiah’sas prayers and blessed people with extended lives.
The era of the Khulafa
Even today, in the time of the Promised Messiah’sas Khulafa (successors), this prophecy continues to be fulfilled.
There are not just hundreds but thousands of instances where Allah the Almighty, through the prayers of the Khulafa, bestows blessings upon the lives of both Ahmadis and non-Ahmadis alike.
Diseases that doctors and specialists, based on their knowledge and expertise, declare incurable are healed through these prayers. By the grace of Allah, such individuals are not only cured but also granted long and blessed lives.
While mentioning these very signs of the acceptance of his prayers, the Promised Messiahas said:
“Those prayers which have been mentioned above are not concerning ordinary matters, but rather a portion of them is regarding the healing of those sick people whose illness, due to the severity of symptoms, was truly similar to death, but God cured them through my prayer. And some prayers are concerning those people who had become hopeless of having children, but God gave them children through my prayer.” (Chashma-e-Ma‘rifat, Ruhani Khazain, Vol. 23, p. 332)
At another instance, the Promised Messiahas elaborated:
“My belief is that no disease is incurable. Every disease can be cured. When the doctor calls any disease incurable, it means that the doctor is unaware of its cure. It has come to my experience that doctors describe many diseases as incurable, but Allah the Exalted enables a patient to recover from it in one way or another. Some patients become entirely hopeless. This is a mistake. One should never despair of the mercy of God Almighty; He has every cure in His hands.” (Malfuzat [English], Vol. 8, p. 441)
Fulfillment through medical science
Another aspect of تُطَوّلُ الْأَعْمَارُ (lives will be lengthened) can also be observed today through the lens of modern medicine and science.
When I conducted a little research on this matter, I discovered that this was in fact a great prophecy, which – through the progress of medical science – is being fulfilled in the blessed era of the Promised Messiahas. A mere glance reveals that no one can now deny this sign of the Promised Messiah’s time.
The details of this are as follows:
In the ahadith, the words تُطَوّلُ الْأَعْمَارُ are used, meaning that lifespans will be extended. This was mentioned in a general sense, meaning that all kinds of people would benefit from it. In other words, just as the signs of the solar and lunar eclipses were witnessed by the entire world, likewise every person can see that in the time of the Promised Messiahas, people’s lives have indeed been lengthened. And this has truly come to pass.
In the time of the Promised Messiahas, medical science advanced to such a degree that lifespans began to increase significantly, and with every passing day new advancements continued to emerge. Every new day brought fresh progress in medical science, new treatments for diseases appeared, and new methods of diagnosis were developed.
In the blessed era of the Promised Messiahas, medical science reached a stage where innovative means of diagnosis came to light, treatments became more accessible, people began to recover from diseases, and lives began to lengthen. Prior to this, most people departed this temporary world simply because their illnesses could not even be properly diagnosed.
Before the time of the Promised Messiahas, many diseases were considered incurable.
For example, tuberculosis was almost regarded as untreatable in that era. If someone contracted it, it was thought that the person was slowly but surely on the path to death, with no complete cure available. But later, medicines were discovered for this disease, until finally today it has reached the stage where there is complete treatment available, and it is no longer considered a fatal illness. This is only one example, but there are hundreds more that could be given.
In today’s era, gathered data and statistics clearly demonstrate how human lifespans have increased. And this phenomenon has not been confined to India alone; rather, Allah the Almighty has fulfilled this prophecy of the Promised Messiah’s era throughout the entire world, as clear as daylight.
Even the underdeveloped regions of Africa have become a reflection of this prophecy’s fulfilment. I will, with the help of data and statistics, demonstrate how this prophecy has been fulfilled.
Statistical evidence
To understand this matter, let us examine the statistics from before the time of the Promised Messiahas, then after his era, and up until the present day. For instance, if we look at what the average lifespan (life expectancy) was before the time of the Promised Messiahas, what it became afterwards, and what it is today, we find astonishing results.
By life expectancy, we mean the average age of a population in a given country, region, or group, reflecting their expected lifespan. Life expectancy is determined through the analysis of birth data, death rates, and other vital factors of life.
In India, before the claim of the Promised Messiahas, in 1850, the average life expectancy was about 25-27 years. This means that, given the conditions of that era, along with prevalent diseases and mortality patterns, a newborn was expected to live around 25 to 27 years. This does not mean that everyone died at that age; rather, while some lived long lives, many children died in infancy, bringing the average down.
After the advent of the Promised Messiahas, life expectancy began to rise: by 1940 it had reached 30-32 years, by 1990 it had increased to 58-60 years, and by 2023 it had risen to 72 years.
In Europe, the average life expectancy in 1850 was 43 years. By the 1890s it had risen to 51 years, by 1950 to 60-66 years, by 2002 it had reached 77.6 years, and in 2023 it stands between 78-84 years.
In the United States, average life expectancy in 1850 was 40-43 years. By 1900 it had risen to 47 years, by 1975 to 72 years, and by 2023 it had reached 78.4 years.
In Africa, in the 1800s, life expectancy was 26 years. By 1950 it had increased to 37 years, by 1990 to 51 years, and in 2023 it had reached 61-64 years.
Infant mortality rate
Looking at this prophecy from another perspective, the increase in children’s lifespans is even more astonishing. This is measured through the Infant Mortality Rate (IMR), which refers to the number of children per 1,000 live births who die before reaching one year of age.
In India, at the beginning of the 1900s, about 200 out of every 1,000 children (i.e., 20%) died before reaching the age of one. Today, that number has drastically decreased – only about 3 out of every 100 children (3%) die before the age of one.
In the UK, in 1900, about 15% of infants died before reaching one year. Today, that number has dropped to below 1% (0.4%). In Australia, the IMR in 1885 was 12%; by 1955 it had fallen to 0.3%, and today it is about 2%. In Africa, the recorded data shows that in 1950, 32% of infants died before age one, whereas today that number has decreased to 6%.
Child mortality rate
If we look beyond infants to the Child Mortality Rate (the number of children who die before the age of five), the results are equally remarkable.
In India, in 1880, nearly 50% of children used to die before reaching five years of age. In fact, even four of the Promised Messiah’sas own children passed away in childhood. Today, in India, that number has dropped to less than 4%.
In Egypt, in 1895, over 40% of children died before the age of five; today, that figure has decreased to 2%.
In Canada, the figure was once nearly 30%, but today it is less than 1%.
In the UK, around 1850, about 25% of children died before the age of five; today, the figure is less than 0.5%.
Thus, whether we look at overall life expectancy, infant survival, or child mortality, the fulfilment of the prophecy تُطَوّلُ الْأَعْمَارُ – “lives will be lengthened” – is manifested clearly, and has been demonstrated in the age of the Promised Messiahas like never before.
Crude death rate
The fulfilment of the prophecy regarding the extension of lifespans can also be assessed from another perspective – that of the Crude Death Rate (CDR). This term refers to the number of deaths in a given country or region within the total population, usually expressed as the number of deaths per 1,000 people annually.
If we look at this in the case of India, in 1901 the Crude Death Rate (CDR) was 48 – that is, in one year, out of every 1,000 people, 48 would die. By 2020, this figure had decreased dramatically to only 6 deaths per 1,000.
Similarly, every country has witnessed a decline in annual deaths. On a global scale, in 1950, around 20 out of every 1,000 people would die annually, whereas in 2023, the figure dropped to just 7 per 1,000. In other words, human lifespans have indeed become longer.
Scientific milestones
With the advent of the Promised Messiahas, Allah the Almighty began to create the means by which lifespans started to increase. The greatest worldly progress was made in the field of medical science.
Before this era, there were neither the medical facilities necessary to cure many diseases, nor the instruments to diagnose them. From this angle too, this prophecy shines forth as a powerful proof of the truth of the Promised Messiahas.
In matters of disease, the very first step is diagnosis. If the diagnosis itself is inaccurate, then recovery becomes nothing short of a miracle.
Today, a fundamental and significant method of diagnosis is the blood test. In 1901, Karl Landsteiner and his colleagues presented the theory that human blood varies, and that diseases can be detected through it. Experiments followed, and by the 1930s, diagnosis through the blood of ordinary people had begun. For this discovery, Landsteiner was awarded the Nobel Prize.
Today, almost every diagnostic process begins with a blood test. Thus, the revolutionary era of healing from diseases and extending lifespans began precisely in the time of the Promised Messiahas.
Likewise, the milestone invention of X-rays was made in 1895 – during the lifetime of the Promised Messiahas – by the German scientist Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen. Thereafter, X-rays began to be used in hospitals for medical diagnosis.
Similarly, ultrasound was discovered in the 1880s, which proved to be a significant advancement in diagnosing complications in pregnant women by the 1950s. It was as if the efforts to detect and address the future challenges of human life began even before its existence.
The journey that began in the time of the Promised Messiahas with the invention of tools used in disease diagnosis has now reached the era of artificial intelligence (AI).
Today, AI is being employed to detect illnesses even before they manifest, to trace their root causes, and to devise solutions. Every day, hundreds of doctors and scientists strive for ways to prolong human life, to overcome diseases that threaten mankind, and to help humanity live longer, healthier lives.
If this is not a testimony to the truth of the saying of the Holy Prophetsa, and the divine sign of the age of the Promised Messiahas, then what else could it be?
Conclusion
On the basis of all these statistics, we can clearly say that the prophecy regarding the age of the Messiah and Mahdi is shining forth in all its glory, proclaiming to the entire world: “جاء المسیح جاء المسیح” (The Messiah has come! The Messiah has come!).
All these inventions and advancements are in fact proof of the advent of the Messiah and Mahdi and of the appointed time. Every region, every nation, every country, and every family – when they look back at their own history – will see that lifespans have indeed increased.
The progress of medical science and other innovations bear witness to the truth of the Promised Messiahas. Each new day appears to fulfil this prophecy with even greater magnificence. Among the countless signs of his truth, one radiant sign is this very extension of human life.
صاف دل کو کثرتِ اعجاز کی حاجت نہیں
اِک نشاں کافی ہے گر دِل میں ہے خوفِ کردگار
“A heart that is pure does not require too many Signs; A single Sign is enough, if the heart is God-fearing.” (Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya Part V [English], p. 162)
And how true were the words of the Promised Messiahas when he said:
“Whoever drinks from the cup that has been given to me, through my hand, will never die.” (Izala-e-Auham, Ruhani Khazain, Vol. 3, p. 104)