In a 2024 Business Insider video, tech entrepreneur Bryan Johnson was reported to spend around $2 million a year on longevity treatments. (“The Billionaire Trying To Live Forever | Life Extended | Business Insider”, youtube.com, 19 December 2024) His emphasis on longevity reflects an interest that is also apparent on social media, where influencers promote techniques and remedies they claim will add years to our lives. As Ahmadi Muslims who seek to follow the true teachings of Islam, we should also look to our faith for guidance on this topic.
More than 1,400 years ago, the Holy Prophet (sa) taught that strengthening ties of kinship could lengthen one’s life. He said:
“He who desires to enlarge his means or to lengthen his days should strengthen his ties of kinship.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 5986; translation: Hazrat Zafrulla Khan (ra), Wisdom of the Holy Prophet, 1995, p. 16)
Strengthening kinship ties also holds great religious importance. Hazrat Abu Ayyub Ansari (ra) relates that a man once asked the Holy Prophet (sa) to tell him what would admit him to Paradise and keep him away from the Fire. The Holy Prophet (sa) replied:
“Worship Allah and do not associate anything with Him: observe Prayer; pay the Zakat and join the ties of kinship.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 1396; translation: Imam an-Nawawi, Gardens of the Righteous, trans. Hazrat Zafrulla Khan (ra), 1996, p. 76)
Here, the Holy Prophet (sa) mentioned maintaining ties of kinship alongside prayer and zakat, two pillars of Islam, and the worship of Allah without associating partners with Him. This illustrates the importance of maintaining and strengthening family ties.
Social connection and health
Recent research highlights the health benefits of social connection that resonate with this guidance. In 2025, the World Health Organization (WHO) released a report on the importance of social connection for health. Its accompanying news release explained that social connection can protect health throughout life by reducing inflammation, supporting mental health and lowering the risk of serious health problems. (“Social connection linked to improved health and reduced risk of early death”, who.int, 30 June 2025)
Conversely, loneliness and social isolation are associated with an increased risk of heart disease, cognitive decline, stroke and premature death. (Ibid.) Low social connection and loneliness have also been linked to an increased risk of hypertension. (“Social connection as a critical factor for mental and physical health: evidence, trends, challenges, and future implications”, World Psychiatry, Vol. 23, No. 3, 2024, pp. 312-332)
The effects extend to education and employment. The WHO reported that teenagers who felt lonely were more likely to receive lower grades or qualifications, while adults experiencing loneliness may find it harder to secure or maintain employment and may earn less over time. (“Social connection linked to improved health and reduced risk of early death”, who.int, 30 June 2025) These disadvantages can also affect health: lower educational attainment, unemployment and lower income are associated with poorer health outcomes. (“The Relationship Between Education and Health: Reducing Disparities Through a Contextual Approach”, Annual Review of Public Health, Vol. 39, 2018, pp. 273-289; “The impact of unemployment on health: a review of the evidence”, CMAJ, Vol. 153, No. 5, 1995, pp. 529-540; “Social determinants of health”, who.int, n.d.) Overall, stronger social connections are associated with longer lives, while weaker connections are associated with a higher risk of death from all causes. (“Social connection as a critical factor for mental and physical health: evidence, trends, challenges, and future implications”, World Psychiatry, Vol. 23, No. 3, 2024, pp. 312-332)
Social connection in Islam
In addition to emphasising kinship, Islam provides practical ways to maintain wider social connections, including the five daily prayers. The Holy Prophet (sa) placed great emphasis on offering salat in congregation, saying:
“Prayer with the congregation is twenty-seven times more beneficent than Prayer performed by oneself.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 645; translation: Imam an-Nawawi, Gardens of the Righteous, trans. Hazrat Zafrulla Khan (ra), 1996, p. 194)
Devout Muslims seeking nearness to Allah are therefore encouraged to offer their prayers in congregation. This also provides regular opportunities for social contact and can help people build relationships. Meeting fellow worshippers throughout the day creates opportunities to speak, enquire after one another and offer support.
The nature of Islamic prayer also encourages community and goodwill among Muslims. Hazrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad (rh), Khalifatul Masih IV, writes:
“All face the same direction without exception, facing the first house of worship ever built for the benefit of mankind. No-one is permitted to reserve any special place behind the imam. In this regard the rich and poor are treated with absolute equality, so also the old and the young. Whoever reaches the mosque ahead of others has the prior option to sit wherever he pleases. None has the right to remove others from the place that they occupy, except for reasons of security etc., in which case it becomes an administrative measure. Thus the Islamic system of prayer is rich not only in spiritual instruction but also in communal and organisational instruction.” (Hazrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad (rh), An Elementary Study of Islam, 2010, pp. 35-36)
Thus, salat places Muslims on an equal footing in worship, regardless of their social standing. No preference is given on the basis of wealth or education. This shared practice can encourage humility and mutual respect, helping to strengthen social connections.
Beyond salat, Islam encourages other ways of building social bonds. One is to greet one another. The Holy Prophet (sa) said:
“Extend your greetings to all alike; you will have peace. It is wrong to discriminate.” (Hazrat Zafrulla Khan (ra), Wisdom of the Holy Prophet, 1995, p. 46)
Following this instruction can encourage mutual love and compassion. In his Friday Sermon of 3 September 2004, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V (aa) explained that saying salam conveys peace and blessings, and that exchanging this greeting increases feelings of love. (“Spreading of Salaam (Peace)”, alislam.org, 3 September 2004) We should therefore greet one another with kindness and reflect the meaning of the greeting in our conduct.
A third way Islam encourages stronger social ties is through giving gifts. The Holy Prophet (sa) said:
“Give gifts to one another, for giving gifts creates love and gently extracts resentment and ill-will.” (Muwatta Imam Malik, Book 47, Hadith 16; translation quoted in “The Philosophy of Gift-Giving”, reviewofreligions.org, 5 April 2024)
Moreover, the Holy Prophet (sa) said that he would accept even a modest gift. (Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 2568) This example encourages us to appreciate others’ gestures of goodwill. Research also points to the emotional benefits of giving gifts. Across seven studies, receiving a small gift improved recipients’ immediate emotional state more than a supportive conversation with someone close to them. (“Money can buy me love: Gifts are a more effective form of acute social support than conversations”, Journal of Consumer Psychology, Vol. 35, No. 3, 2025, pp. 397-414)
The Holy Prophet’s (sa) instruction to strengthen ties of kinship remains relevant more than 1,400 years later. The need to nurture social connections is particularly apparent in light of the OECD’s 2025 report, which found that people across OECD countries were meeting in person less frequently than before and that self-reported feelings of connection had shown signs of worsening in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. (“Social Connections and Loneliness in OECD Countries”, oecd.org, 16 October 2025) As Ahmadi Muslims, we should strive to follow the Holy Prophet’s (sa) guidance and strengthen our bonds, seeking blessings in this world and the next.