Wisdom Behind the Short Age of the Prophet Muhammad SAW

Rasulullah SAW once preached the age of most of his people which ranged from 60-70 years. The mention of the prevalence of the age group of the end-time people does not deny those who die before reaching or after passing through this range.

Although there are more than 70 years old, their numbers are very small.

عن أبي هريرة رضي الله تعالى عنه قال قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم أعمار أمتي ما بين الستين إلى السبعين وأقلهم من يجوز ذلك رواه الترمذي

It means, "From Abu Hurairah RA. He said, Rasulullah SAW said, ‘The age of my people (generally ranging) between 60 to 70 years. Very few of them passed (the number). '"(HR At-Tirmidhi). Abdurra'uf Al-Munawi in Faidhul Qadir said that the "my people" mentioned in the hadith here are not only followers of Islam (ummatul ijābah), but humans in general who lived in the time of the Prophet Muhammad and so on (ummatud da'wah). As for the previous human beings, they have the age, physical strength and fortune doubled from end-time humanity. Some people are 1000 years old. Their height reached 80 cubits or more or less. They enjoy the world with such physical. At this age, they become arrogant and arrogant and turn away from Allah "Therefore, your Lord blows them with punishment," (Surat Al-Fajri verse 13).

Since their time, physical and sustenance and the age of mankind continue to gradually decline until this people as the end-time humanity. They only receive a little fortune with a weak physical and relatively short age so that they do not become arrogant. This is a form of God's grace. Some scholars divide the four phases of human age, namely infancy and childhood, adolescence and youth, adulthood, and old age as their final age which generally ranges from 60-70 years. In old age, there was a decrease in physical power and a decrease in the other side of him. At that time, he was strongly encouraged to prepare himself for the afterlife because it was impossible to return to his strength and agility as before when he was young. (Al-Munawi, Book of Faidhul Qadir). The age of the people of the Prophet Muhammad SAW was relatively short, generally 60-70 years. They are not like previous people who have 1000 years of age. The height of the previous people was 100 cubits and the width was 10 cubits. They enjoy the world, food, drinks, and clothes according to their great physical needs and longevity.

In the midst of all that abundance, the blessings consumed by the previous people remain relatively small. The reason, whose name is the world, lawful demands reckoning. It is unlawful to condemn punishment as a statement of the hadith. On the contrary, Allah glorified the people of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) as the end-time people with a little torture and reckoning that could prevent them from entering heaven. Therefore, they are the first people to enter heaven. From there then Rasulullah SAW said, "Nahnul ākhrūnal awwalūn" or we are the early end-time people (entering heaven). This includes news that the Prophet is considered a miracle. (Abdurra'uf Al-Munawi, At-Taysir bi Syarhil Jami'is Shaghir). Ibn Hajar in the Book of Fathul Bari bi Syarhi Shahihil Bukhari said that this hadith implies the completion of the age of 60 as a prediction of the completion of one's age. At this elderly age with all the deficiencies that exist, a person should be as busy as possible with the activities of preparation for the afterlife because it is impossible to return to strength and agility as it was when I was young. Some scholars of the Shafi'ite school draw a legal conclusion that a person who is even entering the age of 60 years and has not performed Hajj because of his negligence - even though he is capable -, then he will sin if he later dies before performing the pilgrimage. (Ibn Hajar, Fathul Bari). The end-time humanity receives abundant blessings from God in the form of doubling the rewards for acts of worship that help them in the midst of their very short age in the world. One such information can be found in the following hadith of the Prophet Muhammad:

عن ابن عباس عن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم فيما يروي عن ربه تبارك وتعالى قال إن الله كتب الحسنات والسيئات ثم بين ذلك فمن هم بحسنة فلم يعملها كتبها الله عنده حسنة كاملة وإن هم بها فعملها كتبها الله عز وجل عنده عشر حسنات إلى سبع مائة ضعف إِلَى أَضْعَافٍ كَثِيرَةٍ وَإِنْ هَمَّ بِسَيِّئَةٍ فَلَمْ يَعْمَلْهَا كَتَبَهَا اللَّهُ عِنْدَهُ حَسننًَ َََََََََََِ مَّ بِهَا فَعَمِلَهَا كَتَبَهَا اللَّهُ سَيِّئَةً وَاحِدَةً

It means, "From Ibn Abbas RA, from Rasulullah SAW on what was narrated from Allah, he said,‘ Allah wrote good and evil. He then explained, anyone who thought of doing good and he had not done it, surely Allah recorded it as a perfect goodness. But if he thinks of doing good and he then does it, surely Allah records it as ten goodness which multiplies up to 700 to many multiples. However, if he thinks of committing a crime and he has not done it, surely Allah records it as a perfect good. But if he thinks of committing a crime and he then commits it, surely Allah records it as just a crime, '"(Bukhari and Muslim). Allah knows best. (Alhafiz Kurniawan)

Source: https://islam.nu.or.id