There was a series of short articles written by Amir Torkashvand a few years back, which have remained on my to-read list. I recently got a chance to read through them. The series of short articles are about the age of Prophet Nuh (a). I won’t be translating the entire article, in which Torkashvand argues that the term “Nuh” is not the name of an actual prophet, but rather a title for a series of prophets that were sent by Allah (swt) to a nation over centuries. He puts forth several arguments for this, including conflicts that appear in the timeline of events and how it would put Nuh (a) contemporary to several other prophets and personalities, which he argues we know for sure Nuh (a) was not a contemporary to. I considered the historical arguments for a shorter age to be very weak, given how difficult it is to prove the reliability of the timeline being used.

However, I did want to share some of the arguments he makes from the Quran itself, which I found interesting to think about. Hence, below you will find a partial translation of his writings; for those interested in reading the rest of the arguments, they can read the original Farsi here.

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Did Prophet Nuh live for 950 years or more?

وَلَقَدْ أَرْسَلْنَا نُوحًا إِلَىٰ قَوْمِهِۦ فَلَبِثَ فِيهِمْ أَلْفَ سَنَةٍ إِلَّا خَمْسِينَ عَامًۭا فَأَخَذَهُمُ ٱلطُّوفَانُ وَهُمْ ظَـٰلِمُونَ

[29:14] We certainly sent Nuh to his people, and he remained among them for a thousand years minus fifty years; then the flood seized them while they were wrongdoers.

There are several opinions and possibilities among researchers regarding Nuh’s extraordinarily long lifespan:

1) Nuh’s very long and unusual lifespan is considered a “miracle” and a special will of God.

Objection and analysis:

This miracle is so great and strange that if Nuh had claimed divinity with this clear, tangible, and continuous proof, his people in those early ages would have accepted it wholeheartedly. However, since they did not even accept his prophethood, it seriously casts doubt on the occurrence of such a lifespan. Additionally, the objection to this possibility is that if such a tangible and observable miracle had occurred, why did neither the Quran nor Nuh himself ever highlight it to persuade his opponents!?

2) This lifespan was “normal” for that era, and other people of that time also lived to a similar extent.

Objection and analysis:

Although this opinion is abundantly supported by the Torah and Islamic traditions, which report lifespans of several centuries or even over a thousand years for Adam, Nuh, and some others, it still requires scientific, historical, and archaeological confirmation for proof and certainty, which apparently is still lacking.

3) The measure and definition of a year in those centuries was “months” rather than twelve months. In other words, their calendar was based on months rather than years, and thus 950 years actually meant 950 months, which is equivalent to 79 current years.

Objection and analysis:

One objection to this opinion is that a “natural lifespan” of 79 years does not need to be mentioned in the Quran because this age range is also applicable to others. Additionally, the existence of such a basis in the calendar of those times, where months replaced years, requires investigation and confirmation.

4) Nuh is a “single title” for a distinguished series of prophets (who apparently were engaged in building the ark generation after generation), and thus the number 950 years pertains to this entire series and not to a single individual.

The use of a single title for a series of individuals is common, such as Pharaoh for the series of pharaohs in Egypt, as mentioned in the Quran, or Shah/King for the series of Iranian kings, or Emperor and Caesar, etc.

This interpretation is the view of the late Mohammad Mehdi Fooladvand (one of the top translators of the Quran into Persian). He states: “Nuh was not one person but a family. The prophet Nuh himself lived for 60 to 70 years and was the last member of that family; a family that lasted nearly a thousand years. This family was generally involved in shipbuilding. It is indeed improbable for one person to live for 950 years.”

Another Quran translator, Seyed Mohammd Jazayeri, also arrives at a similar interpretation to that of the late Fooladvand by referring to the plural form of the word “messengers” in the following verse concerning the people of Nuh:

وَقَوْمَ نُوحٍۢ لَّمَّا كَذَّبُوا۟ ٱلرُّسُلَ أَغْرَقْنَـٰهُمْ وَجَعَلْنَـٰهُمْ لِلنَّاسِ ءَايَةًۭ ۖ وَأَعْتَدْنَا لِلظَّـٰلِمِينَ عَذَابًا أَلِيمًۭا

[25:37] And Nuh’s folk, when they denied the messengers, We drowned them and made of them a portent for mankind. We have prepared a painful doom for evil-doers.

Jazayeri’s explanation on the verse: “The explicit expression ‘denied the messengers’ in the plural form regarding the people of Nuh, which is not confined to this single verse in the language of revelation, requires special contemplation. At the very least, in this specific expression, it seems that ‘Nuh’ in the Quran indicates a group or type of prophets. Based on this, the lifespan of this prophet, when a group of prophets is intended, will no longer be a matter of question.”

He also states elsewhere: “It is not far-fetched that in the Quran, Nuh refers to a type or class of prophets, and not an individual among them, who were calling people before Ibrahim. As mentioned in its place, there are two instances in the Quran with this expression or a similar one: in verse 105 of Surah ash-Shu’ara: ‘The people of Nuh denied the messengers’ and in verse 37 of Surah al-Furqan: ‘And the people of Nuh, when they denied the messengers.’ There has never been any doubt that Nuh is the first prophet after Adam, so this possibility is not entirely ruled out.”

Objection and analysis:

This opinion requires historical proof to confirm the existence of this series and the multiplicity of messengers of that people, as well as confirmation of the use of a single title for them. For centuries, and even thousands of years ago, the title of prophets was “Nabi” and before that, they were called “Rai”; is it conceivable that further back (specifically within that particular people), the title “Nuh” was used to refer to their kind?

Two Apparently Different References in Quranic Verses

What does the Quran say about Nuh’s age? Does it report his age as natural, typical, and comparable to other human beings, or does it describe it as miraculous and extraordinary, beyond natural lifespans?

Contrary to common belief, the Quran presents two different explanations regarding Nuh’s lifespan:

One group of verses indicates that Nuh’s age was typical and ordinary. Another verse mentions at least 950 years of age for him.

Here is a brief introduction to these two groups of verses:

1) 950 Years of Age

On one hand, the Quran attributes 950 years to Nuh in verse 14 of Surah al-Ankabut:

“We certainly sent Nuh to his people, and he remained among them a thousand years minus fifty years; then the flood seized them while they were wrongdoers.”

2) Considering All Human Characteristics of Nuh as Ordinary and Typical

On the other hand, the Quran, in several verses (Surah Hud, verse 27; Surah Ibrahim, verses 10 and 11; Surah Al-Mu’minun, verses 24 and 25), emphasizes both from Nuh’s own words and the words of his people that Nuhh had no differences from them in human aspects. Clearly, one of the most common human aspects is having typical and similar lifespans. Interestingly, in Surah Ibrahim, when Nuh conveys his invitation to his people, they respond by saying, “Oh, come on, you are just like us, so why do you falsely claim to be a messenger from an unseen God? If you are truthful, bring a miracle to prove your claim.”

Nuh also acknowledges and agrees that he is exactly like them and has no human differences from them. Readers will certainly note that if Nuh, for instance, had been 845 years old, he could have responded to the objections of his people (who were 20, 35, 40, 55 years old, and at most 70 or 80 years old) by saying, “No, thanks to God’s miracle, I have a significant and extraordinary difference from you. Unlike you and your ancestors, who all died at ages around 60 or 70, I have been kept alive for many generations as clear proof of my claim.” But he did not make such an argument; instead, he explicitly confirmed their statements and emphasized his human characteristics were identical to theirs.

قَالُوٓا۟ إِنْ أَنتُمْ إِلَّا بَشَرٌۭ مِّثْلُنَا تُرِيدُونَ أَن تَصُدُّونَا عَمَّا كَانَ يَعْبُدُ ءَابَآؤُنَا فَأْتُونَا بِسُلْطَـٰنٍۢ مُّبِينٍۢ قَالَتْ لَهُمْ رُسُلُهُمْ إِن نَّحْنُ إِلَّا بَشَرٌۭ مِّثْلُكُمْ

[14:10-11] …They said, ‘You are only human beings like us who want to prevent us from what our forefathers used to worship. So, bring us a clear authority.’ Their messengers said to them, ‘We are only human beings like you…”

فَقَالَ ٱلْمَلَأُ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ مِن قَوْمِهِۦ مَا نَرَىٰكَ إِلَّا بَشَرًۭا مِّثْلَنَا

[11:27] But the chiefs of the disbelievers among his people said, ‘We see you as nothing but a human like ourselves…”

وَلَقَدْ أَرْسَلْنَا نُوحًا إِلَىٰ قَوْمِهِۦ فَقَالَ يَـٰقَوْمِ ٱعْبُدُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ مَا لَكُم مِّنْ إِلَـٰهٍ غَيْرُهُۥٓ ۖ أَفَلَا تَتَّقُونَ ٢٣ فَقَالَ ٱلْمَلَؤُا۟ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ مِن قَوْمِهِۦ مَا هَـٰذَآ إِلَّا بَشَرٌۭ مِّثْلُكُمْ يُرِيدُ أَن يَتَفَضَّلَ عَلَيْكُمْ وَلَوْ شَآءَ ٱللَّهُ لَأَنزَلَ مَلَـٰٓئِكَةًۭ مَّا سَمِعْنَا بِهَـٰذَا فِىٓ ءَابَآئِنَا ٱلْأَوَّلِينَ ٢٤ إِنْ هُوَ إِلَّا رَجُلٌۢ بِهِۦ جِنَّةٌۭ فَتَرَبَّصُوا۟ بِهِۦ حَتَّىٰ حِينٍۢ ٢٥

[23:23-25] And certainly, We sent Nuh to his people, and he said: ‘O my people, worship Allah; you have no deity other than Him. Will you not fear Him?’ But the chiefs of the disbelievers among his people said: ‘This is nothing but a human like yourselves who seeks to gain superiority over you. If Allah had willed, He would have sent down angels. We have never heard of this among our forefathers. He is but a man possessed; so wait with him for a time.’

Therefore, these verses can be considered contextual indicators that can allow us to move away from the common interpretation derived from the appearance of the verse “a thousand years minus fifty years”; consequently, an explanation for attributing 950 years of age to Nuh is necessary, including:

Like the late Mohammad Mahdi Fooladvand, we could consider the extended 950 years as pertaining to the total duration of all the messengers of Nuh’s people, interpreting the word “Nuh” in the phrase (We sent Nuh to his people and he remained among them a thousand years minus fifty years) as referring to “all the messengers sent to that people” (the people of Nuh denied the messengers / the people of Nuh, when they denied the messengers), and understanding it as a common title similar to Pharaoh (for the pharaohs) and king (for the kings) applied to the series of messengers, with the flood being associated with the last Nuh of that series.

Or consider the unproven possibility that the typical lifespan of humans in that era was indeed several hundred or a thousand years, thus viewing 950 years as characteristic of humans at that time.

It is worth mentioning that this note does not consider the interpretations offered by some scholars of religions (and the similarities of this story with stories in other cultures) or the literary capacities in recounting real and fictional stories of peoples.

The Quran’s Reference to Nuh’s Ordinary and Transitory Age

وَلَقَدْ أَرْسَلْنَا نُوحًا إِلَىٰ قَوْمِهِۦ فَقَالَ يَـٰقَوْمِ ٱعْبُدُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ مَا لَكُم مِّنْ إِلَـٰهٍ غَيْرُهُۥٓ ۖ أَفَلَا تَتَّقُونَ ٢٣
فَقَالَ ٱلْمَلَؤُا۟ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ مِن قَوْمِهِۦ مَا هَـٰذَآ إِلَّا بَشَرٌۭ مِّثْلُكُمْ يُرِيدُ أَن يَتَفَضَّلَ عَلَيْكُمْ وَلَوْ شَآءَ ٱللَّهُ لَأَنزَلَ مَلَـٰٓئِكَةًۭ مَّا سَمِعْنَا بِهَـٰذَا فِىٓ ءَابَآئِنَا ٱلْأَوَّلِينَ ٢٤
إِنْ هُوَ إِلَّا رَجُلٌۢ بِهِۦ جِنَّةٌۭ فَتَرَبَّصُوا۟ بِهِۦ حَتَّىٰ حِينٍۢ ٢٥

[23:23-25] And certainly, We sent Nuh to his people, and he said: ‘O my people, worship Allah; you have no deity other than Him. Will you not fear Him?’ But the chiefs of the disbelievers among his people said: ‘This is nothing but a human like yourselves who seeks to gain superiority over you. If Allah had willed, He would have sent down angels. We have never heard of this among our forefathers. He is but a man possessed; so wait with him for a time.’

The Quran narrates the reaction of the chiefs of Nuh’s people to his message as follows:

[23:25] He is but a man possessed; so wait with him for a while.

In the Torah, Nuh’s age at the time of the flood is recorded as 600 years, and in some Islamic sources, it is stated as 1800 years. This means that the statement from Nuh’s people quoted above from the Quran was said to him at these ages. How is it possible that they would be indifferent to Nuh’s 600 or 1800-year lifespan and tell each other:

“Bear with this person for a while until we are rid of him by his death”! It is evident that this statement would be unreasonable regarding someone who had lived a miraculous and multi-generational life until then, with no clear indication of how many hundreds of years or generations he might continue to live. Therefore, his age must be considered ordinary and in double digits, and that statement from his people should be seen as plausible at around Nuh’s sixties or seventies.

Even if we translate and interpret the phrase “so wait with him for a while” as “bear with this person for a while until he regains his sanity,” it still does not make sense for someone who has been insane for several hundred years with no clear indication of how many more hundreds of years it might continue. Hence, their words must be interpreted as describing someone who had been preaching for a few or at most several years and was now elderly, for example, in his sixties or seventies.

Therefore, this verse also serves as another indication to move away from attributing 950 years of age to Nuh himself and to consider different interpretations for the verse about Nuh’s age.