The hadith mentions that when Prophet Adam (peace be upon him) was created, his height was sixty cubits. It is narrated from Hazrat Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: ”اللہ پاک نے آدم علیہ السلام کو پیدا کیا تو ان کی لمبائی ساٹھ ہاتھ تھی ۔۔۔ آدم علیہ السلام کے بعد انسانوں میں اب تک قد چھوٹے ہوتے رہے۔
Reference: (Sahih Bukhari:3326, Sahih Muslim:2841)
This matter is difficult to understand; it is extremely hard to imagine with reason that a human being could be so tall?!
① First Point
The mentioned hadith is present in Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim, whose authenticity is agreed upon by the Ummah, therefore there is no objection to the authenticity of this hadith.
② Second Point
The mentioned hadith relates to the creation and birth of Prophet Adam (peace be upon him), and these matters are unseen for us. Just as we believe in other unseen matters whether reason accepts them or not, similarly we should also believe in this matter. Allah Almighty has described the qualities of the believers by saying:
الَّذِينَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِالْغَيْبِ وَيُقِيمُونَ الصَّلَاةَ وَمِمَّا رَزَقْنَاهُمْ يُنْفِقُونَ
Reference: Al-Baqarah : 3
Translation: Those who believe in the unseen, establish prayer, and spend out of what We have provided for them.
③ Third Point
The Holy Quran mentions many virtues and characteristics of Prophet Adam (peace be upon him) that were not granted to any other human being. For example: he was made the first human, he was born without parents, Allah created him with His own hands, his creation was from clay, angels were commanded to prostrate to him, he was taught the names of everything, etc. Among these characteristics is his tall stature. If the hadith is viewed in this context, this objection is resolved.
④ Fourth Point
As mentioned in the Holy Quran, the creation of Prophet Adam (peace be upon him) took place in the heavens, and he was placed in Paradise. It is said about Paradise that its width is equal to that of the earth and the heavens. If all these points are considered, there is no surprise regarding the height of Prophet Adam (peace be upon him) because he was created accordingly to live in Paradise. This is why, according to the Hadith, when the people of Paradise enter Paradise, their height will be as much as that of Adam (peace be upon him).
Reference: (See: Sahih Bukhari: 3327, Sahih Muslim: 2834)
⑤ Fifth Point
The age of the invitation of Prophet Noah (peace be upon him) mentioned in the Holy Quran is one thousand two hundred and fifty years, which in itself is a surprising fact—how can a human live such a long life? Rather, if it is said that the secret of the long life of the people of earlier times was their large stature, it would not be wrong, because a person of our stature does not live such a long period. That is why the stature of this Ummah is small, and therefore their ages are also short, which according to a Hadith is between 60 to 70 years
Reference: (See, Sunan Tirmidhi: 3550, Sunan Ibn Majah: 4236)
, from which the relationship between the age of humans and their stature can be well estimated. In fact, if animals are also considered, generally larger animals live longer than smaller ones.⑥ Sixth Point
Today's modern science acknowledges the existence of dinosaurs, some species of which, like the Diplodocus, are said to be 25 to 27 meters long, considered the largest land-dwelling animals. Similarly, the blue whale, which is the longest animal found in the sea, is said to reach lengths of up to 33 meters. When the existence of such large animals is possible, why is the idea of Prophet Adam's (peace be upon him) height of sixty cubits, which is approximately 28 meters, considered impossible?
⑦ Seventh Point
Generally, the reason given for denying this hadith is that none of the human skeletons found or discovered so far have been of such great height!
The answer to this is that the absence of something does not prove its non-existence, especially when science itself admits that the human skeletons found so far are not sufficient enough to establish any solid scientific theory on this basis.
Secondly, those who engage in this type of discovery are not people in whom blind trust in honesty and integrity can be placed; rather, there is a strong possibility that many facts proving the truth of Islam have not been brought to light. Therefore, denying an authentic hadith on such hollow grounds is not wise!
