Although Imam Mahdi’s long life of about 1,200 years is much more than the average life expectancy of a human being, it is not impossible based on current scientific theories and various current theological beliefs. Scientists are actively researching elongating the life of human cells and protecting them from disease, aging, and other deteriorating factors. Some scientists believe that science has the potential to increase human life up to several hundreds of years. The natural world is full of wonders, where plant and animal species have been alive for thousands of years. The mysterious stories of people with long lives of several hundreds of years have been mentioned in various cultures and religions. For example, the longevity of several people has been explicitly mentioned in the Torah, such as Prophet Adam’s age of 930 years and Prophet Adam’s son, Seth’s age of 912 years. Some pre-Islamic Prophets are believed to still be living today, such as Prophet Elijah (Ilyas), who was raised to the sky according to the Old Testament. Muslims of various sects believe that the pre-Islamic Prophets Elijah, Enoch (Idris), Khizr, and Jesus (Isa) never died and are still alive. The Holy Quran explicitly mentions a few examples of noble characters who were blessed with exceptionally long lives. For example, the prophethood of Prophet Noah amongst his people lasted for 950 years, and is mentioned in the Quran [29:14]: “And certainly We sent Noah to his people, so he remained among them a thousand years save fifty years”. We thus deduce that Prophet Noah lived for more than 950 years. Prophet Jesus is another example of a prophet who did not die per the Quran [4:157,158]: “And for their saying, “We have killed the Messiah, Jesus, the son of Mary, the Messenger of God. In fact, they did not kill him, nor did they crucify him, but it appeared to them as if they did. Indeed, those who differ about him are in doubt about it. They have no knowledge of it, except the following of assumptions. Certainly, they did not kill him. Rather, God raised him up to Himself. God is Mighty and Wise.” We thus deduce that Prophet Jesus has been living now for over 2,000 years. Another Quranic piece of evidence is the story of Prophet Ezra (Uzair), where God took his life away for 100 years and then made him alive again, as mentioned in the following verse [2:259]: “(Or have you heard) of the one who, on passing through an empty and ruined town, said, ‘How will God bring it to life?’ God caused him to die and brought him back to life after a hundred years and then asked him, ‘How long have you been here?’ He replied, ‘One day or part of a day’. The Lord said, ‘No, you have been here for one hundred years. Look at your food and drink. They have not yet decayed’.” According to this verse of the Quran, God not only elongated his life for 100 years, but He also miraculously preserved his food and drink, which would have naturally decayed in a day or two. The companions of the cave are another Quranic story in which a few believers took shelter in a cave and slept there for 309 years, as mentioned in the following verse of the Quran [18:25] “And they stayed in their cave for three hundred years, adding nine.” During these long years, they were sleeping, and their body was functioning without any need for water or food. The Shias believe that the long life of Imam Mahdi is a miracle of God, and nothing is impossible for The Creator. God can elongate the life of His chosen savior and prevent him from aging. According to the narrations from the Shia Imams, when Imam Mahdi will reappear, he will look like a 40-year-old or younger. Show Less >>