If materialists, who see everything from natural laws’ point of view, make the criticism about the lifetime of Mahdi (pbuh) then the answer is what has been said in previous discussions; but, if monotheists of the world like the followers of Christ (pbuh) and Moses (pbuh) or Sunni brothers make this criticism then we have other expressions for them adding to what we have said before, including:

1) They consider unlimited power for God and several extraordinary characteristics and miracles for his messengers; in other words, they consider God as the ruler of natural laws not being ruled by them; is treating incurable illnesses compatible with medical science, or are bringing back the dead to life by Christ or other wonderful miracles of Moses (pbuh) by rod (a worthless peace of wood) and leprous hand and passing the Nile with that extraordinary event matters which are compatible with natural criterions and standards?

Undoubtedly, all the followers of religions say that the effects of natural laws and means are all by the order of God for interpretation of these phenomena, and anything he wills for something else then another thing happens and his will is beyond natural causes. If from the beginning dead people returned to life again or innate blind person gained his sight after a while or average limit of lifetime of an ordinary human was one-thousand years then was anyone surprised from these matters and did anyone consider them against the law of wisdom? … certainly not!

Therefore, breaking these laws is not breaking a rational and logical order; but it is breaking an ordinary condition and way to which we have been accustomed by observing ordinary people and things.

2) Today’s Christians mostly believe that the enemies of Christ (pbuh) crucified, killed and buried him; and after some days he rose from the dead and went to heavens and is still alive.

Although, Muslims don’t accept the crucifixion and murder of Jesus - according to Qur’an; but they believe that he is still alive; and this is the expression which all Islamic scholars, except a few, have accepted.

If this exception is not against the wisdom, and it is possible for a human to become alive again after the death and burial and lives about two-thousand years, then how is it possible to consider more simple cases impossible when it is only talked about a long life a little more than one-thousand years!

3) There is no Muslim who denies the long life of Noah, because it is mentioned explicitly in Qur’an that only the time of his calling to monotheism was nine-hundred and fifty years (فلبث فیهم الف سنة الّا خمسین عاماً)1.

Also, we have heard about Khizr and his loge life.

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It is amazing that a group of people has accepted all these matters, but when they face the belief of Shiites about the age of “Mahdi”, they have surprising faces and move their head as the sign of denial and have smiles which means that how these kinds of irrational and illogical beliefs can have followers?!...

This is a clear example of “being in one roof and having two climates” (referring to a Persian proverb)!

But, as we said before, the matter of longevity is completely understandable according to the logic of natural sciences regardless of the beliefs of monotheists about the power of God and the issue of miracles; the only problem in the way is that we free ourselves from prejudices and special biases, and traditions and costumes to which we have been accustomed and only surrender ourselves to reason and logic and free discussion!

We are amazed when we read in newspapers about a 140-years-old Austrian man who hadn’t become ill through his lifetime, even once!

Or a man was completely young at the age of 167 in Colombia!

Or a man’s hair was black at the age of 253 in china!

Because it is against ordinary and normal people; but if the sources of this news are reliable but it is written in all newspapers as certain news then we will accept it.

But why we are amazed when we read in hadith:

القائم هوالّذی اذا خرج کان فی سنّ الشیوخ و منظر الشّبان؛ قویّ فی بدنه

(When al-Qa’im rises, he has the age of the old but the face of the young and he is also physically powerful).

Shi’a says:

How don’t we laugh at those who accept the long life of Noah and Christ and write these amazing characteristics about Avicenna, or after watching a young person bending metals just by looking at them, or observing too old creatures and trees? But when it is talked about the long life of Mahdi (pbuh), a group has objecting faces and say surprisingly that how is it possible for a man to have this age!

The issue of longevity is not the issue which can be denied or criticized in a fair and logical judgment.

1) Ankabut sura, verse 14.