Understanding Numbers in the Quran: How Tall Was Prophet Adam? How Long Did Prophet Nuh Live? How long did it take to create the earth?
The Quran mentions many numbers, often in reference to events or descriptions of people and prophets. But how should we understand these numbers, literally or metaphorically? Let us explore two famous cases: the height of Adam (peace be upon him) and the lifespan of Prophet Nuh (peace be upon him).
Literal vs. metaphorical in the Quran
Generally, Muslims accept the Quranic text literally unless there is strong evidence that the meaning is metaphorical or miraculous. For example, the story of the People of the Cave, in which a group of youths, escaping persecution at the hands of pagans slept in the cave for a miraculous length of time. Allah states in Surat al Kahf:
أَمْ حَسِبْتَ أَنَّ أَصْحَـٰبَ ٱلْكَهْفِ وَٱلرَّقِيمِ كَانُوا۟ مِنْ ءَايَـٰتِنَا عَجَبًا
Have you ˹O Prophet˺ thought that the people of the cave and the plaque were ˹the only˺ wonders of Our signs? (18:9)
وَلَبِثُواْ فِي كَهۡفِهِمۡ ثَلَٰثَ مِاْئَةٖ سِنِينَ وَٱزۡدَادُواْ تِسۡعٗا
“And they remained in their cave for three hundred years and add nine.” (Al-Kahf: 18:25)
This number is accurate. It was proved by the coins they had when they tried to buy some food.
Allah stated this in answer to the question posed by the Quraysh to test if Prophet (peace be upon him) was really a prophet. They posed it after asking some of the Jewish people what question would reveal whether Muhammad (peace be upon him) was truly receiving revelations from God. The answer in the Quran relates the miracle of the People of the Cave, who lived beyond the human lifespan. The number Allah used expresses the length of time using both the lunar and solar calendars. They slept 300 solar years, which is 309 lunar years. Not only was the length of time they slept a miracle, but the precision of the number and the fact that Allah gives us the number according to two methods of calculating time is also part of the miraculous depth in Quranic language.
But there are other times when numbers are used literally, but idiomatically, much like how we might say “I called you a hundred times”, meaning many, rather than literally 100, to express frequency. In Quran and Hadith, “70” or “1000 months” are examples of this. For example, when Allah says:
لَيْلَةُ ٱلْقَدْرِ خَيْرٌۭ مِّنْ أَلْفِ شَهْرٍۢ ٣
The Night of Glory is better than a thousand months. (97:3)
Anas ibn Malik reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said when the month of Ramadan began:
عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ قَالَ دَخَلَ رَمَضَانُ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ إِنَّ هَذَا الشَّهْرَ قَدْ حَضَرَكُمْ وَفِيهِ لَيْلَةٌ خَيْرٌ مِنْ أَلْفِ شَهْرٍ مَنْ حُرِمَهَا فَقَدْ حُرِمَ الْخَيْرَ كُلَّهُ وَلَا يُحْرَمُ خَيْرَهَا إِلَّا مَحْرُومٌ
“Verily, this month has presented itself to you. There is a night within it that is better than a thousand months. Whoever is deprived of it has been deprived of all good, and none is deprived of its good but that he is truly deprived.” (Ibn Majah)
Therefore, when Laylatul Qadr is said to be better than 1000 months, this is not necessarily the exact number, but the largest number that could be expressed at that time, signifying the magnitude of the blessings of that night.
Was Adam (peace be upon him) really 60 cubits tall?
Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
“Allah created Adam and he was sixty cubits tall. Then He said, ‘Go and greet those angels and listen to how they greet you, for that will be your greeting and the greeting of your progeny.’ He said, ‘Al-salamu ‘alaykum (Peace be upon you).’ They said, ‘Al-salamu ‘alaykum wa rahmat-Allah (Peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah).’ So they added the words ‘wa rahmat Allah.’ And everyone who enters Paradise will be in the form of Adam. People kept on growing smaller until now.” (Bukhari)
In another version of the hadith, the Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
“Everyone who enters Paradise will be in the form of Adam who was sixty cubits tall. People kept growing smaller until now.” (Muslim)
60 cubits is roughly 90 feet or 27.4 metres, which is the height of a 10-storey building. Modern science, however, has not found any evidence of this. This suggests the hadith is describing Adam’s form in Jannah, where different physics and biology apply. Thus, this is not a literal, earthly measurement but a way of saying he was of great stature and honour.
Did Prophet Nuh Live for 950 Years?
The Quran states:
وَلَقَدۡ أَرۡسَلۡنَا نُوحًا إِلَىٰ قَوۡمِهِۦ فَلَبِثَ فِيهِمۡ أَلۡفَ سَنَةٍ إِلَّا خَمۡسِينَ عَامٗا فَأَخَذَهُمُ ٱلطُّوفَانُ وَهُمۡ ظَٰلِمُونَ
“And We certainly sent Noah to his people, and he remained among them a thousand years minus fifty years, and the flood seized them while they were wrongdoers..” (Al-Ankabut: 29:14)
It does not simply say 950 years, it says a thousand sanah (years) minus fifty aam (years). Why use different words?
- They might be synonyms: If so, then Nuh lived 950 years.
- They could differ in meaning: This invites deeper reflection.
In Surat al Kahf, Allah gave us the number using two different measures – 300 solar years asd well as 309 lunar years. The change in words (sanah vs aam) in Nuh’s verse could again signal different kinds of years.
Scientific improbability
Living 950 years is biologically implausible by modern standards. After 100 years, the body undergoes immense stress. If Nuh (peace be upon him) truly lived that long, it would need to be a miracle, but the Quran does not highlight his age as miraculous. His people didn’t find it strange, saying:
“We do not see you but as a man like ourselves.” (Hud: 11:27)
So maybe such ages were common then, or the number has a different meaning.
Numerical systems and historical context
Numbers weren’t always counted the way we do now. The decimal system is relatively modern. Ancient cultures used various bases:
- Base 5: Quinary (used by early humans, likely due to fingers)
- Base 60: Sexagesimal (used by Babylonians/Sumerians)
- Base 20: Mayans
If 1000 sanah is in base 5, it equals 125 in our decimal. Minus 50 aam (which are likely decimal), you get 75. This gives Nuh (AS) an age of 125 years, a reasonable human lifespan.
Cross-reference with the Bible
Genesis 9:28-29 says Noah lived 950 years: 600 years before the flood, 350 after.
If we take “1000 sanah” to be his time before the flood and “50 aam” to be time after the flood, we get a biblical match:
- 600 years pre-flood (1000 sanah)
- 350 years post-flood (50 aam)
Using Biblical scale:
- 50 aam = 350 years → 1 aam = 7 years
- Therefore 1000 sanah = 600 years
This gives Nuh’s age as 600 + 350 = 950 years
or 135 years in our calendar if we convert it all back.
The Sumerian king list: mythical lifespans
Ancient Mesopotamian texts also list kings who lived tens of thousands of years. After a great flood, these lifespans drop dramatically. This shows exaggeration was common and accepted in ancient history.
Utanapishti, a flood survivor in the Epic of Gilgamesh, is said to have gained immortality—his story parallels Nuh’s. These patterns show that grand numbers were part of historical storytelling.
How long did it take for Allah to create the heavens and earth?
إِنَّ رَبَّكُمُ ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِي خَلَقَ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضَ فِي سِتَّةِ أَيَّامٖ ٥٤
Indeed, your Lord is Allah, who created the heavens and earth in six days [Al-Araf: 7:54]
Days here do not mean 24 hours, as a day for us is the time it takes for the earth to rotate based on the solar system. However, the solar system (allegedly) came almost 9 billion years after the creation of universe. Allah’s “day” is not the same length as our day. Allah is using a different scale.
Day here in this verse means eon or epoch of time or some great period of time. And we can see these in the 7 stages of stars.
Universal vs. specific language
Quranic language uses universals that may mean specifics. For example:
“Load in it [the Ark] two of every kind.” (Hud: 11:40)
But “every” doesn’t always mean every living species. It can mean every type needed—like livestock or local animals. In Surah Kahf:
“…a king who seizes every ship by force” (18:79)
Clearly, not every ship globally, just good ships in that area.
Numbers have meaning, but not always literally
- Prophet Adam was very tall, but not 90 feet tall on Earth.
- Prophet Nuh (peace be upon him) lived a long life, but probably not 950 years in our calendar.
- The Quran uses language that is accurate, meaningful, and layered.
We must appreciate the wisdom and eloquence of the Quran without rigidly forcing our modern lens onto it.
Shaykh Haytham Tamim and Abu Shama