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View Full Version : Height of Aadam ('alayhis salaam)



Al-Hanbali
07-16-2008, 12:47 PM
:salamext:

Something really interesting I came across:

In the Hadith of Al-Bukhari, the Prophet (sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam) told us the Adam ('alayhis salaam) was created 60 'fore-arm lengths' tall. Let us attempt to find that length in our modern units.

From Fathul Bari:

قَوْلُهُ : ( سِتُّونَ ذِرَاعًا )
يُحْتَمَل أَنْ يُرِيد بِقَدْرِ الذِّرَاع الْمُتَعَارَف يَوْمئِذٍ عِنْد الْمُخَاطَبِينَ ، وَالْأَوَّل أَظْهَر لِأَنَّ ذِرَاع كُلّ أَحَد بِقَدْرِ رُبُعه فَلَوْ كَانَ بِالذِّرَاعِ الْمَعْهُود لَكَانَتْ يَده قَصِيرَة فِي جَنْب طُول جَسَده

i.e. it is probably the 60 'forearm-lengths' of the today's people, not the size of Adam's own fore-arms. This is because a person is [about] 4 times his fore-arms, and hence Adam would probably not have been 60 times his own forearm length, as that would have made his arms look very small compared to his body.

Imam Al-Bukhari says in Sahih Al-Bukhari:

( بَاب فِي كَمْ يَقْصُر الصَّلَاة )

Chapter: At what Distance should a traveller start shortening the prayers.

وَسَمَّى النَّبِىُّ - صلى الله عليه وسلم - يَوْمًا وَلَيْلَةً سَفَرًا . وَكَانَ ابْنُ عُمَرَ وَابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ - رضى الله عنهم - يَقْصُرَانِ وَيُفْطِرَانِ فِى أَرْبَعَةِ بُرُدٍ وَهْىَ سِتَّةَ عَشَرَ فَرْسَخًا

And the Prophet sallallaho'alaihiewasallam called travelling a day and night, "A joourney (safar)" and Ibn 'Abbas and Ibn 'Umar would shorten their prayers and break their fasts at a distance of 4 "Burud", which equal 16 "Farsakh"

Ibn Hajar comments on this:

ذَكَرَ الْفَرَّاء أَنَّ الْفَرْسَخ فَارِسِيّ مُعَرَّب ، وَهُوَ ثَلَاثَة أَمْيَال ، وَالْمِيل مِنْ الْأَرْض مُنْتَهَى مَدّ الْبَصَر لِأَنَّ الْبَصَر يَمِيل عَنْهُ عَلَى وَجْه الْأَرْض حَتَّى يَفْنَى إِدْرَاكه ، وَبِذَلِكَ جَزَمَ الْجَوْهَرِيّ . وَقِيلَ حَدّه أَنْ يَنْظُر إِلَى الشَّخْص فِي أَرْض مُسَطَّحَة فَلَا يُدْرَى أَهُوَ رَجُل أَوْ اِمْرَأَة أَوْ هُوَ ذَاهِب أَوْ آتٍ قَالَ النَّوَوِيّ الْمِيل سِتَّة آلَاف ذِرَاع وَالذِّرَاع أَرْبَعَة وَعِشْرُونَ إِصْبَعًا مُعْتَرِضَة مُعْتَدِلَة وَالْإِصْبَع سِتّ شَعِيرَات مُعْتَرِضَة مُعْتَدِلَة ا ه . وَهَذَا الَّذِي قَالَهُ هُوَ الْأَشْهَر ، وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ عَبَّرَ عَنْ ذَلِكَ بِاثْنَيْ عَشَر أَلْف قَدَم بِقَدَمِ الْإِنْسَان ، وَقِيلَ هُوَ أَرْبَعَة الْآفّ ذِرَاع ، وَقِيلَ بَلْ ثَلَاثَة آلَاف ذِرَاع نَقَلَهُ صَاحِب الْبَيَان ، وَقِيلَ وَخَمْسمِائَةٍ صَحَّحَهُ اِبْن عَبْد الْبَرّ . وَقِيلَ هُوَ أَلْفَا ذِرَاع ، وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ عَبَّرَ عَنْ ذَلِكَ بِأَلْفِ خُطْوَة لِلْجَمَلِ ، ثُمَّ إِنَّ الذِّرَاع الَّذِي ذَكَرَ النَّوَوِيّ تَحْدِيده قَدْ حَرَّرَهُ غَيْره بِذِرَاعِ الْحَدِيد الْمُسْتَعْمَل الْآن فِي مِصْر وَالْحِجَاز فِي هَذِهِ الْأَعْصَار فَوَجَدَهُ يَنْقُص عَنْ ذِرَاع الْحَدِيد بِقَدْرِ الثُّمُن ، فَعَلَى هَذَا فَالْمِيل بِذِرَاعِ الْحَدِيد عَلَى الْقَوْل الْمَشْهُور خَمْسَة آلَاف ذِرَاع وَمِائَتَانِ وَخَمْسُونَ ذِرَاعًا ، وَهَذِهِ فَائِدَة نَفِيسَة قَلَّ مَنْ نَبَّهَ عَلَيْهَا .

He means that 4 "burud" = 16 "fursakh". Al-Farra' said that the firsakh is arabized from a persian word, and it equals 3 miles.

A mile is how far a person can see on the earth, because the gaze leaves (yameelu 'anhu) on the earth's surface, till it reaches it is no longer able to distinguish (which is how far the mile is), and this is what Al-Jawhari insisted to be correct. It is also said that it is how far a person can see on the plain earth, until he cannot distinguish whether a person is a male or a female at that distance or whether is is going or coming.

Al-Nawawi said: a mile is 6000 forearm-lengths, each forearm-length equaling 24 fingers of moderate size laid out side by side, the width of each of the fingers measuring 6 grains pf moderate size laid out side by size. This statement of Al-Nawawi is more well-known.

And some scholars said a mile is 12000 steps of a man, and it is also said it is equal to a 4000 forearm-lengths or 3000 forearm-lengths, as the author of Al-Bayan said. Ibn 'Abdul Barr authenticated a mile to 3500 forearm-lengths. And still others said it is equal to a 1000 forearm-lengths. And some scholars said it equals a 1000 camel-strides.

But, the forearm-length that Al-Nawawi mentioned is defined as the 1/8 less than the "forearm-length" made out of iron used these days [i.e. 9th Hijri or 1600 A.D., i.e. end of middle ages] in Egypt and Al-Hijaz, as a scholar other than Al-Nawawi pointed out. So now the well-known measurement of the mile, as mentioned by Al-Nawawi, in terms of the "iron arm-length" used these days is 5250 "iron forearm-lengths". This is a fine point which very few people have discovered.

I [Abu Maryam], says: Look at the modern definition of mile:
1 mile = 5280 feet.
Al-Nawawi's definition in the 7th Hijri i.e. 1300 A.D. [ the middle ages ]
1 mile = 6000 'forearms' = 5250 "iron forearms"
this means that the islamic 'iron forearm' is in fact the modern 'foot', or slightly bigger by a millimeter. If u measure between ur elbow and ur wrist it is approximately foot long. So perhaps arabs were better in the nomenclature at-least!

Modern definition of foot:
1 foot = 12 inches
Al-Nawawi's 'arm-length':
1 'forearm'= 24 'fingers', in the 'iron-forearm' we have to reduce it by an eighth, so,
1 'iron-forearm'= 21 fingers
This means :
1 'finger' = 1/2 inch i.e almost centimeter.

Also, in the modern world:
1 inch = 8 inch-subdivisions
1 'finger' = 6 grains
thus,
1 grain is 1.5 inch-subdivisions

Conclusion:
Adam 'alaihisalam was probably 60-70 foot tall, as we define the modern 'foot' in the British Engineer System.

http://www.ahlalhdeeth.com/vbe/showthread.php?t=2514
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