Tradition

مَوْتُ الاْنْسانِ بالذُّنُوبِ أَكْثَرُ مِنْ مَوتِهِ بِالأَجَلِ وَ حَياتُهُ بِالْبِرِّ أَكْثَرُ مِنْ حَيَاتِهِ بِالْعُمْرِ

Imam ‘Ali (‘a) is narrated to have said: “Death which arrives earlier for human beings as a result of sin is more common than death which comes as a result of one’s natural lifespan; and the extended lifespan of people as a result of their good deeds is more common than their actual natural life spans.”1

Brief Commentary

It is clear that various sins are known to directly affect the length of our lives in a negative fashion. Such things as drinking alcohol, gambling, miserliness, and envy are known to have such an effect. In addition to these sins, there are other things which exert an indirect effect on one’s lifespan. These indirect actors work through destabilizing the society, destroying public safety and security, and bringing about conflict and war. These indirect factors include things like usury and oppression.

At the same time, positive actions have their own deep effects on the calm and tranquility that people feel within their souls and their conscience, and this affects the length of their life spans in a positive manner. Therefore, we should realize that sins not only have spiritual effects, but they certainly have physical effects as well. These physical effects can go as far as affecting the quality of our physical lives, as well as how long we get to live.

• 1. Safinat al-Bihar, p. 489.