Age of 60 & Hadith

According to Hadith, anyone who dies before the age of 60 will have their sins forgiven and be admitted into Paradise. This is based on the following two Hadith found in Sahih al-Bukahri.

In the first Hadith, the prophet is asking forgiveness for all those who die before the age of 60 years of age. It is worth noting that according to this Hadith, it is not limited to a specific individual, or the companions, or even a certain group but is stated to apply to “any person” who dies before they turn sixty.

حَدَّثَنِي عَبْدُ السَّلاَمِ بْنُ مُطَهَّرٍ، حَدَّثَنَا عُمَرُ بْنُ عَلِيٍّ، عَنْ مَعْنِ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ الْغِفَارِيِّ، عَنْ سَعِيدِ بْنِ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ الْمَقْبُرِيِّ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَقَالَ ‏ “‏ أَعْذَرَ اللَّهُ إِلَى امْرِئٍ أَخَّرَ أَجَلَهُ حَتَّى بَلَّغَهُ سِتِّينَ سَنَةً ‏”‏‏.‏ تَابَعَهُ أَبُو حَازِمٍ وَابْنُ عَجْلاَنَ عَنِ الْمَقْبُرِيِّ‏.‏

Narrated Abu Huraira: The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “Allah will not accept the excuse of any person whose instant of death is delayed till he is sixty years of age.”

Sahih al-Bukhari 6419
https://sunnah.com/bukhari:6419

The above translation provided by Sunnah.com is very deceptive to what is actually stated in the Arabic. A more accurate translation would be.

Narrated Abu Huraira: The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “May Allah excuse a person whose death was postponed until he reaches sixty years of age.”

Here is the word-by-word breakdown of the above Hadith attributed to the prophet.

أَعْذَرَ	a’dhara	May [He] excuse/forgive
اللَّهُ	allahu	God
إِلَى	ila	to
امْرِئٍ	amri’in	a person
أَخَّرَ	akhkhara	[he] postponed
أَجَلَهُ	ajalahu	his apointed time
حَتَّى	hatta	until
بَلَّغَهُ	ballaghahu	he reaches
سِتِّينَ	sittin	sixty
سَنَةً	sanatan	years

The second Hadith states that the prophet has been granted exclusive authority to intercede on anyone’s behalf that he chooses, and God will grant him this intercession. Therefore, anyone the prophet wishes will be taken out of Hell and admitted into Paradise.

Narrated Anas: Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said, “Allah will gather all the people on the Day of Resurrection, and they will say, ‘Let us request someone to intercede for us with our Lord so that He may relieve us from this place of ours.’ Then they will go to Adam and say, ‘You are the one whom Allah created with His Own Hands, breathed in you of His soul, and ordered the angels to prostrate to you; so please intercede for us with our Lord.’ Adam will reply, ‘I am not fit for this undertaking and will remember his sin, and will say, ‘Go to Noah, the first Apostle sent by Allah’ They will go to him, and he will say, ‘I am not fit for this undertaking,’ and will remember his sin and say, ‘Go to Abraham whom Allah took as a Khalil (close friend). They will go to him (and request similarly). He will reply, ‘I am not fit for this undertaking,’ and will remember his sin and say, ‘Go to Moses to whom Allah spoke directly.’ They will go to Moses, and he will say, ‘I am not fit for this undertaking,’ and will remember his sin and say, ‘Go to Jesus.‘ They will go to him, and he will say, ‘I am not fit for this undertaking. Go to Muhammad as Allah has forgiven his past and future sins.’ They will come to me, and I will ask my Lord’s permission, and when I see Him, I will fall down in prostration to Him, and He will leave me in that state as long as (He) Allah will, and then I will be addressed. ‘Raise up your head (O Muhammad)! Ask, and your request will be granted, and say, and your saying will be listened to; intercede, and your intercession will be accepted.’ Then I will raise my head, and I will glorify and praise my Lord with a saying (i.e., invocation) He will teach me, and then I will intercede; Allah will fix a limit for me (i.e., a certain type of people for whom I may intercede), and I will take them out of the (Hell) Fire and let them enter Paradise. Then I will come back (to Allah) and fall in prostration, and will do the same for the third and fourth times till no one remains in the (Hell) Fire except those whom the Qur’an has imprisoned therein.”

حَدَّثَنَا مُسَدَّدٌ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو عَوَانَةَ، عَنْ قَتَادَةَ، عَنْ أَنَسٍ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏ “‏ يَجْمَعُ اللَّهُ النَّاسَ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ فَيَقُولُونَ لَوِ اسْتَشْفَعْنَا عَلَى رَبِّنَا حَتَّى يُرِيحَنَا مِنْ مَكَانِنَا‏.‏ فَيَأْتُونَ آدَمَ فَيَقُولُونَ أَنْتَ الَّذِي خَلَقَكَ اللَّهُ بِيَدِهِ، وَنَفَخَ فِيكَ مِنْ رُوحِهِ، وَأَمَرَ الْمَلاَئِكَةَ فَسَجَدُوا لَكَ، فَاشْفَعْ لَنَا عِنْدَ رَبِّنَا‏.‏ فَيَقُولُ لَسْتُ هُنَاكُمْ ـ وَيَذْكُرُ خَطِيئَتَهُ وَيَقُولُ ـ ائْتُوا نُوحًا أَوَّلَ رَسُولٍ بَعَثَهُ اللَّهُ‏.‏ فَيَأْتُونَهُ فَيَقُولُ لَسْتُ هُنَاكُمْ ـ وَيَذْكُرُ خَطِيئَتَهُ ـ ائْتُوا إِبْرَاهِيمَ الَّذِي اتَّخَذَهُ اللَّهُ خَلِيلاً‏.‏ فَيَأْتُونَهُ، فَيَقُولُ لَسْتُ هُنَاكُمْ ـ وَيَذْكُرُ خَطِيئَتَهُ ـ ائْتُوا مُوسَى الَّذِي كَلَّمَهُ اللَّهُ فَيَأْتُونَهُ فَيَقُولُ لَسْتُ هُنَاكُمْ، فَيَذْكُرُ خَطِيئَتَهُ ـ ائْتُوا عِيسَى فَيَأْتُونَهُ فَيَقُولُ لَسْتُ هُنَاكُمْ، ائْتُوا مُحَمَّدًا صلى الله عليه وسلم فَقَدْ غُفِرَ لَهُ مَا تَقَدَّمَ مِنْ ذَنْبِهِ وَمَا تَأَخَّرَ فَيَأْتُونِي فَأَسْتَأْذِنُ عَلَى رَبِّي، فَإِذَا رَأَيْتُهُ وَقَعْتُ سَاجِدًا، فَيَدَعُنِي مَا شَاءَ اللَّهُ، ثُمَّ يُقَالُ ارْفَعْ رَأْسَكَ، سَلْ تُعْطَهْ، وَقُلْ يُسْمَعْ، وَاشْفَعْ تُشَفَّعْ‏.‏ فَأَرْفَعُ رَأْسِي، فَأَحْمَدُ رَبِّي بِتَحْمِيدٍ يُعَلِّمُنِي، ثُمَّ أَشْفَعُ فَيَحُدُّ لِي حَدًّا، ثُمَّ أُخْرِجُهُمْ مِنَ النَّارِ، وَأُدْخِلُهُمُ الْجَنَّةَ، ثُمَّ أَعُودُ فَأَقَعُ سَاجِدًا مِثْلَهُ فِي الثَّالِثَةِ أَوِ الرَّابِعَةِ حَتَّى مَا بَقِيَ فِي النَّارِ إِلاَّ مَنْ حَبَسَهُ الْقُرْآنُ ‏”‏‏.‏ وَكَانَ قَتَادَةُ يَقُولُ عِنْدَ هَذَا أَىْ وَجَبَ عَلَيْهِ الْخُلُودُ‏.‏

Sahih al-Bukhari 6565
https://sunnah.com/bukhari:6565

So according to these two Hadith, anyone who dies before the age of sixty will be admitted into Paradise via Muhammad’s intercession.