The claimants against Islam find issue with the notion that Adam was supposedly 60 cubits tall, as a matter of the supposed impossibility for humans - and more specifically premodern humans - to be at such statures and heights. Their issues with this notion are frivolous: The height of Adam was sixty cubits according to this hadith but other hadith reports clarify that it was so in the heavens. Allah's Apostle said, "The first group of people who will enter Paradise, will be glittering like the full moon and those who will follow them, will glitter like the most brilliant star in the sky. They will not urinate, relieve nature, spit, or have any nasal secretions. Their combs will be of gold, and their sweat will smell like musk. The aloes-wood will be used in their centers. Their wives will be houris. All of them will look alike and will resemble their father Adam (in statute), sixty cubits tall in the heavens." (Sahih Bukhari, Book 55 Hadith 544) Commonly used translation misses the translation of the last two words in the original- highlighted in Arabic above. See Ustadha Aisha Bewley’s translation, Hadith 3149. Scholars like Imam Abu al-‘Abbas al-Qurtubi (Al-Qurtubi, Abu al-Abbas, al-Mufhim lima Ashkala fi Talkhis Kitab Muslim, 23/45) and lately Shaykh Anwar Shah al-Kashmiri (Al-Kashmiri, Anwar Shah, Fayd al-Bari, Vol.6 p.5) have said that it means the inmates of Paradise will have the height of their father Adam who was sixty cubits in the heavens. This clarifies the first point that Adam’s height was 60 cubits in the Paradise according to this hadith and it does not say anything about his height after he landed on this planet. “sixty cubits was the height of Adam in the Paradise and when he fell from it he became short and to this day of ours his children have not ceased to be on almost the same (short) height. And they will return to their original height when they go back to Paradise” Mufti Taqi Usmani (Usmani, Muhammad Taqi, Takmila Fath al-Mulhim, Vol.6, p.158) As for the following narration: “أن آدم لما أهبط كانت رجلاه في الأرض ورأسه في السماء، فحطه الله إلى ستين ذراعا” “When Adam landed his legs were on the earth and head was in the skies, so Allah put him to 60 cubits” This narration is not reported from the Prophet (saaw). It is a saying of Qatadah or 'Ata bin Rabah. Though Ibn Hajr writes in Fath al-Bari that Abdul Razzaq has narrated it in Marfu' form, in reality with Abdul Razzaq (in both Musannaf and his Tasfir) it goes back only to Qatadah. It is even against the authentic hadith quoted above in this article that Adam's height of 60 cubits was so even in the heavens. So both the chain and text makes it dubious. It is evidently from Israeeliyyat, as if we look to Jewish references in the Old Testament They believed that Adam and also premodern humans were much larger in stature Amos God destroyed the Amorites who were a race of giants as tall as cedars and as strong as oaks. 2:9 Talmud Deriving [H] from [H], one's stature. That is, the people will gain in stature to twice the height of Adam. According to tradition, Adam's height was one hundred cubits (Hag. 12a). chagigah 12a https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=_U-vr_XYp4k&pp=ygUXc2FwaWVuY2UgaW5zdGl0dXRlIGFkYW0%3D Now onto the claim about the following Hadith The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Allah created Adam in His picture, sixty cubits (about 30 meters) in height. When He created him, He said (to him), "Go and greet that group of angels sitting there, and listen what they will say in reply to you, for that will be your greeting and the greeting of your offspring." Adam (went and) said, 'As-Salamu alaikum (Peace be upon you).' They replied, 'AsSalamu-'Alaika wa Rahmatullah (Peace and Allah's Mercy be on you) So they increased 'Wa Rahmatullah' The Prophet (ﷺ) added 'So whoever will enter Paradise, will be of the shape and picture of Adam Since then the creation of Adam's (offspring) (i.e. stature of human beings is being diminished continuously) to the present time." [Sahih al-Bukhari 6227] Commenting on the highlighted phrase, one of the greatest scholars of our day, Mufti Taqi Usmani states: “It does not mean the height of people has not ceased decreasing with every generation, rather it means the human body has not ceased to be imperfect thereafter. This is taken from what has reached us from the teacher of our teachers (Anwar Shah) al-Kashmiri, may Allah have mercy on him, that sixty hands was the height of Adam in the Paradise and when he fell from it he became short and to this day of ours his children have not ceased to be on almost the same (short) height. And they will return to their original height when they go back to Paradise. So the saying of Prophet (May peace be upon him), "they have not stopped being short" means that have they not stopped being born imperfect i.e. on the same short height. Allah the Perfect and Almighty knows best!” (Usmani, Muhammad Taqi, Takmila Fath al-Mulhim, Vol.6, p) "قوله فلم يزل الخلق ينقص حتى الآن أي أن كل قرن يكون نشأته في الطول أقصر من القرن الذي قبله فانتهى تناقص الطول إلى هذه الأمة واستقر الأمر على ذلك" "His saying, “The creation has been decreasing until now,” meaning that each generation of its origins is shorter in length than the one before it, so the decrease in length ended with this nation, and the matter settled on that." (Fath Al-Bari Fi Sharh Sahih Al-Bukhari by Ibn Hajar Al-Asqalani (6/367)) The phrase ينقص بعض has been understood in different ways; What exactly is the نقص pertaining to? We cannot infer that ينقص بعد is in reference to 60->50->40; that’s a modal transfer fallacy Adam was not 60 when he was placed on earth when he was placed on earth his height was reduced and then from that point on the generations have had their heights imperfect. Ibn Hajar’s interpretation is based on historical evidences such as the following: for example, Aad were described as people of large statures by early historians. The earlier generations were said to have been much stronger than us in both health and might, etc. Thus it is not far fetched that over these generations the statures and strengths of people have reduced until it has been kept the same. But in general, aside from طول, the word نقص is still pertaining to the imperfect nature of man as was made to be when Adam was placed on earth and the imperfection continued to pervade generations since then, whether it be strength or height or stature. Simply put in the Paradise Adam’s height was 60 cubits in heaven however on Earth it was reduced from its original perfect height and it continues that way to this day. When humans will eventually return to Paradise they will attain the same height. Now onto the claim about the following Hadith The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Allah created Adam in His picture, sixty cubits (about 30 meters) in height. When He created him, He said (to him), "Go and greet that group of angels sitting there, and listen what they will say in reply to you, for that will be your greeting and the greeting of your offspring." Adam (went and) said, 'As-Salamu alaikum (Peace be upon you).' They replied, 'AsSalamu-'Alaika wa Rahmatullah (Peace and Allah's Mercy be on you) So they increased 'Wa Rahmatullah' The Prophet (ﷺ) added 'So whoever will enter Paradise, will be of the shape and picture of Adam Since then the creation of Adam's (offspring) (i.e. stature of human beings is being diminished continuously) to the present time." [Sahih al-Bukhari 6227] Commenting on the highlighted phrase, one of the greatest scholars of our day, Mufti Taqi Usmani states: “It does not mean the height of people has not ceased decreasing with every generation, rather it means the human body has not ceased to be imperfect thereafter. This is taken from what has reached us from the teacher of our teachers (Anwar Shah) al-Kashmiri, may Allah have mercy on him, that sixty hands was the height of Adam in the Paradise and when he fell from it he became short and to this day of ours his children have not ceased to be on almost the same (short) height. And they will return to their original height when they go back to Paradise. So the saying of Prophet (May peace be upon him), "they have not stopped being short" means that have they not stopped being born imperfect i.e. on the same short height. Allah the Perfect and Almighty knows best!” (Usmani, Muhammad Taqi, Takmila Fath al-Mulhim, Vol.6, p) "His saying, “The creation has been decreasing until now,” meaning that each generation of its origins is shorter in length than the one before it, so the decrease in length ended with this nation, and the matter settled on that." (Fath Al-Bari Fi Sharh Sahih Al-Bukhari by Ibn Hajar Al-Asqalani (6/367)) The phrase ينقص بعض has been understood in different ways; What exactly is the نقص pertaining to? We cannot infer that ينقص بعد is in reference to 60->50->40; that’s a modal transfer fallacy Adam was not 60 when he was placed on earth when he was placed on earth his height was reduced and then from that point on the generations have had their heights imperfect. Ibn Hajar’s interpretation is based on historical evidences such as the following: for example, Aad were described as people of large statures by early historians. The earlier generations were said to have been much stronger than us in both health and might, etc. Thus it is not far fetched that over these generations the statures and strengths of people have reduced until it has been kept the same. But in general, aside from طول, the word نقص is still pertaining to the imperfect nature of man as was made to be when Adam was placed on earth and the imperfection continued to pervade generations since then, whether it be strength or height or stature. Simply put in the Paradise Adam’s height was 60 cubits in heaven however on Earth it was reduced from its original perfect height and it continues that way to this day. When humans will eventually return to Paradise they will attain the same height. The نقص is more soundly in reference to the continued imperfection of human beings over the generations, subsequent to and continuing on from adams reduction in stature and ‘imperfection’ in his height when he was placed on earth. Thus, when human beings enter heaven, they will be returned to their original height that their father was in heaven, and this is how the majority of the scholars understood this. DOWNLOAD HEIGHT PDF