Abstract:

Human beings pass through a series of life stages since birth.  These stages beginning at the childhood even in the mother's womb are accompanied with a period extending to the senescence and the last stages of life. The creation of human beings and various stages of life are mentioned in the Qur'an. Besides, it is referred to the Senescence.  In addition to the expressions sheikh, shayb, ajūz and kibar indicating to the senescence, ardhal al-ʿumur is also pointed out in the Qur'an in this regard. This article aims to identify in which context and meaning the wording regarding ardhal al-ʿumur and senescence are used in the Qur'ān and to reveal the relationship between these terms. Since, the term ardhal al-ʿumur and senile dementia are directly correlated in the commentaries usually and the interpretations build the perception that these two expressions are almost synonyms.   Are ardhal al-ʿumur and dementia closely associated with each other? Are the other terms in the Qur'an indicating to the senescence correlated with dementia? Our study aims to explain the expression ardhal al-ʿumur in the Qur'an in this regard. Furthermore, the other terms regarding the senescence expressed in the Qur'ān are reviewed in this respect.

Keywords: