Did Prophets prior to Muhammad live for hundreds of years?

Question

According to many Ulama (scholars), Prophets prior to Muhammad (peace be upon them) lived for hundreds of years and so did the people of their Ummah, and Muhammad (pbuh) and his Ummah has the shortest life span.

1. How is this evident from scriptures?

2. How is this fact proved and supported scientifically?

Related link.

Answer 1

I'll discuss the first question:

This verse is the only reference form the holy Quran indicating the age of an earlier prophet:

[29:14] And We certainly sent Noah to his people, and he remained among them a thousand years minus fifty years, and the flood seized them while they were wrongdoers.

Yet it indicates that the prophet Noah (PBUH) himself lived for 950 years without referencing the people whom he lived among. He might have lived and delivered the message for a single generation or many generations.

Answer 2

Assalamu alaikum brother,

Ziyad related to me from Malik that he had heard a man he trusted of the people of knowledge say, "The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was shown the lifespans of the people (who had gone) before him, or what Allah willed of that, and it was as if the lives of the people of his community had become too short for them to be able to do as many good actions as others before them had been able to do with their long lives, so Allah gave him Laylat al- Qadr, which is better than a thousand months."

وَحَدَّثَنِي زِيَادٌ، عَنْ مَالِكٍ، أَنَّهُ سَمِعَ مَنْ، يَثِقُ بِهِ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْعِلْمِ يَقُولُ إِنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم أُرِيَ أَعْمَارَ النَّاسِ قَبْلَهُ أَوْ مَا شَاءَ اللَّهُ مِنْ ذَلِكَ فَكَأَنَّهُ تَقَاصَرَ أَعْمَارَ أُمَّتِهِ أَنْ لاَ يَبْلُغُوا مِنَ الْعَمَلِ مِثْلَ الَّذِي بَلَغَ غَيْرُهُمْ فِي طُولِ الْعُمْرِ فَأَعْطَاهُ اللَّهُ لَيْلَةَ الْقَدْرِ خَيْرٌ مِنْ أَلْفِ شَهْرٍ ‏.

See: http://sunnah.com/urn/507060

This Hadeth shows clearly that Prophets prior to Muhammad (peace be upon them) lived for long time, you can see that in this quote

... and it was as if the lives of the people of his community had become too short for them ...

Also i found that Hadith that reduces Muhammad's (PBUH) Umah ages to between 60s and 70s.

The Messenger (peace be upon him) said: "The ages of my Ummah (nation) are between sixty and seventy." Al-Tirmidhy, nos. 2335 and 3550; Ibn Majah, and the wording is his, no. 4236; Al-Quda`y, Musnad, no. 252; Al-Hakim, vol. 2, p. 427; and Al-Khatib, vol. 6, p. 397; and vol. 12, p. 42.

And about a scientific evidence, here are some statistics:

Visit this page: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/lifexpec.htm and for more information you can Google it

Wallahu aalam.