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Objections To Him Being Alive

In the Sahih of Imam Bukhari there is a Hadith where the Prophet (saws) states, ‘Of all the people who are alive upon the earth on this day, none will be living in a hundred years time’.

It could be this hadith is a generalisation and referring to all the people who had not been given a gift from Allah, which is all people on earth except for Isa (as), Idris (as), Ilyas (as) and al Khidr, this phrasing is still an acceptable form of speech in Arabic, of which there are many examples relating to everyday matters.

It could also be possible al Khidr was not on the surface of the earth or in a place other than earth at this time, like Isa (as) is alive in Jannah (Heaven), the prophet (saws) has visited other worlds where he met some of Allah’s other creations.

Ibn ‘Abbas said in regards to His (Exalted is He) statement “and of the earth the like thereof”: “Seven earths: In every earth is a prophet like your Prophet, an Adam like your Adam, a Nuh like your Nuh, an Ibrahim like your Ibrahim and an ‘Isa like your ‘Isa.”(“like your Adam” relates to their role in life among their people) (Sahih, the Mustadrak of Hafiz Abu ‘Abdullah al-Hakim).

Ibn ‘Abbas said: “In every earth is the like of Ibrahim.” This hadith is

[sahih] according to the criteria of Imam Bukhari and Muslim. ( The Mustadrak of Hafiz Abu ‘Abdullah al-Hakim), “Like” here doesn’t mean exact copy but rather Ibrahim (as) is a prophet like Musa (as) is a prophet, this is in terms of who those other prophets where to their people on each world.

The second objection is that the Prophet (May Allah bless him and grant him peace) supplicated (du’a) upon the occasion of the battle of Badr. “There are three hundred and thirteen people with me. If we do not triumph then no one will be left to worship you Oh Allah.” this is referring to an eventuality of matters, that no other Ummah would be raised up to worship Allah and not a specific prediction

The other explanation of the du’a is it means of the people present at this battle ‘There will be none to worship you with victory.’ because there where Muslims still in Madinah, Abysinnia and Makkah who would have continued to worship Allah.

The Third objection is the verse “AND [remind those who deny thee, O Prophet, that] never have We granted life everlasting to any mortal before thee: but do they, perchance, hope that although thou must die, they will live forever? Every human being is bound to taste death; and We test you [all] through the bad and the good [things of life] by way of trial: and unto Us you all must return.” (21.34-35) This is in relation to eternal life with out Death, Isa (as) has extended life but will die at the end of time.

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Who Was Al Khidr.

Is Al Khidr Alive

Imam Nawawi in his commentary on Sahih Muslim states: “The majority of scholars hold that he is alive and present among us, and this is agreed upon between the people of Tasawwuf, and the people of righteousness and gnosis (ma’arifa). The narratives regarding witnessing him, gathering with him, taking knowledge from him, asking him questions and receiving answers from him, and his presence in noble and good situations and abodes is more than can be enumerated and more famous than can be concealed. Imam Nawawi also provides many references and statements given by many scholars, proving that Khidr (as) is still alive. (Sharh Sahih Muslim, the Chapter on al Dajjaal (Allah’s curse be upon him))

Abu Amr ibn Salah, said, ‘He is alive according to the majority of scholars and the righteous and the common people are with them in this.”

There are mass transmitted reports from the righteous on meeting Khidr (Allah bless him), as Imam Nawawi mentions.

From amongst the Ulema who said al Khidr is alive:

• Imam An-Nawawi, and his Shaykh Ibn Salah, ‘Allama Sakhawi mentions that Imam An-Nawawi would meet al Khidr, peace be upon him’.
• Allama Iraqi (the teacher of Hafidh Ibn Hajar)
• Shaykh Abdullah bin As-ad al-Yafi’i
• Shaykh Abdul Wahid al-‘Abbasi al-Hanbali
• Qadi ‘Ilmud Din al-Basati al-Maliki
• Shaykh Ibn Ata’ullah Iskandri al-Maliki
Among the great commentators and Scholars of hadiths who state that the al Khidr (as) is still alive are:
• The famous hadith scholar Shaykh al Islam Takiyuddin Abu Omar Ibn as-Salah.
• The great hadith conserver Ibn al-Hajar Asqalani.
• The great hadith scholar Kamil Al-Hafidh Abu Jafar Tahawi.
• The Mujadid, hadith commentator (mufasir) and conserver and Faqih Imam Jalaladdin Suyuti.
• Imam Rabbani.
• The great commentator Imam Ibn Kathir.
• İsmail Hakkı Bursevi, author of the Tafsir Ruhu’l Beyan.
• Said Nursi Bediuzzaman.

Imam Ibn Kathir states that al Khidr (as) is still alive: “There is an agreement among the majority of scholars that Khidr (as) is living now. There are many reports and witnesses who have reported accounts and hadiths that this is the case.” (Al-Bidaya wa Nihaya, 1/328)

Imam Ibn Kathir states: Dhul Qarnayn discovered a type of water referred to as the ‘water of life’ which when drank would allow a person to remain alive forever. He departed with many people searching for it, and Khidr, (as) was also with him. At one place Khidr (as) drank this water.

[Tareekh by Ibn Kathir, volume 1 chapter on Dhul Qarnayn]

The Messenger of Allah (saws) said, “Allah has forbidden the fire to consume the marks of prostration. They will be taken out of the Fire having been burnt, and the water of life would be poured over them, and they will sprout as seed does In the silt carried by flood”.(Muslim)

This is not immortality though, since immortality is defined as someone not being subject to death. Which is negated by the Qur’anic verse, “We have not granted any man before you eternity. Every soul shall taste death.” (21:34-35)

The scholars differed regarding when Khidr (Allah bless him) would die. Some said that he would die after being killed by the Dajjal. Others said he would die after the Quran is razed to heaven by Jibril (as). Others kept the matter general stating that he would die at the end of time. (Nawawi, Sharh Sahih Muslim; Alusi, Ruh al-Ma`ani)

The Scholars similarly differed regarding how long he has been alive for. Was he alive before the time of Nuh (Allah bless him) or after? These are issues that have no decisive proof, and don’t form part of the necessary belief (Aqeedah) Muslims are required to hold.

Abu Is-haaq was amongst the Taba’tabi’een (first generations of Islam) and it was common knowledge among the scholars that during that period al Khidr (as) was alive and his death will occur at the time of Dajjaal.

In a lengthy Hadith narrated by Abu Saeed (r.a), Rasulullah (saws) is reported to have said: “Ad-Dajjal will come and it will be forbidden for him to pass through the entrances of Madina. He will land in some of the salty barren areas (outside) Medina; on that day the best man or one of the best men will come up to him and say, ‘I testify that you are the same Dajjal whose description was given to us by Allah’s Apostle .’ Ad-Dajjal will say to the people, ‘If I kill this man and bring him back to life again, will you doubt my claim?’ They will say, ‘No.’ Then Ad-Dajjal will kill that man and bring him back to life. That man will say, ‘Now I know your reality better than before.’ Ad-Dajjal will say, ‘I want to kill him but I cannot.’” (Bukhari)

It was narrated that Abü Sa’eed Al- Khudri said: “The Messenger of Allah said: ‘The Dajjal will emerge, and a man from among the believers will go towards him, and he will be met by armed men – the armed men of the Dajjal. They will say to him: “Where are you going?” He will say: “I am going to this one who has emerged.” They will say to him: “Don’t you believe in our lord?” He will say: “There is nothing hidden about our Lord.” They will say: “Kill him.” They will say to one another: “Didn’t your lord forbid you to kill anyone without his consent?” So they will take him to the Dajjal, and when the believer sees him, he will say: “O people, this is the Dajjal whom the Messenger of Allah mentioned.” The Dajjal will order that he be made to lie on his stomach, on the ground. He will say: “Take him and strike him on the head,” and he will be beaten severely on his back and stomach. Then he will say: “Don’t you believe in me?” He will say: “You are the false Messiah.” Then it will be ordered that he be cut in two with a saw, from the middle of his head to between his legs. Then the Dajjal will walk between the two pieces and will say to him: “Get up,” and he will stand up straight. Then he will say to him: “Do you believe in me?” He will say: “It has only made me more certain about you.” Then he will say: “O people, he will not do it to anyone after me.” Then the Dajjal will take hold of him to slaughter him, but the area between his neck and collar bone will be turned into copper, and he will not be able to harm him. Then he will take hold of his hands and feet, and throw him, and the people will think that he threw him into the Fire, but he will be thrown into Paradise.”

The Messenger of Allah said: “This will be the greatest of martyrs before the Lord of the Worlds.”(Muslim)

The Scholars have said that al Khdir is the martyr the Dajjaal (Allah’s curse be upon him) will Kill, he will split in two and he will be the best Martyr in Allah’s eyes, if this martyr is al Khdir (r.a) then Allah chose one person He had given long life, to confront another of his creation whom He had also given a long life, and this confrontation will be the worst confrontation the Dajjaal (Allah’s curse be upon him) will face until the time He meets Isa (Jesus) because after it he not be able to kill anyone. The Elderly have increased spiritual authority on earth because of there actions in life with Allah, by which he continually raises them in degrees (of worth), influence and precedence in creation, this is synonymous with Allah’s instruction to respect the elderly and our parents or there will be bad consequences for people, some very severe, this is part of the significance of al Khidr’s meeting with al Dajjaal (Allah’s curse be upon him).

Imam Al-Barzanji’s (d. 1103) said in his book al-Isha`a li Ashrat al-Sa`a “This believer whom al-Dajjal kills is al-Khidr, peace upon him.” He then cites the proofs for this view and states that it is also the view of Ibn `Abbas (r.a) the companion of the prophet (saws), Ma’mar (d. 154), and others.

Imam Ibn Hajar al Asqalani says in his A’sabah that al Khidr’s name is in the list of Companions of our Prophet (saws).

The Prophet (saws) said: “It may be that one of those who saw me and heard my speech shall meet the Dajjal.” Narrated by Ibn Hibban in his Sahih (15:181), Shaykh Shu`ayb Arna’ut thought the hadith had a weak chain, However, Imam al-Tirmidhi in his Sunan said it is also narrated from three other Companions and thus graded the hadith itself “fair and single-chained (hasan gharib) as narrated from Abu Ubayda.”

Ibn ‘Ata’ Allah in Lata’if al-Minan (1:84-98) states that there is consensus among the people of Tasawwuf that al-Khidr is alive.

Imam Ahmad (r.a) narrated in al-Zuhd that the Prophet (saws) said that (the prophet) Ilyas and al-Khidr meet every year and spend the month of Ramadan in al-Quds, Ya’qub ibn Sufyan narrated from ‘Umar ibn ‘Abd al-‘Aziz (r.a) whereby a man he was seen walking with was actually al-Khidr. Ibn Hajar declared the chain of the first fair and that of the second sound in Fath al-Bari (1959 ed. 6:435). He goes on to cite another sound report narrated by Ibn Asakir from Abu Zur’a al-Razi whereby the latter met al-Khidr twice, once in his youth, the other in his old age, but al-Khidr himself had not changed.

Imam Dhahabi the famous historian and scholar writes, Umar bin Abdul Aziz was talking with a man. After he had finished talking with him, he returned and someone asked him who he had been talking with. He replied, “He was Khidr and he came to give me some good news, that I will be the ruler of the Muslim world.” (Tadkarahtul Huffaz biography of Umar bin Abdul Aziz by Imam Dhahabi)

The hadith master al-Sakhawi stated: “It is well-known that al-Nawawi used to meet with al-Khidr and converse with him among many other unveilings (mukashafat).” (“Biography of the Shaykh of Islam, the Pole of the Noble Saints and Jurist of Mankind, the Reviver of the Sunna and Slayer of Innovation Abu Zakariyya Muhyiddin al-Nawawi”) (Cairo: Jam’iyya al-Nashr wa al-Ta’lif al-Azhariyya, 1354/1935 p. 33).

Imam Ibn Kathir writes: “ When the Prophet (saws) departed from this world, Umar heard someone come into the house but saw no-one, when he was asked, Umar said it was Khidr (as)”. Then a voice was heard which said, ‘O household of the Prophet (saws), be patient’. Ali said it was al Khidr (as).”(Sirat-un-Nabi and Tareekh ibn Kathir chapter in the Demise of Prophet (May Allah bless him and grant him peace) by Hafidhh Ibn Kathir).

Imam Ibn Kathir writes, “If there exist many narrations regarding one issue, then even if they are weak, they can be accepted.” (Tafsir Ibn Kathir, Surah Al-An’am, verse 123)

Imam Ibn Kathir states that Khidr (as) was the son of Adam (as), who prayed to Allah: ‘O Allah, give my son Khidr a long life so that he lives until the Day of Judgement’. Adam (as) also told al Khidr (as) ‘O my son, you shall bury me after my death’. He also gave him news of his long life. Khidr (as) also sat in the boat of the Prophet Nuh (Alay hissalaam). [Tareekh by Ibn Kathir, Volume One, Chapter ‘Musa and Khidr’]

Imam al Bayhaqi reported that al-Khiḍr was present at the funeral of the Prophet Muhammad and was recognized only by Ali from amongst the rest of the companions, where he came to show his grief and sadness at the passing away of Prophet Muhammad. Al-Khiḍr’s appearance at the Prophet Muhammad’s funeral is related as follows: A powerful-looking, fine-featured, handsome man with a white beard came leaping over the backs of the people (as they where sitting) till he reached where the sacred body lay. Weeping bitterly, he turned toward the Companions and paid his condolences. Ali said that he was Khiḍr. (Ibn al-Jazari, 1994, p. 228)

In another narration al-Khiḍr met with Ali by the Kaaba and instructed him about a supplication that is very meritorious when recited after the obligatory prayers.
Shaykh Ibn Taymiyyah was asked:

“Was al Khidr (as) a Prophet or a Wali? And is he alive to the present day? And if he is alive, then what do you say about what has been narrated about the Prophet saying “Had he been alive, he would surely have visited me”? Is this hadith sahih or not?”

And the Shaykh answered:

As for his Prophethood: then after the advent of the Messenger of Allah (s), neither he nor anyone else received wahi (revelation). As for before the advent of the Messenger of Allah (s), then people have differed regarding the question of his Prophethood. Those who say that he was a Prophet do not say that he gave up his Prophethood, rather they say he is a Prophet like Ilyas (as), and that he does not get any wahi in this time. And the absence of wahi for a specified period does not invalidate Prophethood, just as the Messenger (s) did not receive any wahi at times during the span of his Messengerhood.

And (according to him) the majority of the ‘ulema believe that he was not a Prophet… [the Sheikh then goes on to describe the ranks of the Prophets and the Sideeqs]

And as for [the question regarding] his life: then he is alive. And the hadith in question has no basis, and no isnad is known for it either. On the contrary, what has been narrated in Musnad Al-Shafi’i and other books is that [Khidr] did meet the Prophet (s). And as for he who says he did not meet the Prophet (s) then he has stated what he has no knowledge of, for this is from the knowledge that he does not encompass. And he who claims he died relying on the hadith “Have you seen this night of yours? At the end of one hundred years after this none would survive on the surface of the earth” then there is no proof for him in it, for it it is possible that Khidr was not on the surface of the earth at that moment .

Also, regarding Dajjal – and similarly Al-Jasasa (his spy) – the sahih is that he was alive and present during the era of the Prophet (s), and he is alive till today not having escaped (from his chains), and he is on an island from the islands of the Oceans.

So the responses concerning (Dajjal) is the response for Khidr as well: And that is: the phrase ‘surface of the earth’ does not apply. Or that the Prophet (s) meant the the known human beings. And those who are special cases do not enter the generality, just like the Jinns (who have long life) don’t enter it – unless a word was used that encompassed both Jinns and humans.

And examples of specifications like this are many. Wallahu A’lam.

هل كان الخضر ـ عليه السلام ـ نبيًا أو وليًا ‏؟‏ وهل هو حي إلى الآن‏؟‏ وإن كان حيًا فما تقولون فيما روى عن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم أنه قال‏:‏ ‏(‏لو كان حيًا لزارني‏)‏ هل هذا الحديث صحيح أم لا‏؟‏
فأجَـاب‏:‏
أما نبوته‏:‏ فمن بعد مبعث رسول اللّه صلى الله عليه وسلم لم يوح إليه ولا إلى غيره من الناس، وأما قبل مبعث النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم فقد اختلف في نبوته، ومن قال‏:‏ إنه نبي، لم يقل‏:‏ إنه سلب النبوة، بل يقول‏:‏ هو كإلياس نبي، لكنه لم يوح إليه في هذه الأوقات، وترك الوحي إليه في مدة معينة ليس نفيًا لحقيقة النبوة، كما لو فتر الوحي عن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم في أثناء مدة رسالته‏.‏
وأكثر العلماء على أنه لم يكن نبيًا، مع أن نبوة من قبلنا يقرب كثير منها من الكرامة والكمال في الأمة، وإن كان كل واحد من النبيين أفضل من كل /واحد من الصديقين كما رتبه القرآن، وكما روى عن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم أنه قال‏:‏ ‏(‏ما طلعت الشمس ولا غربت على أحد بعد النبيين والمرسلين أفضل من أبي بكر الصديق‏)‏، وروى عنه صلى الله عليه وسلم أنه قال‏:‏ ‏(‏إن كان الرجل ليسمع الصوت فيكون نبيًا‏)‏‏.‏
وفي هذه الأمة من يسمعه ويرى الضوء وليس بنبي؛ لأن ما يراه ويسمعه يجب أن يعرضه على ما جاء به محمد صلى الله عليه وسلم، فإن وافقه فهو حق، وإن خالفه تيقن أن الذي جاء من عند اللّه يقين لا يخالطه ريب، ولا يحوجه أن يشهد عليه بموافقة غيره‏.‏
وأما حياته‏:‏ فهو حي‏.‏ والحديث المذكور لا أصل له، ولا يعرف له إسناد، بل المروي في مسند الشافعي وغيره‏:‏ أنه اجتمع بالنبي صلى الله عليه وسلم، ومن قال‏:‏ إنه لم يجتمع بالنبي صلى الله عليه وسلم فقد قال ما لا علم له به، فإنه من العلم الذي لا يحاط به‏.‏
ومن احتج على وفاته بقول النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم‏:‏ ‏(‏أرأيتكم ليلتكم هذه، فإنه على رأس مائة سنة لا يبقى على وجه الأرض ممن هو عليها اليوم أحد‏)‏ فلا حجة فيه، فإنه يمكن أن يكون الخضر إذ ذاك على وجه الأرض‏.‏
ولأن الدجال ـ وكذلك الجساسة ـ الصحيح أنه كان حيا موجودا /على عهد النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم، وهو باق إلى اليوم لم يخرج، وكان في جزيرة من جزائر البحر‏.‏
فما كان من الجواب عنه كان هو الجواب عن الخضر، وهو أن يكون لفظ الأرض لم يدخل في هذا الخبر، أو يكون أراد صلى الله عليه وسلم الآدميين المعروفين، وأما من خرج عن العادة فلم يدخل في العموم، كما لم تدخل الجن، وإن كان لفظًا ينتظم الجن والإنس‏.‏ وتخصيص مثل هذا من مثل هذا العموم كثير معتاد‏.‏ واللّه أعلم‏.

It has been reported that Ibn Taymiyah held the view he was not alive at some earlier point in his life, but later in his life he changed his views regarding many issues which is why his statements seem to contradict. Ibn Taymiya in his Majmu al Fatwah (his major work) reported that he is alive:

وأما أبو بكر والخضر، فهذا يبني على نبوة الخضر‏. ‏‏ وأكثر العلماء على أنه ليس بنبي، وهو اختيار أبي علي بن أبي موسى وغيره من العلماء‏.‏ فعلى هذا أبو بكر وعمر أفضل منه‏.‏ والقول الثاني‏:‏ أنه نبي، واختاره أبو الفرج ابن الجوزي وغيره‏.‏ فعلى هذا هو أفضل من أبي بكر، لكن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم وعيسى ابن مريم هما أفضل منه بالاتفاق، ومحمد في أول هذه الأمة وعيسى في آخرها‏.

Ibn al-Qayyim held the view al khidr died, in al-Manar al-Munif (p. 67-76) with ‘Abd al-Fattah Abu Ghudda’s comprehensive notes, Ibn al-Jawzi in his book ‘Ujala al-Muntazir fi Sharh Hal al-Khadir held the extreme position that to suggest that al-Khidr is alive contradicts the Shari’a. Yet he seems to contradict himself as he narrates in another book, similar the views of his teacher Ibn taymiya who later in life changed his views on many things when he changed his Aqeedah, it would seem Ibn al Qayyim similarly adopted the views of his teacher at this point as well.

He narrates with his chain from Bilal al-Khawass that the latter met al-Khidr and asked him: “What do you say of al-Shafi’i?” He replied: “He is one of the Saints (al-awtad).”, “And Ahmad ibn Hanbal?” He said: “He is a Siddiq.” (Ibn al-Jawzi, Manaqib al-Imam Ahmad (p. 144)).

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Who Was Al Khidr.

Ahadith On The Water Of Life

Sufyan (one of the narrators) said: “People claim that there is a spring of life at that rock, no dying person has its water poured over him, but he becomes alive, and the fish came in contact with some of it, so when the water dropped on it, it became alive.”(Tirmidhi, Sahih)

Imam Muslim records in his Sahih, The Book of Faith (Kitab Al-Iman):

Abu Haraira reported: The people said to the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him): Messenger of Allah, shall we see our Lord on the Day of Resurrection? The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: Do you feel any trouble in seeing the moon on the night when it is full? They said: Messenger of Allah, no. He (the Messenger) further said: Do you feel any trouble in seeing the sun, when there is no cloud over it? They said: Messenger of Allah. no. He (the Holy Prophet) said: Verily you would see Him like this (as you see the sun and the moon). God will gather people on the Day of Resurrection and say: Let every people follow what they worshipped. Those who worshipped the sun would follow the sun, and those who worshipped the moon would follow the moon, and those who worshipped the devils would follow the devils.

This Ummah (of Islam) alone would be left behind and there would be hypocrites too amongst it. Allah would then come to them in a form other than His own Form, recognisable to them, and would say: I am your Lord. They would say: We take refuge with Allah from thee. We will stay here till our Lord comes to us. and when our Lord would come we would recognise Him. Subsequently Allah would come to them in His own Form, recognisable to them, and say: I am your Lord. They would say: Thou art our Lord. And they would follow Him, and a bridge would be set over the Hell; and I (the Holy Prophet) and my Ummah would be the first to pass over it; and none but the messengers would speak on that day, and the prayer of the messengers on that day would be: O Allah! grant safety, grant safety. In Hell, there would be long spits like the thorns of Sa’dan He (the Holy Prophet) said: Have you seen Sa’dan? They replied: Yes, Messenger of Allah. He said: Verily those (hooks) would be like the thorns of Sa’dan, but no one knows their size except Allah. These would seize people for their misdeeds. Some of them would escape for their (good) deeds, and some would be rewarded for their deeds till they get salvation. When Allah would finish judging His bondsmen and because of His mercy decide to take out of Hell such people as He pleases.

He would command the angels to bring out those who had not associated anything with Allah; to whom Allah decided to show mercy. those who would say: There is no god but Allah. They (the angels) would recognise them in the Fire by the marks of prostration, for Hell-fire will devour everything (limb) of the sons of Adam except the marks of prostration. Allah has forbidden the fire to consume the marks of prostration. They will be taken out of the Fire having been burnt, and the water of life would be poured over them, and they will sprout as (a) seed does In the silt carried by flood. Then Allah would finish judging amongst His bondsmen; but a man who will be the last to enter Paradise will remain facing Hell and will say: O my Lord I turn my face away from Hell, for its air has poisoned me ard its blaze has burnt me. He will then call to Allah as long as Allah would wish that he should call to Him.

Then Allah, Blessed and Exalted, would say: If I did that, perhaps you would ask for more than that. He would say: I would not ask You more than this, and he would give his Lord covenants and agreements as Allah wished, and so He would turn his face away from the Fire When he turns towards the Paradise and sees it, he will remain silent as long as Allah wishes him to remain so. He will then say: O my Lord I bring me forward to the gate of the Paradise. Allah would say to him: Did you not give covenants and agreements that you would not ask for anything besides what I had given you. Woe to thee! O son of Adam, how treacherous you are! He would say: O my Lord! and would continue calling to Allah till He would say to him: If I grant you that, perhaps you will ask for more. He will reply: No, by Thy greatness, and he will give His Lord promises and covenants as Allah had wished. He would then bring him to the gate of the Paradise, and when he would stand at the gate of the Paradise, it would lay open before him. and he would see the bounty and the joy that there is in it. He would remain quiet as long as Allah would desire him to remain silent. He would then say: O my Lord, admit me to Paradise. Allah. Blessed and Exalted, would say: Did you not give covenants and agreements that you would not ask for anything more than what I had granted you? Woe to you! son of Adam, how treacherous you are! And he would say: O my Lord, I do not wish to be the most miserable of Thy creatures. He would continue calling upon Allah till Allah, Blessed and Exalted, would laugh. When Allah would laugh at him, He would say: Enter the Paradise. When he would enter, Allah would say: State your wish.

He would express his wishes till Allah would remind him (the desire of) such and such (things). When his desires would be exhausted Allah would say: That is for thee and, besides it, the like of it also. ‘Ata’ b. Yazid said: Abu Sa’id al-Khudri was with Abu Huraira and be did not reject anything from the hadith narrated by him, but when Abu Huraira narrated:” Allah said to that man; ind its like along with it,” Abu Sa’id said:” Ten like it along with it,” O Abu Huraira. Abu Huraira said: I do not remember except the words:” That is for you and a similar one along with it.” Abu Sa’id said: I bear witness to the fact that I remembered from the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) his words:” That is for thee and ten like it.” Abu Huraira said: That man was the last of those deserving of Paradise to enter Paradise.

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Who Was Al Khidr.

Al Khidr In Islam

.بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
.وحنانا من لدنا وزكواة
(19:13)

Sa’eed bin Jubair narrated: “I said to Ibn ‘Abbas: ‘Nawf Al-Bikali claims that Musa, of Banu Isra’il is not the companion of Al-Khidr. He said: ‘The enemy of Allah has lied. I heard Ubayy bin Ka’b saying: “I heard the Messenger of Allah (saws) say ‘Musa stood to deliver a Khutbah (Lecture) to the children of Isra’il. He was asked: “Who is the most knowledgeable among the people?” He said: “I am the most knowledgeable.” So Allah admonished him, since he did not refer the matter back to Him. Allah revealed to him: “A slave, among My slaves at the junction of the two seas, is more knowledgeable than you.” So Musa said: “O Lord! How can I meet him?” He said to him: “Carry a fish in a basket, wherever you lose the fish, then he is there.” So he set off, and his boy (student) set off with him – and he was Yusha’ bin Nun. Musa put a fish in a basket, he and the boy set off walking, until when they reached a rock, Musa and his boy fell asleep.

The fish was flopping around in the basket, (eventually) falling into the sea.’ He said: ‘Allah held back the flow of water until it was like a tunnel, and the fish could glide. They set off the remainder of the day and the night, and Musa’s companion forgot to inform him (of the escape of the fish). When Musa arose in the morning, he said to his boy: Bring us our morning meal; truly we have suffered much fatigue in this, our journey (18:62).’ He said: ‘He had not gotten tired until he passed the place which Allah had ordered him to go. He said: Do you remember when we betook ourselves to the rock? I indeed forgot the fish, none but Shaytan made me forget to remember it. It took its course into the sea in a strange way (18:63).

Musa said: That is what we have been seeking. So they went back, retracing their tracks (18:64). He said: ‘So they began retracing their tracks.'” Sufyan (one of the narrators) said: “People claim that there is a spring of life at that rock, no dying person has its water poured over him, but he becomes alive, and the fish came in contact with some of it, so when the water dropped on it, it became alive.” “He

[the Prophet (saws)] said: ‘They retraced their tracks until they arrived at the rock to see a man covered in a garment. Musa greeted him, and he replied: Is there such a greeting in your land? He said: I am Musa. He said: Musa of the children of Isra’il? He said: Yes. He said: O Musa! Indeed you have some knowledge from Allah, which Allah taught you, which I have not been taught, and I have some knowledge from Allah, which Allah taught me, which you have not been taught.’ So Musa said: May I follow you so that you may teach me something of the knowledge which you have been taught? (18:66) He said: Verily, you will not be able to have patience with me! And how can you have patience about a thing which you know not? He said: If Allah wills, you will find me patient, and I will not disobey you at all (18:67-69). Al-Khadir said to him: Then if you follow me, ask me not about anything until I myself mention it to you (18:70). Musa replied: Yes. So Musa and Al-Khadir set off walking along the shore of the sea.

A boat was passing by them, and they spoke to them (the crew) asking them to let them get on board. They recognized Al-Khadir so they let the two of them ride without charge. Al-Khadir took one of the planks (in the boat) and removed it, so Musa said to him: These people gave us a ride free of charge, yet you sabotaged their boat so that its people will drown. Indeed you have done a dreadful thing (18:71). He said: Did I not tell you that you would not be able to have patience with me? (18:72). He said call me not to account for what I forgot, and be not hard upon me for my affair (18:73). Then they exited the boat, and while they were walking upon the shore, they saw a boy playing with two other boys. So Al-Khadir took him by his head, pulling it off with his hands, and he killed him. So Musa said to him: Have you killed an innocent person who killed no one! Verily you have done a horrendous thing (18:74). He said: Did I not tell you that you would not be able to have patience with me? (18:75) – he (the narrator) said: – “This was more severe than the first one” – He said: If I ask you about anything after this, you have received an excuse from me. So they both proceeded until they came to the inhabitants of a town. They asked them for food but they refused to entertain them.

There they found a wall on the verge of falling down (18:76 & 77). He (the narrator) said: – meaning leaning over (about to collapse) – ‘So Al-Khadir took his hand like this, so he set it up straight (18:77) so Musa said to him: We arrived at these people, they did not treat us as guests nor feed us. If you wished, surely you could have taken wages for it! He said: “This is the parting between you and I. I will tell you the meaning of (those) things over which you were not able to be patient (18:77 & 78).'”

The Messenger of Allah (saws) said: ‘May Allah have mercy upon Musa! We wish that he would have had patience, so that we could have more knowledge about the two of them.’ He said: ‘So the Messenger of Allah (saws) said: ‘The first time Musa had forgotten.’ He said (at that time): ‘A sparrow came, until it perched on the edge of a boat, and pecked at the sea. So Al-Khadir said to him: My knowledge and your knowledge do not diminish anything from the knowledge of Allah, but like what this sparrow diminishes of the sea.’ Sa’eed bin Jubair said: “and he would” – meaning Ibn ‘Abbas – “recite: ‘And there was before them a king who would take every useful boat by force (18:79).’ And he would recite: ‘As for the boy, he was a disbeliever (18:80).’”(Tirmidhi, Sahih)

Imam Suyuti said in his tafsir, “So [there] they found one of Our servants, namely, al-Khidr, to whom We had given mercy from Us — according to one opinion this [mercy] was prophethood; according to another it was authority, and this [latter] is the opinion of the majority of scholars — and We had taught him knowledge from Us (‘ilman is the second direct object), in other words, some knowledge of unseen things; al-Bukhari reports the [following] hadith: ‘Moses was delivering a sermon among the Children of Israel and was asked, “Who is the most knowledgeable of people?”, to which he [Moses] said, “Myself”. Allah then reproached him for not having attributed [his] knowledge as [coming] from Him. Allah then revealed to him the following: “Truly, there is a servant of Mine at the juncture of the two seas; he is more knowledgeable than you”.

Moses then asked, “My Lord, how do I reach him?” He [Allah] said, ‘Take a fish with you and place it in a basket and [the place] where you lose the fish will be [the place] where he is.” He [Moses] took a fish and placed it in a basket and departed together with his lad Joshua son of Nun until they reached the rock. [There] they placed their heads back and fell asleep. The fish began to move about in the basket, until it escaped from it and fell into the sea, and it made its way into the sea in an amazing manner. Allah then held back the flow of the water [preventing it] from [engulfing] the fish, forming a kind of arch over it. When he awoke, his companion [Yusha’ bin Nun] forgot to inform him of [what had happened to] the fish, and so they journeyed on for the remainder of that day and night until on the morning [of the second day] Moses said to his lad, ‘Bring us our breakfast’, to where he says, and it made its way into the sea in an amazing manner’. He [Bukhari] said, ‘For the fish, it [the way it went into the sea] was [by] ‘burrowing’ (saraban), and for Moses and his lad it was ‘amazing’ (‘ajaban) …’ [and so on] to the end [of Bukhari’s report]”. [18:65,Tafsir al Jalalayn]

Allah mentions in the Quran:

18:60 And when Moses said unto his servant: I will not give up until I reach the point where the two rivers meet, though I march on for ages.
18:61 And when they reached the point where the two met, they forgot their fish, and it took its way into the waters, being free. [The fish came back to life] 18:62 And when they had gone further, he said unto his servant: Bring us our breakfast. Verily we have found fatigue in this our journey.
18:63 He said: Didst thou see, when we took refuge on the rock, and I forgot the fish – and none but Satan caused me to forget to mention it – it took its way into the waters by a marvel.[some say this is the place of the waters of life al Khidr found, indicated by the fish coming back to life] 18:64 He said: This is that which we have been seeking. So they retraced their steps again.
18:65 Then found they one of Our slaves, unto whom We had given mercy from Us, and had taught him knowledge from Our presence.
18:66 Moses said unto him: May I follow thee, to the end that thou mayst teach me right conduct of that which thou hast been taught?
18:67 He said: Lo! thou canst not bear with me.
18:68 How canst thou bear with that whereof thou canst not compass any knowledge?
18:69 He said: Allah willing, thou shalt find me patient and I shall not in aught gainsay thee.
18:70 He said: Well, if thou go with me, ask me not concerning aught till I myself make mention of it unto thee.
18:71 So they twain set out till, when they were in the ship, he made a hole therein. (Moses) said: Hast thou made a hole therein to drown the folk thereof? Thou verily hast done a dreadful thing.
18:72 He said: Did I not tell thee that thou couldst not bear with me?
18:73 (Moses) said: Be not wroth with me that I forgot, and be not hard upon me for my fault.
18:74 So they twain journeyed on till, when they met a lad, he slew him. (Moses) said: What! Hast thou slain an innocent soul who hath slain no man? Verily thou hast done a horrid thing.
18:75 He said: Did I not tell thee that thou couldst not bear with me?
18:76 (Moses) said: If I ask thee after this concerning aught, keep not company with me. Thou hast received an excuse from me.
18:77 So they twain journeyed on till, when they came unto the folk of a certain town ship, they asked its folk for food, but they refused to make them guests. And they found therein a wall upon the point of falling into ruin, and he repaired it. (Moses) said: If thou hadst wished, thou couldst have taken payment for it.
18:78 He said: This is the parting between thee and me! I will announce unto thee the interpretation of that thou couldst not bear with patience.
18:79 As for the ship, it belonged to poor people working on the river, and I wished to mar it, for there was a king behind them who is taking every ship by force.
18:80 And as for the lad, his parents were believers and we feared lest he should oppress them by rebellion and disbelief. (when he grew older)
18:81 And we intended that their Lord should change him for them for one better in purity and nearer to mercy.
18:82 And as for the wall, it belonged to two orphan boys in the city, and there was be- neath it a treasure belonging to them, and their father had been righteous, and thy Lord intended that they should come to their full strength and should bring forth their treasure as a mercy from their Lord; and I did it not upon my own command. Such is the interpretation of that wherewith thou couldst not bear.

Ibn ‘Abbas narrated that Ubayy bin Ka’b narrated that the Prophet (saws) said: “The boy that Al-Khidr killed was destined to be a disbeliever the day he was created.’”(Tirmidhi, sahib)

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Who Was Al Khidr.

Al Khidr In History

“In the Alexander Romances, Alexander sets out in search of the Fountain of Life, which is accidentally found ‘in the land of darkness’, but cannot be found again. A recension of this legend occurs in the Shah Nama (a famous Persian poem), where Alexander sets out in search of the Fountain of Life in the Land of Darkness beyond the place of the setting of the Sun in the western waters; Alexander is guided by Khidr, but when they come to a parting of the ways, each follows a different path, and Khidr alone accomplishes the quest. Those of Alexander’s followers who bring back with them stones from the Land of Darkness find on their return that these are precious stones”.

The Land of Darkness is a land enshrouded in perpetual darkness. It was usually said to be in Abkhazia, the Forest of Abkhaziaand was known as Hanyson or Hamson, the name comes from the Hamshen area of Turkey. This land has been described as the alchemical nigredo, In alchemy, nigredo, or blackness, means putrefaction or decomposition, alchemists believed all alchemical ingredients had to be cleansed and cooked extensively to a uniform black matter, so it was probably descriptive of the country side. Elsewhere this land is said to be to the far north beneath the Pole Star and may be descriptive of lands that see extended nights lasting for months at certain times of the year.

“In Nizami’s Iskandar Nama, (a persian poem by Jamal ad-Din Abu Muḥammad); here Alexander learns from an ancient man (most likely al Khidr) that ‘of every land, the Dark Land is best, in which is a Water that is a life-giver’ and that the source of this River of Life is in the North, beneath the Pole Star. On the way to the dark land, in every arid land the rain falls, and grass consequently springs up, ‘Thou wouldst have said: “The trace of Khidr was on that road; that verily, Khidr himself was with the king”. They reach the northern limit of the world, the sun ceases to rise, and the Land of Darkness lies before them”.

“Alexander makes the prophet Khidr his guide, and Khidr ‘moving with greenness leads the way, and presently discovers the fountain, from which he drinks, becoming immortal. He keeps his eye on the spring, while waiting for Alexander to catch up with him; but it disappears from sight, and Khidr himself vanishes, realizing that Alexander will not succeed in his quest. Jamal ad-Din goes on to relate another version according to the ‘account of the elders of Rum’ (Rome); here the quest is undertaken by Ilyas and Khizr, who sit down by a fountain to eat their repast, consisting of dried fish; the fish falling into the waters, comes to life, and thus the seekers are made aware that they have found the Fountain of Life, from which both drink”.

Historically Alexander the Great (356-323 BC) was depicted in Greek coinage as ram-headed, In Arabic, Dhul-Qarnain means the Lord of Two Horns, Islamicaly Scholars have understood the Horns to mean the lord of two Ages. Dhul Qarnian Influenced His age through his travels and later ages through the wall He built to stop Yajuj Wa Majuj (Gog and Magog) from oppressing people. The Idea of being two horned may have come from Dhul Qarnian who predates Alexander, and is similarly depicted with two horns, which in Alexanders case signifies immortality. Al Khidr could not have met Alexander because al Khidr met Musa (r.a) who lived 1000 years before Alexander, it is more likely that those who depicted Alexander sought to imitate the image of Dhul Qarniyan (The Two Horned one) mentioned in the Quran, Dhul Qarnian’s story probably inspired Alexander and He sought to imitate his travels and conquests in life.

Allah mentions Dhul Qarnyan in the Quran:

18:83. They ask thee concerning Dhul-Qarnain. Say, “I will rehearse to you something of his story.”
18.84. Verily We established his power on earth, and We gave him the ways and the means to all ends.
18.85. One (such) way he followed,
18.86. Until, when he reached the setting of the sun, he found it set in a spring of murky water (this isn’t understood literally), and found a people thereabout. We said: O Dhu’l-Qarneain! Either punish or show them kindness.
18:87 He said: As for him who doeth wrong, we shall punish him, and then he will be brought back unto his Lord, Who will punish him with awful punishment!
18:88 But as for him who believeth and doeth right, good will be his reward, and We shall speak unto him a mild command.
18:89 Then he followed a road
18:90 Till, when he reached the rising-place of the sun, he found it rising on a people for whom We had appointed no shelter therefrom.
18:91 So (it was). And We knew all concerning him.
18:92 Then he followed a road
18:93 Till, when he came between the two mountains, he found upon their hither side a folk that scarce could understand a saying.
18:94 They said: O Dhu’l-Qarneyn! Lo! Gog and Magog are spoiling the land. So may we pay thee tribute on condition that thou set a barrier between us and them?

18:95 He said: That wherein my Lord hath established me is better (than your tribute). Do but help me with strength (of men), I will set between you and them a bank.
18:96 Give me pieces of iron – till, when he had levelled up (the gap) between the cliffs, he said: Blow! – till, when he had made it a fire, he said: Bring me molten copper to pour thereon.
18:97 And (Gog and Magog) were not able to surmount, nor could they pierce (it).
18:98 He said: This is a mercy from my Lord; but when the promise of my Lord cometh to pass, He will lay it low, for the promise of my Lord is true.

Dhu’l Qarnayn travels the earth until he reaches “maghriba alshshamsi” (86) the setting place of the sun, and then he travels until he reaches “matli’aa al-shamsi” (90), the rising place of the sun. In Islam Maghrib is the time for the prayer that ends at the time of sunset, in ahadith it is also the end period of mans time on earth, for example we are in the maghrib of mans time on earth, the days final phase. Maghrib used elsewhere in the Qur’an and Ahadith is also a common Arabic idiom for the west. The Arabic name for north Africa and Morocco, is al-Mamlakah al-Magribiyya, commonly called al-Maghrib for short.

Imam al Qurtubi and other commentators understood the rising and setting to mean the extreme places of the west and east, Africa and China, beyond which is nothing but the ocean.

[18:86] “until, when he reached the setting of the sun, the place where it sets, he found it setting in a muddy spring (‘ayn hami’a: [a spring] containing ham’a, which is black clay): its setting in a spring is [described as seen] from the perspective of the eye, for otherwise it is far larger [in size] than this world; and he found by it, that is, [by] the spring, a folk, of disbelievers. We said, ‘O Dhu’l-Qarnayn — by [means of] inspiration — either chastise, the folk, by slaying [them], or treat them kindly’, by [merely] taking them captive. (Tafsir al Jalalayn),

“he found it set in a spring of murky water’ means he saw the sun according to his vision setting in the ocean and this is the same with everyone (traveling) to the shore seeing it as if the sun sets inside it (i.e. the ocean)”.(Tafsir Ibn Katheer)

The sun rises towards the east (China) and sets towards the west (Africa), If it means the far east and west then, “he found it rising on a people for whom We had appointed no shelter therefrom,” means China’s deserts. Alexander could not have been Dhul Qarnian because in 485 BC the Waring States period of China had begun and he only traveled as far as India.

China has one of the largest deserts in the world, so his journey could have reached the Gobi desert and further and it is possible the people where the Chinese people, Beijing is near the Gobi desert and the Bohai Sea on China’s coast is near it. Dhu’l Qarnayn in Ibn Ishaqs (8th century CE) Sirat al Nabi (Life of the Messenger of God), describes the story of Dhu’l Qarnayn, the prophet Muhammad’s enemies challenged him to tell them about “the mighty traveler who reached the confines of both East and West. ” literally, “the easts of the Earth and the wests of it”… the prophet answered “Roads were stretched out before him until he traversed the whole earth, east and west. He was given power over every land he trod on until he reached the farthest confines of creation”.

Some people take the verses regarding the setting of the sun and its rising in the literal sense accusing the prophet of not knowing the movement of the sun, which isn’t correct and those more educated have written in many places regarding this. What the prophet (saws) literally understood and witnessed regarding the movement of the sun is clearly resolved by a long hadith mentioned by Imam Tabari in his history, describing the Sun’s physical movement and its spiritual existence.

Abu Dharr al Ghifari related, “I walked hand in hand with the prophet around evening until the sun was about to set. We did not stop looking at it until it had set. He continued, I asked the Messenger of Allah where does it set? He replied: It sets in the heaven (space) and is then raised from Heaven (Jannah) to Heaven (Jannah) until it is raised to the highest seventh heaven (firdaus). Eventually when it falls down underneath the throne of Allah (and) it prostrates itself, and the Angels who are in charge of it prostrate themselves together with it”(History of al Tabari vol 1,pg 231).

The first “Heaven” mentioned in this translation is the physical motion of the sun in space this is where it sets in the space, to understand what is meant by “it is raised” a description given to it after it sets, we need an understanding of the inner aspects of the universe, we have to ask where is Jannah (Allah’s heaven), yes it is literally in space but in the inner unseen aspects of our Universe behind a Barzakh (barrier, veil, field) Allah says in the Quran, “(But the unbelievers will persist) until when death comes to one of them he will say: “O Lord, send me back again, That I may do some good I did not do (in the world).” Not so. These are only words he utters. Behind them lies the intervening (Barzakh) barrier (stretching) to the day of their resurrection” (23:99-100). (it’s interesting Allah says the barazh stretches to the day of judgment and not across space, this reference to time rather than location has significance in physics, relating to relativity and time.)

“and is then raised from Heaven to Heaven”, raised here means spiritually the veils (barrier or field) between the sun and the first level of Jannah are removed, they continue to be removed until the sun reaches the seventh and highest Jannah, al Firdaus (The highest level of heaven), and then it prostrates itself under the throne of Allah.

This Hadith is speaking about intervals in its travel, the veils are removed and then placed back again, it travels a certain distance and then they are removed again, its prostration beneath Allah’s throne and its obedience to him is Allah mercy to creation that it, the sun will not harm us and is always obeying Allah’s command.

This Hadith after mentioning the physical Journey, talks about the inner reality of this universe, and it is clear from this and from the remainder of the Hadith, which mentions the change in the length of days throughout the year, that the prophet (saws) clearly understood the Sun’s path in space.

The Sun and Earth follow a specific path, from our perspective “In winter, the sun is relatively low in the sky with its lowest arc through the sky on the winter solstice, on December 21st. In summer, the sun travels a high path through the sky and is at its highest angle on the summer solstice, on June 21st.” this is why to the extreme North and South of the earth they see extended days and nights lasting for months at a time, the sun is either continuously high in their sky or extremely low.

The summer solstice occurs during a hemisphere’s summer and marks its longest Days, While the Winter Solstice occurs during a hemispheres winter and marks its longest nights. “As a hemisphere is tilted away from the sun, the length of a day becomes shorter. As it is tilted toward the sun, the length of a day becomes longer”.
The Prophet (saws) continued regarding the movement of the sun and its path in space… “Every day and night the sun has a new place where it rises and a new place where it sets. (He understood intrinsically that the sun doesn’t set in the same place and its orbit around the earth is changing. Then referring to our perspective of it and its path creating the summer and winter solstice he said) The interval between them from beginning to end is longest for the day in summer and shortest in winter. This is (meant by) Allah’s word: “The Lord of the two easts and the lord of the two wests”(55:17), meaning the last (position) of the sun here and the last there…All the other stars are suspended from Heaven as lamps are from mosques, and circulate together with the heaven praising and sanctifying Allah with prayer.

The Prophet then said: If you wish to have this made clear, look to the circulation of the sphere alternately here and there. It is the circulation of Heaven and the circulation of all the stars together with it except those five. Their (referring it seems to heaven and stars) circulation today is what you see and that is their prayer. Their circulation to the day of resurrection is as quick as the circulation of a mill because of the Dangers and tremors of the Day of Resurrection (here the end of the universe is tied to its movement, this has scientific implications). This is meant by Allah’s word: “On a day when the heaven sways to and fro and the mountains move. Woe on that day unto those who declare false (the Devine message). (52:9-11). (History of al Tabari vol 1, Pg 235-236).

From here the hadith goes on to describe the spiritual existence of the sun and how the Angels are responsible for governing creation by Allah’s command, and how the unseen world is connected to the physical world and impacts it, to understand the depths of this description we have to understand the works of scholars like Imam Ibn Arabi who wrote about Barzakh (the unseen world) and the nature of its existence.

Alexander is reported to have made a similar trip to Dhul Qarniyan, to explore the ends of the Earth, but he traveled a lesser distance from its east to its west, it is rumored that he went as far as the Indus river to the east, Germany to the north, Egypt to the south and to Sicily in the west. Dhul Qarnian is the first to whom Allah granted dominion over all the earth and Allah sets a sunnah (precedent) with his Prophets (saws) and Awliya (as) that others end up following and repeating in history.

“Who taught, [the art of] script, by the pen — the first to write with it was [the prophet] Enoch (Idris), peace be upon him” (96:4, Tafsir al Jalalayn), he was also one of the first men to observe the movement of the stars and set out scientific weights and measures”. In reality Alexander came after the time of Musa (as), closer to the time of Isa (Jesus), a time when Persia was an Empire, and China was at War so his dominion was challenged, most likely he was inspired by tales of Dhul Qarnian which is why he is depicted like him, the only thing that seems to be missing from Alexanders Historical depiction is Dhul Qarnians piety and religion which was his most import quality that Allah points towards in the Quran.

It is entirely possible that al Khidr met Dhul Qarnian (r.a.h), through out history he was known by different names, or rather the story of different figures correlate with his, The Greeks call al-Khadir, Hormux (Hermes), Hermes is known to the Arabs as Idris, and was called Enoch in Hebrew text. Idris, Enoch, al Khidr and Hermes to some seem to be one person but Scholars have said the prophet Idris (Enoch) (saws) is a different figure as Islamic texts record and lived during the time of Adam (as), Ibn Ishaaq narrated that he was the first man to write with a pen and that he was born when Adam still had 308 years of his life to live.

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Who Was Al Khidr.

Al Khidr

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
٠فوجدا عبدا من عبادنا اتيناه رحمة من عندنا وعلمناه من لدنا علما
(18:65)

In the Qur’an Allah begins the account of al Khidr by Musa’s’ declaration to his servant, “I will not give up till I reach the confluence of two oceans”. Musa and Yusha’ bin Nun begun to search for “a servant of Allah” from whom Musa was to learn the secret knowledge given to him by Allah.

The name “Khidr” means “the green one”. It is narrated from Abu Hurayra (Allah be well pleased with him) that the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, “He was named Khidr because he sat on a dry, barren piece of land and it suddenly became green under him.”

[Bukhari, Tirmidhi]

Al Khidr is considered one of the four prophets recognized as still being ‘alive’ or ‘immortal’, the other three being Idris (Enoch), Ilyas (Elias), and ‘Isa (Jesus). Al Khidr became immortal because it said he drank from the water of life, other traditions say Allah answered the Dua (supplication) made by his Father Adam (r.a). The story of Khidr is ancient almost as old as Man and it can be linked with some of the most ancient legends that have been recorded, the epic of Gilgamesh, the Alexander Romance, and the Wandering Jew, just to name a few.

Imam Tabari records in his Tarikh (The History of al-Tabari), in his third volume under the chapter titled” The Tale of al-Khiḍr and His History; and the History of Moses and His Servant Yusha’ bin Nun, several versions of the traditional story surrounding al-Khiḍr.

At the beginning of the chapter, al-Tabari explains that in some accounts, al-Khiḍr is a contemporary of the Persian King Afridun, who was a contemporary of Abraham, and lived before the days of Musa. Al-Khiḍr is also said to have been appointed over the vanguard of the king Dhul-Qarnayn (the two horned one), who some identified as the king Afridun. In this specific account, al-Khiḍr comes across the Water of Life and, unaware of its properties, drank from it and become immortal. Imam Al-Tabari also recounts that al-Khiḍr is said to have been the son of a man who believed in Abraham, and who emigrated with Abraham when he left Babylon. Al-Khiḍr is also commonly associated with Elijah, even equated with him, Imam al-Tabari makes a distinction in the next account by pointing out al-Khiḍr is Persian while Elijah is an Israelite. Imam Tabari then mentions the Sahih Hadith recorded by Imam Ahmad that al-Khiḍr and Elijah meet every year during Hajj.

Imam Tabari seems to have held the view that al-Khiḍr lived during the time of Afridun before Moses. He does not state clearly why he has this preference, but rather seems to prefer the chain of sources (the isnad) of the former story rather than the latter.

In his Tarikh Imam al-Tabari recounts, Musa’s claim to be the most knowledgeable man on earth, Allah corrects him by telling him to seek out al-Khiḍr. Allah tells Musa to bring a salted fish on his journey, once he notices that the fish is missing, he would then find al-Khiḍr. Musa sets out with his companion Yusha’ bin Nun, and once they reach a certain rock, the fish comes back to life, jumps into the water, and swims away. It is at this point that Musa and his companion meet al-Khiḍr.

Qur’anic commentators have related several opinions with regard to the status of Khidr. Some say he is one of the prophets; others refer to him simply as an angel who functions as a guide to those who seek Allah. And there are yet others who argue for his being a perfect Wali (Bashran Sawiya) meaning the one whom Allah has taken as a friend.

Ibn Hajar in his Fath al-Bari cites Ibn `Atiyya as stating that most scholars held that he was a prophet. This was also stated by Imam Qurtubi in his Ahkam al-Qur’an, citing Khattabi, Imam Nawawi in his Sharh on the Sahih of Imam Muslim, and Imam `Ayni in his `Umdat al-Qari. Others, however, held that he was a saint, not a prophet, such as Imam Qushayri.

Those who held that he was a prophet did so due to the following reasons:

• Imam Qurtubi states that an individual does not learn nor follow except one who is higher than him and it is not possible that a non-prophetic figure be higher or superior to a prophetic one.

• He performed actions, such as killing a child and sinking a ship, that could have only been commanded by means of revelation (wahy) and not spiritual disclosure and unveiling (ilham/kashf). This is because the former is decisive thereby establishing certainty while the latter is probabilistic and does not establish certainty. It would not have been permissible for Khidr (Allah bless him) to commit these acts unless he had decisive knowledge conveying certainty that permitted their performance, which could have only been through revelation which is specific to prophets.

• He was described in the Qur’an as one who was given “mercy (rahma) from Us” (18:65), which many of the commentators of the Qur’an identified as being prophethood. This is because the word “mercy” (rahma) is sometimes associated with revelation as in the Qur’anic verse, “You did not expect that the book would be sent down to you, but it is a mercy (rahma) from your Lord” (28:86). The fact that the mercy (rahma) is given to Khidr (Allah bless him) refers to revelation is shown by the phrase “from Us”, namely a revelation from Allah, as well as the fact that the word rahma is indefinite which in the Arabic language indicates exaltation as well as the unfathomable nature of the reality indicated by the word.

• He was described in the Qur’an as one “We had taught knowledge from Ourselves” (18:65), which demonstrates that this knowledge was direct and revelatory. [Qurtubi, Ahkam al-Qur’an; Abu’l Su`ud, Tafsir; Razi, Tafsir al-Kabir; Nawawi, Sharh Sahih Muslim]

“Rahma comes from the root RHM meaning ‘womb’. Similarly in Surah 43:32, the Qur’an, while expounding one of the characteristics of Allah’s prophets, declares them as “the ones who dispense the favour of your Lord” as against those who are “wealthy” and hold important positions (chiefs) in this world. Here the Qur’an argues for the Prophet is the one who embodies Allah’s rahma (mercy) due to Allah’s will alone and not due to any worldly title or position which he did or did not have”.

“So Allah being Rahim (merciful) sends His messengers (and prophets) as symbols of His Rahma (mercy) and as a result they become a channel through which Allahs rahma is dispensed among mankind”.

Sometimes Scholars would meet him on their journeys; he would inspire them, answer their questions, rescue them from danger, and, in special cases, invest them with the khirqa, which was accepted as valid in the tradition of spiritual initiation. The khirqa is the initiatory cloak in a tariqah, or the chain of spirituality with which knowledge and barakah is passed on from teacher to student. Ali Hujwiri (d. 469/1077), said the wearing of a Patched Robe is the Sunna of the Prophet, who is believed to have said: “See that you wear woolen clothing so that you might find the sweetness of faith.” There are many ahadith stating that all the prophets wore wool, from these traditions of the prophets the woolen cloak became a sunnah among the Ullamah (Scholars).

Al Khidr come to be known as one of the afrad, those “who receive illumination direct from Allah without human mediation.” He is the initiator (teacher) of those who walk the spiritual path, just like Angels are responsible over man, they are both seen as being part of the promise of Allah to preserve his Deen until the end of time.

Receiving spiritual teaching from a distance came to be called the Uwaisi Transmission of Knowledge after the contemporary of the Prophet (saws) Uwais al Qarni (r.a) whom Allah would teach the prophets (saws) sunnah from a distance, He would show him the events unfolding in the prophets life even though He lived in Yemen. Teaching someone spiritually can be done by an Angel, Jinn, a Prophet or Wali, all of which reside in the same unseen world, Barzakh. Al khidr can initiate someone into the spiritual path and is seen as the teacher and preserver of Allah’s religion, the unseen mechanism fulfilling Allah’s promise to preserve it. One such example is Imam Ibn Arabi, who said he received the Khirqa from al Khidr. Al Khidr therefor come to symbolize a third path by which knowledge of Allah could be gained, giving man access to the divine mystery (ghayb) itself. The Scholars have explained that Khidr rules over ‘the Men of the Unseen” (rijalu’l-ghayb), the exalted saints and angels, as the prophets are responsible for mankind itself.

The prophet (saws) confirmed the reality of receiving knowledge spiritually not simply for himself but for others when He (saws) said “While I was sleeping, I was given a bowl full of milk (in a dream), and I drank of it to my fill until I noticed its wetness coming out of my nails, and then I gave the rest of it to ‘Umar.” They (the people) asked, “What have you interpreted (about the dream)? O Allah’s Apostle?” He said, “knowledge.”(Bukhari)

Umar Ibn al Khatab (r.a) was another to receive knowledge spiritually like Uwais al Qarni, Umar (r.a) was given true inspiration, The Prophet said: “In the nations long before you were people who were spoken to [by the angels] although they were not prophets. If there is anyone of them in my Community, truly it is `Umar ibn al-Khattab.” He (saws) also said, “Allah has engraved truth on the tongue of Umar and his heart” and “If there were a Prophet after me verily it would be Umar.” Imam Al-Tirmidhi said that according to Ibn Uyayna “spoken to” (muhaddathun) means “made to understand” (mufahhamun), while in his narration Imam Muslim added: “Ibn Wahb explained ‘spoken to’ as ‘inspired’ (mulham).” This is the majority’s opinion according to Imam Ibn Hajar who said: “‘Spoken to’ means ‘by the angels’.”
Imam Al-Nawawi and Imam Ibn Hajar said respectively in Sharh Sahih Muslim and Fath al-Bari: The scholars have differed concerning “spoken to.” Ibn Wahb said it meant “inspired” (mulham). It was said also: “Those who are right, and when they give an opinion it is as if they were spoken to, and then they give their opinion. It was said also: “The angels speak to them…” Bukhari said: “Truth comes from their tongues.” This hadith contains a confirmation of the miracles of the saints (karamat al-awliya).

Because of the knowledge he received spiritually Umar (r.a) had the distinction of having his views confirmed by revelation, three things which He said were confirmed by subsequent revelations:

Umar Said, I concurred with my Lord in three matters: I said to the Prophet: “O Messenger of Allah! Why do we not pray behind Ibrahim’s Station? (Maqam Ibrahim)” Whereupon was revealed the verse: “. . . Take as your place of worship the place where Ibrahim stood (to pray). . .” (2:125); I said: “O Messenger of Allah! You should order your wives to cover because both the chaste and the wicked go in to see them,” whereupon was revealed the verse: “… And when you ask of them (the wives of the Prophet) anything, ask it of them from behind a curtain. . .” (33:53) Then the Prophet’s wives banded together in their jealousy over him, so I said to them: “It may happen that his Lord, if he divorce you, will give him instead wives better than you.” (67:5) Whereupon was revealed that verse.

The Prophet (saws) spoke of Uwais al Qarni and said He is the best of the Tabiin (successors) in Ihsan (Human perfection), towards the end of his life the Prophet (saws) instructed Sayidinah Umar and Ali (r.a.h) to take his cloak (burdah) to Sayidinah Uwais, He said, “When the Day of Resurrection comes and it is announced to the slaves, “Enter the Garden,” it will be said to Uwais, ‘Stop and intercede.’ Allah, Mighty and Exalted is He, will then forgive them to the same number as are the people of Rabi’a and Mudhar. (These are the two tribes that Uwais, (r.a), belonged to). So, O Umar and O Ali, if you can find him, ask him to intercede for you. Then Allah will forgive you.” After they had given him the Prophets (saws) burdah he prayed for the Ummah of Muhammad (saws).

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Who Was Al Khidr.

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