36 Facts About Khidr

1.

Al-Khidr, transcribed as al-Khadir, Khader, Khidr, Khizr, Khazer, Khadr, Khedher, Khizir, Khizar, is a figure described but not mentioned by name in the Quran as a righteous servant of God possessing great wisdom or mystic knowledge.

FactSnippet No. 2,143,927
2.

In various Islamic and non-Islamic traditions, Khidr is described as a messenger, prophet or wali, who guards the sea, teaches secret knowledge and aids those in distress.

FactSnippet No. 2,143,928
3.

The figure of al-Khidr has been syncretized over time with various other figures including Duraosa and Sorush in Iran, Sargis the General and Saint George in Asia Minor and the Levant, Samael in Judaism, Elijah among the Druze, John the Baptist in Armenia, and Jhulelal in Sindh and Punjab in South Asia.

FactSnippet No. 2,143,929
4.

Many mystics and some scholars, who give credence to Abu Ishaq's narration of a hadith about Khidr's meeting with Dajjal, believe that Khidr is still alive, whereas for others there are contradictory, more reliable narrations and ayahs.

FactSnippet No. 2,143,930
5.

Islamic scholar Said Nursi contends that Khidr is alive, but that there are five degrees of life; Khidr is at the second degree of life, thus some religious scholars have been doubtful about it.

FactSnippet No. 2,143,931
6.

The saints are those who uncover and witness the realities of creation, and the reports of their adventures with Khidr are unanimous and elucidate and point to this level of life.

FactSnippet No. 2,143,932
7.

Al-Khidr is believed to be a man who has the appearance of a young adult but a long, white beard.

FactSnippet No. 2,143,933
8.

Muhammad al-Bukhari reports that al-Khidr got his name after he was present over the surface of some ground that became green as a result of his presence there.

FactSnippet No. 2,143,934
9.

At the beginning of the chapter, al-Tabari explains that in some variations, al-Khidr is a contemporary of the mythical Persian king Afridun, who was a contemporary of Abraham, and lived before the days of Moses.

FactSnippet No. 2,143,935
10.

Al-Khidr is said to have been appointed to be over the vanguard of the king Dhul-Qarnayn the Elder, who in this version is identified as the king Afridun.

FactSnippet No. 2,143,936
11.

Al-Tabari recounts that al-Khidr is said to have been the son of a man who believed in Abraham, and who emigrated with Abraham when he left Babylon.

FactSnippet No. 2,143,937
12.

Al-Khidr is commonly associated with Elijah, even equated with him, and al-Tabari makes a distinction in the next account in which al-Khidr is Persian and Elijah is an Israelite.

FactSnippet No. 2,143,938
13.

Al-Tabari seems more inclined to believe that al-Khidr lived during the time of Afridun before Moses, rather than traveled as Abraham's companion and drank the water of life.

FactSnippet No. 2,143,939
14.

Khidr refers to a saying of Muhammad that al-Khidr was named because he sat on a white fur and it shimmered green with him.

FactSnippet No. 2,143,940
15.

In Ismailism, al-Khidr is considered one of the 'permanent Imams'; that is, those who have guided people throughout history.

FactSnippet No. 2,143,941
16.

In Sufi tradition, al-Khidr has come to be known as one of those who receive illumination direct from God without human mediation.

FactSnippet No. 2,143,942
17.

Khidr is the hidden initiator of those who walk the mystical path, like some of those from the Uwaisi tariqa.

FactSnippet No. 2,143,943
18.

Al-Khidr has had thus gained enormous reputation and popularity in the Sufi tradition due to his role as an initiator.

FactSnippet No. 2,143,944
19.

Al-Khidr had thus come to symbolize access to the divine mystery itself.

FactSnippet No. 2,143,945
20.

Al-Khidr was on a long search for God, until God, out of his mercy, sends the Archangel Gabriel to guide him.

FactSnippet No. 2,143,946
21.

Al-Khidr recognises him as the Archangel Gabriel, and then Gabriel bestows a spiritual title upon al-Khidr, by calling him Hayat Nabi, the Eternal Life Prophet.

FactSnippet No. 2,143,947
22.

Accordingly, al-Khidr is Moses' spiritual guide, who initiates Moses into the divine sciences, and reveals to him the secret mystic truth.

FactSnippet No. 2,143,948
23.

Moroccan Sufi, Abdul Aziz ad-Dabbagh, insists that al-Khidr is a wali and not a prophet.

FactSnippet No. 2,143,949
24.

Source of the Quranic episode of Moses's journey with Khidr has been the subject of different opinions of various scholars.

FactSnippet No. 2,143,950
25.

Khidr had killed the son of another generous host, because he knew that the boy would grow to be a sinner if he reached adulthood but would go to heaven if he died before committing his sins.

FactSnippet No. 2,143,951
26.

Khidr is similar to Utnapishtim in that they are both considered immortal—although the former's immortality is mentioned only in later Islamic sources, not the Qur'an—and in that Moses encounters Khidr at the "meeting place of the two waters", while Gilgamesh visits Utnapishtim at the "mouth of the waters".

FactSnippet No. 2,143,952
27.

Khidr is similar to Utnapishtim in that they are both considered immortal—although the former's immortality is mentioned only in later Islamic sources, not the Qur'an—and in that Moses encounters Khidr at the "meeting place of the two waters", while Gilgamesh visits Utnapishtim at the "mouth of the waters".

FactSnippet No. 2,143,953
28.

Khidr helps Sufis or wali's like Sari Saltik in their struggle with a dragon.

FactSnippet No. 2,143,954
29.

Khidr often has some characteristics of a sailor, even in cultural areas which are not directly linked to the sea, like mountainous Dersim.

FactSnippet No. 2,143,955
30.

In various accounts al-Khidr has been linked to the figure of Dhu al-Qarnayn, who is commonly identified as Alexander the Great.

FactSnippet No. 2,143,956
31.

Al-Khidr agrees, and eventually stumbles upon the Water of Life on his own.

FactSnippet No. 2,143,957
32.

Khidr's role is expanded in the 13th-century Sirat al-Iskandar, where he is Alexander's companion throughout.

FactSnippet No. 2,143,958
33.

Some scholars suggest that al-Khidr is represented in the Arthurian tale Sir Gawain and the Green Knight as the Green Knight.

FactSnippet No. 2,143,959
34.

In certain parts of India, al-Khidr is known as Khawaja Khidr, a river spirit of wells and streams.

FactSnippet No. 2,143,960
35.

Khidr is mentioned in the Sikandar-nama as the saint who presides over the well of immortality, and is revered by both Hindus and Muslims.

FactSnippet No. 2,143,961
36.

Khidr is sometimes pictured as an old man dressed in green, and is believed to ride upon a fish.

FactSnippet No. 2,143,962