In the name of Allah, Most Beneficient, Most Merciful.
There are certain questions commonly asked about Khizr (a.s.): Where does he live? Is he still alive? Is he a Prophet, or a Wali-Allah? Is his rank higher than Moses (Musa a.s.)?
Where does Khizr (a.s.) live?
According to Hazrat Shaykh Muhiyyudeen Abd al-Qadir Jilani ®, among the saints are those who during their sleep eat and drink from the food and drinks of the Paradise. They also see the contents of the Paradise. Among such saints are those who become free of any need for food and drink and who retreat from the creatures, become invisible to them, and live on earth without dying, such as Ilyas and Khizr (a.s.). Allah has a large number of them being a veil on this earth. They can see people, yet people cannot see them. The saints among them form a majority but the eminent represent only a minority – a few isolated individuals to whom everyone comes and draws near. The food and drinks of the angels is the remembrance and glorification of Allah and the recitation of “There is no god save Allah”. For these few individuals among the saints, this becomes their food.
According to the author of al-Insanu’l Kamil, Abd al-Karim Jili who was born exactly two hundred years after the passing away of the Saint of Jilan, the earth of the souls (ardu’l nafoos) was created by God as whiter than milk and sweeter than musk but when Adam walked in it after his Fall, it become dust-coloured except one region in the north which was never reached by any sinner. (Note: Adam a.s. cannot be called a “sinner”) This region is ruled by Khizr a.s. and inhabited by the men of the Unseen World (Rijalul Ghaib) who are exalted saints and angels of whom six classes are described which we need not mention here. According to Mathnavi, the Mithal World (i.e. the Alam-i-Ghayb or Alam-i-Mithal which is the World of Similitudes which is dimensional and characterized by colour like the world of dreams) is not open to the ordinary eyes. It has different sky and sun and also has clouds and rains of its own. But it is not the world which comes after death which is also called Mithal or Barzakh.
According to al-Tabari (i.442), he is believed to be living on an island, while according to Imam Bukhari (Tafsir Surah 18, Ch.3), he lives on a green carpet called "tinfisa" in the heart of the sea.
According to some ‘Ulema, Khizr (a.s.) spends most of his time in Syria, Jordan, Lebanon and Palestine. Some local populace even point out that he had stayed for a long time in the citadel of Salah al-Din Ayyubi in the city of Alleppo in Northern Syria, and in Amman in Jordan.
Is Khizr (a.s.) still alive?
We are told by the famous exegete of Qur’an, Ibn Kathir in his Tareekh, that Khizr (a.s.) was the son of Adam (a.s.) who prayed to Allah that his son may be granted a long life till the Day of Judgment. Adam (a.s.) then gave his son the tidings of his long life and instructed him to bury him after his death. Much later, during the time of Noah (Nuh a.s.) when there was destruction by the floods, and Noah had sailed in his ark with a handful of believers that included Khizr (a.s.).
However, Ibn Kathir, holds that Khizr (a.s.) was alive from the time of Adam to Moses (Musa a.s.) but not thereafter, which is not supported by the majority of Islamic scholars. Even during the time of Taba’tabi’een i.e. the generation that came after that of the Companions of the Holy Prophet (s), and after the generation of the Tabi’een who had seen the Companions, it was common knowledge that Khizr a.s. was alive and that his death will occur only during the time of Dajjal the false prophet, whose appearance is considered among the greater signs of the imminent Qiyamat or the Day of Judgment. Accordingly in Sahih Muslim (i.e. the authentic compilation of the Hadiths or prophetic traditions according to Muslim) we find the following hadith narrated b Abu Ishaaq who was from the Taba’tabi’een:
Dajjaal will kill a person once and then bring him back to life, then he will ask him, “Do you believe that I am God?” That person will reply, “No! I am convinced that you are the Dajjaal of which the Prophet (May Allah bless him and grant him peace) informed us”. Dajjaal will throw him in his fire, which in reality will be Paradise.The narrator of this Hadith is Abu Is-haaq who says: It is commonly known that this person would be Khidr (Alay hissalaam). (Sahih Muslim, Chapter on Dajjaal). Imam Nawawi, who has written a commentary ('Sharh') on Sahih Muslim, provides many references as well as the statements of scholars to prove that Khizr (a.s.) is alive.
Then in a Hadith narrated by Abu Sa’id (r), Rasulullah (Salallahu Alayhi Wasallam) is reported to have said: "Dajjal will come but it will be prohibited and impossible for him to enter Madina. He will set up a camp in a barren land outside Madina. One person who will be the best of persons will confront him by saying: "I bear witness that you are the very Dajjal about whom Rasulullah (Salallahu Alayhi Wasallam) has informed us." Dajjal will say to his followers, "If I kill this person and then revive him, you people will still doubt me?" They will reply, "No." He will then kill this person, (according to another narration he will split this person in two) and thereafter revive him. This person will say, "I am totally convinced more than ever before that you definitely are Dajjal." Dajjal will attempt to kill this person again but his efforts will now be in vain. (According to a hadith, after this incident, Dajjal will not be able to harm anyone.) from: "Signs of Qiyamah" by Mohammed Ali Ibn Zubair Ali.
The above hadith is mentioned with two chains in Abu Yala’s Musnad, in Hakim’s Mustadrak, Ibn Majah’s Sunan, Nu’aym’s and al-Dani’s Kitab al-Fitnah coming from different chains, and thus strengthening one another regarding the matter. Al-Barzanji (d.1103) confirms citing Ibn ‘Abbas and Mamar and others that the person who will be killed is al-Khizr. Another famous Muhaddith, Ibnus Salaah too states that according to the majority of Islamic scholars and others, Khizr (a.s.) is alive.
According to the modern Islamic scholar, G.F. Haddad, it is confirmed by the hadith related from Abu 'Ubayda ibn al-Jarrah whereby the Holy Prophet (s) said: "It may be that one of those who saw me and heard my speech shall meet the Dajjal." This is narrated by Ibn Hibban in his Sahih (15:181) with a weak chain according to Shaykh Shu'ayb Arna'ut. He points out that according to Imam al-Tirmidhi in his Sunan, the latter said since it is also narrated from three other Companions, he thus graded the hadith itself "fair and single-chained (hasan gharib) as narrated from Abu 'Ubayda.
The strongest transmitted proofs about the life of al-Khizr (a.s.) are:
1. A report narrated by Imam Ahmad in al-Zuhd whereby the Holy Prophet (s) is said to have stated that Ilyas and al-Khiḍr meet every year and spend the month of Ramadan in Jerusalem.
2. The other report narrated by Ya'qub ibn Sufyan from the 'Umar ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz whereby a man he was seen walking with was actually al-Khiḍr. Imam Dhahbi mentions in his biography of this saintly Caliph, that al-Khizr had come to give him the glad tidings of his becoming a ruler of the Muslim world.
3. A report narrated by ibn “Asakir from Abu Zur’a al-Razi stating that the latter met al-Khidr twice: once in his youth and again in his old age but that al-Khidr himself had not not changed.
Scholars inform us that Ibn Hajar declared the chain of the first fair and that of the second sound in Fath al-Bari (1959 ed. 6:435) and that the above third report is cited by himself stating it to be sound. The hadith-master, Al-Sakhawi, too indicated in his biography of Imam Nawawi that the latter used to meet with Khizr (a.s.) and converse with him. There are also reports that Khizr (a.s.) met with Hazrat Ali ® by the Ka’ba and instructed him about a supplication that is very meritorious when recited after the obligatory prayers. The Sufis unanimously agree that Khizr (a.s.) is alive. Ibn al-Jawzi who belongs to the school of ibn Taimiyya does admit that Bilal al-Khawas met with al-Khizr and asked him what he thought of al-Shafi’i and was told that he is one of the Awtaad (Pillar-Saint) and when he asked about Ahmad ibn Hanbal he was told that he is a Siddiq. Hafiz Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani says in his A’sabah that Khidr’s name is in the list of Companions of our Prophet (May Allah bless him and grant him peace).
According to Hafiz Ibn Taimiyya, what has been narrated in Musnad Al-Shafi’i and other books is that Khidr (a.s.) did meet the Prophet (s). It has been stated that the Holy Prophet (s) who was also a repository of ‘Ilm Ladunni did teach Khizr (a.s.) who was himself called the Tutor of the Prophets. Khizr (a.s.) appearance at the funeral of the Holy Prophet (s) also appears on record:
There are reports from al-Bayhaqi in his Dala'il an-Nubawwah that al-Khiḍr was present at the funeral of Prophet Muhammad Mustafa (Sallallahu 'alaihi wa Sallam), and was recognized only by Abu Bakr and Ali from amongst the rest of the companions, and where he came to show his grief and sadness at the passing away of the Prophet (Sallallahu 'alaihi wa Sallam). Al-Khiḍr's appearance at Muhammad's (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 till he reached where the sacred body lay. Weeping bitterly, he turned toward the Companions and paid his condolences. Abu Bakr and 'Ali said that he was Khiḍr. (Ibn al-Jazari 1994, p. 228.). Hearing the voice of al-Khizr (a.s.) during this time by the Ahle Bait is also mentioned by Imam Ghazali in his Ihya. In Hisn-e-Haseen (Fortified Stronghold) which is a collection of invocations and devotional utterances, by ibn Muhammad al-Jazri ash-Shaafi'i, it is stated that Khizr (a.s.) actually came to visit the Companions ® , after the Holy Prophet (s) had passed away but before the burial. Even the Najdi Shaykh ibn Abdul Wahaab writes, “After the death of the Prophet (May Allah bless him and grant him peace) a voice was heard, ‘O family of the Prophet, be patient and peace be upon you.’” [Mukhtaser Sirat-ur-Rasool, Chapter ‘Death of Prophet’]Then there are many reports of al-Khizr interaction with the Awliya-Allah as we shall see later. In fact, it is reported in the Ihya that whenever any thought occurred in the mind of al-Khizr that there was no Awliya-Allah whom he did not know, then he would come across one whom he never knew before.
The dissenting opinion that Khizr (a.s.) was not alive after the time of Moses is based on a hadith in Bukhari's compilations, where the Holy Prophet (may Allah Bless him and grant him Peace) said: Of all the people alive on the earth today, none will be living in a hundred years' time. This has been explained by Islamic scholars that it is possible that at that juncture of time Khizr (a.s.) was present in a location other than this material world. The second reason for the dissenting opinion is the supplication made by the Holy Prophet (May Allah bless him and grant him peace) on 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 O Allah.” On this basis, those who conclude that if Khidr (Alay hissalaam) were alive, then he would have joined the Muslim army, increasing the total number of the participants to three hundred and fourteen. This, too, is easily explained: First, according to scholars, there is not even a single hadith, either Sahih or Dhaeef, to lend support to this opinion. Secondly, just as there were thousands of angels present during the said battle but all their names have not been mentioned, likewise, it is possible that Khizr (a.s.)'s name too has not been mentioned. Then, he being a person from the Unseen World, there is no confirmation whether he did join or did not join the Battle. Taking the worst-case scenario that Khizr (a.s.) did not join the Battle, this does not detract from the fact that he is not alive because we know that 'Isa (a.s.) too is alive in the heavens and despite the primordial covenant with Allah (Qur'an 3:81) to believe and help the Messenger (i.e. Mohammed Mustafa sallalahu alayhi wassallam) who will come to confirm the Scriptures, 'Isa (a.s.) did not come down to help does not mean that he broke that covenant made in the spiritual world. So there is nothing inappropriate even if Khizr (a.s.) did not join the Battle of Badr. Therefore, the minority opinion cannot stand in the face of the overwhelming majority evidence which suggests that Khizr (a.s.) is alive and will remain so till the days of Dajjal whose appearance is foretold in the many prophetic traditions. Lastly, Ibn 'Ata' Allah in Lata'if al-Minan (1:84-98) showed that there is consensus of opinion among the Sufis that al-Khidr is alive, thus rejecting any evidence to the contrary.
Is Khizr (a.s.) a Prophet or a Wali?
According to some scholars Khizr (a.s.) is an angel in the human form and therefore not bound by the laws of Shariah, and the words “Abdan min Ibaadana,” used in the Qur’an, are no proof that he was a human being – since the word “Abd” has also been used for angels in the Qur’an, e.g. Surah Anbiya (21:26) and Surah Zakhuruf (14:19). In the prophetic traditions, the word “Rajul,” has been used for Khizr (a.s.) which is generally translated as “human being”. However, we find the word “Rajul” being used for the Jinn also, as in Surah Jinn (22:6): “And persons from among men used to seek refuge with persons from among Jinn.” This view is held by some scholars of the present and the past, including Ibn Kathir (1301-1373 c.e.). According to Dr. Muhammad Tahir al-Qadri, Khizr (a.s.) is a Wali according to the majority of scholars.
Before we proceed further let us look into the Holy Qur’an in this regard.
Now, when we come to the Holy Qur’an, we don’t find the name of Khizr (a.s.) just as we don’t find the names of many other prophets. However, in Surah Kahf of the Holy Qur’an a reference is made to him as “a slave of Ours unto whom We had given mercy from Us and had taught him knowledge from Our Presence.” who is “one of our slaves, unto whom we had taught knowledge peculiar to us” (wa 'allalnnahu min ladunna ilmy)(18:66). Moses sought Hazrat Khizr and some of these references are found in the Holy Qur’an right from verses 61 to 83. The allusion is clearly to Sayyidna Khizr Abu’l Abbas. The events mentioned in the Surah do not find any place in the Bible.
The story of Moses and Khizr, based on prophetic traditions, in short is: Once Moses delivered a lecture in which he taught the people what God had taught him. During the lecture, a questioner asked him whether he found anyone lse more learned than him. He said, “No”. Then Allah was annoyed with him that he did not attribute the best knowledge to Him and then He revealed to him: “Yes, there is Our Servant at the junction of the two rivers who know more than thee.” Moses therefore asked for a way leading towards him. He was inspired that the way leading to him would be shown to him by a salted fish. He could not understand the reason why the salted fish would show him the way towards Hazrat Khizr. Moses and a young man, Yusha bin Nun (Joshua) set out in search of him. They took with them some cakes of barley, a salted fish in a basket and travelled till they reached a rock (Sakhra) but did not find a clue. So Moses went ahead and left his companion behind. The fish began to stir in water and the water assumed the form of an ark over the fish. The young man said that he should inform Allah’s Apostle. But he was made to forget and when they had gone beyond that place, Moses said to the young man: “Bring breakfast. We’ve been exhausted before the end of the journey. Actually, Moses was not exhausted up to the point where he was supposed to meet Hazrat Khizr and it was only after he had crossed that place that he felt exhausted. Then Joshua was reminded and said: “Did you not see that as we reached Sakhra I forgot the fish and it is Satan alone who has made me forgetful of it? It is strange that he has been able to find way in the ocean too.” He said: “This is what we sought for us.” They returned, retracing their steps, and his companion pointed to him the location where the fish had been lost. Moses began to search him there.
To continue with the story, suddenly Moses saw Khizr wrapped in a cloth and lying on his back. He said to him, “Assalaam Alaykum.”
He removed the cloth from his face and said: “Wa Alaykum Salaam. Who are you?”
He said: “I’m Moses of Bani Israil.”
He asked: “What brought you here?”
Surah Kahaf tells us further:
“Moses said unto him: May I follow thee, to the end that thou mayst teach me right conduct of that of which thou hast been taught?” (18:67)
“He said: Lo thou canst not bear with me. How canst thou bear with that whereof thou canst compass any knowledge?” (18: 68-69)
“He said: Allah willing, thou shalt find me patient and I shall not in ought gainsay thee.” (18:70)
“He said: Well, if thou go with me, ask me not concerning aught till I myself mention of it unto thee.” (18:71)
“So the 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 threof? Thou verily hast done a dreadful thing.” (18:72)
“He said: Did I not tell thee 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 the 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. Though hast received an excuse from me.” (18:77)
“So they twain journeyed on till, when they came unto the folk of a certain township, 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 you the interpretation of that though couldst not bear with patience. 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. And as for the lad, his parents were believers and We feared lest he should oppress them by rebellion and disbelief. And We intended that their Lord should change him for that for the one better in purity and nearer to mercy. And as for the wall, it belonged to two orphan boys in the city, and there was beneath it a treasure belonging to them, and their father had been righteous, and they 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.” (18:79 to 83)
(*could be “sea”. Some scholars state that since Moses lived in Egypt for 20 years, the probable location of the meeting was the confluence of River Nile at Khartum (Sudan). We also find the word “ocean” being used in traditions. Some say that it was the confluence of sea of Greece and Sea of Persia)
Muhyuddin Ibn ‘Arabi (1165-1240 c.e.) in his Fusoos al Hikam has discussed about al-Khizr in the chapter entitled The World of Moses (see Wisdom of the Prophets/Bezels of Wisdom). Briefly, it appears that when Moses reproached al-Khizr for slaying the boy, Moses had not recalled then that prior to his prophethood, he had murdered an Egyptian (28:14-15), without any affliction of his soul. This was because he had done this under Divine impulsion and with approbation of God deep inside him but without his perceiving it. As we know all prophets are interiorly preserved from sin without their being conscious about it, and Moses was not acquitted until he had received a Divine revelation on the subject. Such was the state of al-Khizr who said that he had not done the killing out of his own initiative. When Moses fled, it was apparently fleeing out of fear but was in truth the love of salvation. Perforation of the boat seemed on the surface as destruction of the folks but was really to save them from oppression of a violent man. Just the way the throwing of infant Moses into the waters of Nile seemed on the surface as an act of violence but was in fact done by his mother to save his life from the cruel Pharoah, being reassured by Divine inspiration ( see Qur’an: 28.6) which she did not realize then but lived with the hope and confidence that God would him back to her. When al-Khizr had repaired the wall of the house belonging to two orphans without any payment, this was to draw Moses’s attention to his own conduct, i.e. when after fleeing from Egypt and reaching Median he had helped the two girls by drawing water from the well without asking for a payment but attributing the essence of good that he did to God alone by withdrawing into the shade (Divine Shade) and saying: “Oh my Lord, I am poor with regard to the blessings thou has bestowest on me,” (Qur’an 28:24) and thus qualified himself as a faqir or needy towards God.
Some commentators and Islamic scholars find symbolisms in the story of the meeting between Moses and al-Khizr and a divine testing of Moses. Shafi’i in Maarif al-Qur’an says: Perhaps Joshua forgot due to the reason that his thoughts strayed away to his homeland since he was in a journey. According to Yusuf Ali, “Fish” is the fruit of secular knowledge, while according to some “Fish” is a way to knowledge, and the two oceans signify perfect knowledge or the combination of esoteric knowledge (of al-Khidr) and the exoteric knowledge (of Moses). Such wisdom is only attainable by the will, mercy and grace of Allah. As Yusuf Ali says: Overall, the episode of Khidr in the Qur’an is a reflection and representation of the paradoxes of life. Above all, it symbolizes the delicate balance between ‘patience and faith as they were enjoined” on Moses after he understood the meaning of those paradoxes explained to him by Khidr himself. According to Dr. Tahir al-Qadri, where Dariya-e-Shariat and Dariya-e-Wilayat meet, there’s arises the Wilayah according to the principles of Irfani Tafseer. The place where a dead fish became alive, i.e. where death finds life, there resides the real Wali: “jahaan maut ko hayaat mil jaaye wahaan wali asl rehta hai.” This proves the karamah of bringing dead to life by a Wali belonging to the Ummah of the Holy Prophet (s). Again, existence of ilm-e-ladduni, or direct knowledge from Allah, is also proven from the Qur’an through the episode of Moses and al-Khizr. The bottom line of the episode of Moses and Hazrat Khizr is Allah transcends all human calculations; that there are paradoxes in life; apparent loss may really be some gain; apparent cruelty may be real mercy; returning good for evil may really be justice and not generosity.
Not only a meaningful symbolism, this episode has gone on to form a basis of some jurisprudence too. As, for example, when Ibn Abbas (r) was asked to give his opinion whether the children of enemy could be killed in war, he said that the Messenger of Allah (may Peace and Blessings be upon him) never killed children. Then Ibn Abbas (r) stated: and thou shouldst not kill them unless thou knew what the companion of Moses (i. e. Khadir) knew about the boy he had killed. (Sahih Muslim: Book 19:4458). We also learn from traditions that the king who used to seize the ships was Hudad bin Budad. The boy who was killed was known as Haisur, and his parents were thereafter compensated with a girl. (See Sahih Bukhari: Vol.6, Book 60:250)
Additionally, the above narration is supported by authentic traditions such as reported in, for example, Sahih Muslim, which has long hadiths in the Chapter entitled Kitaab al-Fazaail, and reported by Ubayy bin Ka’b who heard it directly from the Holy Prophet (s), Sa’d bin Jubair, Ibn Abbas, Utba b.Mas’ud, and Abu Ishaq are included among the narrators. (Details can also be had from various hadiths in Sahih Bukhari, including: Vol.1, Book 3:74; Vol.3, Book 50:888; Vol.6, Book 60:249,250 and 251; Sahih Muslim: Book 30:5864 and 5867). We also learn from the above narration that when a sparrow flew down on the boat and perched on the wall of the boat and took water in its beak from the ocean, Hazrat Khizr a.s., said: My knowledge and your knowledge in comparison with the knowledge of Allah is even less than the water taken by the sparrow in its beak in comparison to the water of the ocean. According to Holy Prophet (s), if Moses could have shown some patience, a fuller story of them would have been told.
It may be stated here that Khizr (a.s.) is a prophet since Allah has called him as “whom We had blessed.” (18:65) Therefore, in this Qur’anic verse the word that has been used, namely, “Rehma” is usually attributed to Prophets of Allah. Fakhrudin al-Razi in his Tafseer attributes the view that Khizr (a.s.) is a Prophet. The way Moses, who was one of the mightiest Messengers and Prophets of Allah, humbled himself before him for seeking righteous knowledge, as well as Allah’s Mercy and imparting knowledge from His presence to Khizr (a.s.) who receives direct illumination from Allah without human mediation, suggest that he is a Prophet of Allah.
Does Khizr (a.s.) rank higher than Moses (Musa a.s.)?
Allah the Exalted said: Each one of the believers believes in Allah, His Angels, His Books, and His Messengers. They say, "We make no distinction between one another of His Messengers." and they say, "We hear nd we obey." We seek Your forgiveness, our Lord and to You is the return of all." (al-Qur’an: 2:285)
Therefore, no distinction between the prophets should be made. However, in the sight of Allah, He has exalted some over the others:
The prophets and messengers have different levels and degrees. Allah the Almighty stated: Those messengers! We preferred some to others; to some of them Allah spoke (directly); others he raised to degrees (of honor). (Ch 2:253) When the above verse speaks of Allah speaking directly to some, it's Moses. Therefore, Moses holds a very high rank in comparison to Khizr (a.s.)., who was also blessed and given knowledge from His presence. But his knowledge was different from the knowledge given to Moses. It has been narrated in Imam Ghazali’s Ihya, that Moses asked al-Khizr why Allah has given him the knowledge of the Unseen. Khizr replied: For giving up sins in order to incur the pleasure of Allah. He also advised Moses not to walk without necessity, to walk with a smiling face, be a benefactor rather than being an injurious person, not to laugh when not satisfied, not to accuse the sinners without sharing in their sins. “O son of Imran!” he said, “Weep for thy faults.”
According to Jili, Prophets like Muhammad (s) and Moses not only had the Prophecy of Saintship, i.e. Nubuwwatu’l Wilayat but also held Nubuwwatu’l Tashri, i.e. Prophecy of Institution, as they were sent to promulgate and establish a new religious code. However, Prophets such as Jesus and Hazrat Khizr having nothing more than the Prophecy of Saintship. The commentators have therefore held that the rank of Moses is higher than that of Khizr (a.s.). But that does not take us away from the fact that this conclusively proves that Hazrat Khizr (a.s.) is not an angel but that he belongs to the brotherhood of the Prophets many of whom have not been named or even referred to in the Qur’an, though Hazrat Khizr (a.s.) is on a better footing since an event pertaining to him has been related in the Holy Qur’an as shown above. In fact, as we noted before, Islamic tradition describes Khizr (a.s.) as the Tutor of Prophets, save and excepting the Holy Prophet (s) who taught Khizr (a.s.) since the Holy Prophet (s) too is a repository of knowledge (‘ilm ladunni) emanating from Allah.
Hazrat Khizr has special gifts from Allah: (1) Mercy from Him, and (2) Knowledge from him. The first freed him from the ordinary incidents of daily human life; while the second entitled him to interpret the inner meaning and mystery of events. Hazrat Khizr’s knowledge is fresh and green and drawn out from Allah’s own knowledge. He is a mysterious being who has to be sought out. That going in search of a Wali is the Sunnah of the prophets is proven from the Qur'an and prophetic traditions, according to Dr. Muhammed Tahir al-Qadri. He has the secrets of the paradoxes of life which ordinary people do not understand or understand it in a wrong sense.
We ask Allah ‘O Allah whatever we have said, if it is true accept it but if it is false we ask you to forgive us’. Amin!
Allah and His Rasool (Sallallahu 'alaihi wa Sallam) knows Best.
NASIR.
TO CONTINUE…
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