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Al-Khidr (a): Difference between revisions
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[[File:Maqam-khidr.JPG|250px|thumbnail|right|Maqam Khidr (a) in [[al-Sahla Mosque]].]] | [[File:Maqam-khidr.JPG|250px|thumbnail|right|Maqam Khidr (a) in [[al-Sahla Mosque]].]] | ||
'''Khiḍr''' (Arabic:{{ia| الخِضر}}) is a Walī (Friend of God), regarded by some as a [[prophet]] whose name is not explicitly mentioned in the [[Holy Qur'an]]. According to some [[hadiths]], he is a person with divinity-given knowledge ([[al-'ilm al-ladunni]]). The Holy Qur'an, 18:60-82, tells the story of the prophet [[Moses]]'s (a) meeting and accompanying a man; this man is said to be Khidr. In this story, Khidr scuttled a ship owned by some poor people, killed an innocent boy, and | '''Khiḍr''' (Arabic:{{ia| الخِضر}}) is a Walī (Friend of God), regarded by some as a [[prophet]] whose name is not explicitly mentioned in the [[Holy Qur'an]]. According to some [[hadiths]], he is a person with divinity-given knowledge ([[al-'ilm al-ladunni]]). The Holy Qur'an, 18:60-82, tells the story of the prophet [[Moses]]'s (a) meeting and accompanying a man; this man is said to be Khidr. In this story, Khidr scuttled a ship owned by some poor people, killed an innocent boy, and reconstructed a ruined wall without receiving any wage. Moses objected to his actions, and at the end, Khidr gave an explanation of why he did so. | ||
Khidr is said to be from the progeny of the prophet, [[Isaac (a)]]. According to [[hadith]]s, Khidr is alive, just as [[Jesus (a)]] is alive. There are numerous hadiths in [[Shiite]] hadith collections concerning Khidr's character, the story of his encounter with Moses (a), and his meetings with the [[Prophet Muhammad (s)]] and the Shiite [[Imams (a)]]. Khidr is also mentioned in the [[Sufi]] literature and Persian poems as a guide to mystical journeys who has the position of [[Wilaya]]. | Khidr is said to be from the progeny of the prophet, [[Isaac (a)]]. According to [[hadith]]s, Khidr is alive, just as [[Jesus (a)]] is alive. There are numerous hadiths in [[Shiite]] hadith collections concerning Khidr's character, the story of his encounter with Moses (a), and his meetings with the [[Prophet Muhammad (s)]] and the Shiite [[Imams (a)]]. Khidr is also mentioned in the [[Sufi]] literature and Persian poems as a guide to mystical journeys who has the position of [[Wilaya]]. | ||
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Moses traveled to Majma' al-Bahrayn (the junction of two seas) together with a young man (according to Islamic sources, Moses's nephew and successor, [[Joshua]], the son of Nun). When Moses asked his companion to bring the fish they had taken with them to eat, Joshua told him that the fish had come back to life and entered the sea, and he forgot to let Moses know about this. Moses took this to be a sign of the person he was looking for. So they returned to the place where the fish had come back to life. They met a person who was endowed with divine mercy and knowledge. This person was Khidr (a). Moses (a) asked Khidr (a) to permit him to accompany him, but Khidr (a) told him: “you will not be able to have patience with me!” Moses (a) insisted on the company and so they moved on together provided that Moses (a) ask no questions about whatever actions he saw until the truth was revealed. They boarded a ship and Khidr (a) started to scuttle the ship. Moses (a) objected to him, and Khidr (a) reproached him for breaking his promise not to ask any questions. They moved on and saw a teenage boy on the way, and Khidr (a) abruptly killed the boy. Moses (a) objected to Khidr (a) again, and Khidr (a) reproached him for the second time. They then entered a village whose residents refused to give them food, but Khidr (a) started to reconstruct a wall in that village that was on the point of falling down. Again Moses (a) objected to him, and this time Khidr (a) told him that this was a parting between them. However, he explained the reasons behind his odd actions to Moses (a): he had scuttled the ship because it was owned by some poor people, and if it were scuttled, the king would withdraw from usurping the ship. He killed the teenage boy because he would lead his faithful parents to infidelity. And beneath that wall was a treasure belonging to two teenage orphans from a beneficent father, and the reconstruction of the wall would help them find it after their maturity. | Moses traveled to Majma' al-Bahrayn (the junction of two seas) together with a young man (according to Islamic sources, Moses's nephew and successor, [[Joshua]], the son of Nun). When Moses asked his companion to bring the fish they had taken with them to eat, Joshua told him that the fish had come back to life and entered the sea, and he forgot to let Moses know about this. Moses took this to be a sign of the person he was looking for. So they returned to the place where the fish had come back to life. They met a person who was endowed with divine mercy and knowledge. This person was Khidr (a). Moses (a) asked Khidr (a) to permit him to accompany him, but Khidr (a) told him: “you will not be able to have patience with me!” Moses (a) insisted on the company and so they moved on together provided that Moses (a) ask no questions about whatever actions he saw until the truth was revealed. They boarded a ship and Khidr (a) started to scuttle the ship. Moses (a) objected to him, and Khidr (a) reproached him for breaking his promise not to ask any questions. They moved on and saw a teenage boy on the way, and Khidr (a) abruptly killed the boy. Moses (a) objected to Khidr (a) again, and Khidr (a) reproached him for the second time. They then entered a village whose residents refused to give them food, but Khidr (a) started to reconstruct a wall in that village that was on the point of falling down. Again Moses (a) objected to him, and this time Khidr (a) told him that this was a parting between them. However, he explained the reasons behind his odd actions to Moses (a): he had scuttled the ship because it was owned by some poor people, and if it were scuttled, the king would withdraw from usurping the ship. He killed the teenage boy because he would lead his faithful parents to infidelity. And beneath that wall was a treasure belonging to two teenage orphans from a beneficent father, and the reconstruction of the wall would help them find it after their maturity. | ||
== | ==Viewpoint of Sunnis== | ||
According to [[Sunni]] collections of hadiths, this Quranic story captured the attentions of early Muslims and led to many questions and controversies among the [[Sahaba]] and [[Tabi'un]]. | According to [[Sunni]] collections of hadiths, this Quranic story captured the attentions of early Muslims and led to many questions and controversies among the [[Sahaba]] and [[Tabi'un]]. | ||
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According to another hadith, in response to [[Sa'id b. Jubayr]]'s question, Ibn 'Abbas said that Moses (a) in this story is the well-known Israelite prophet, Moses the son of Imran. He accused [[Nuf al-Bakkali]] of lying because he took this Moses to be someone else, and on some accounts, he called him an enemy of God. | According to another hadith, in response to [[Sa'id b. Jubayr]]'s question, Ibn 'Abbas said that Moses (a) in this story is the well-known Israelite prophet, Moses the son of Imran. He accused [[Nuf al-Bakkali]] of lying because he took this Moses to be someone else, and on some accounts, he called him an enemy of God. | ||
=== | ===Muqatil b. Sulayman=== | ||
Many various elements of the story of Moses (a) and Khidr (a) in Islamic sources, especially Quranic exegeses, have their origin in [[Muqatil b. Sulayman]]'s views. In his exegesis, he tried to specify the exact locations of their travels and their motivations. He took Khidr (a) to be the prophet Elisha, since his knowledge is as vast as the six skies and earths. According to Muqatil, he lived where the two rivers, Rass and Kurr, met on the other side of the [[Azerbaijan]] areas and pour into the sea. On his account, Moses (a) met Khidr (a) clothes in an island while wearing woolen, and Khidr (a) immediately knew him with his God-given knowledge. Muqatil interpreted the word, “mercy”, in the Holy Qur'an, 18:56 as prophethood, and took Khidr (a) to be a prophet like Moses (a). For Muqatil, the superiority of Khidr's knowledge to Moses's is a matter of differences made by God between His prophets, not that Khidr had a position superior to prophethood. | Many various elements of the story of Moses (a) and Khidr (a) in Islamic sources, especially Quranic exegeses, have their origin in [[Muqatil b. Sulayman]]'s views. In his exegesis, he tried to specify the exact locations of their travels and their motivations. He took Khidr (a) to be the prophet Elisha, since his knowledge is as vast as the six skies and earths. According to Muqatil, he lived where the two rivers, Rass and Kurr, met on the other side of the [[Azerbaijan]] areas and pour into the sea. On his account, Moses (a) met Khidr (a) clothes in an island while wearing woolen, and Khidr (a) immediately knew him with his God-given knowledge. Muqatil interpreted the word, “mercy”, in the Holy Qur'an, 18:56 as prophethood, and took Khidr (a) to be a prophet like Moses (a). For Muqatil, the superiority of Khidr's knowledge to Moses's is a matter of differences made by God between His prophets, not that Khidr had a position superior to prophethood. | ||
=== | ===Fakhr al-Din al-Razi=== | ||
Among the later exegetes of the Holy Qur'an, [[al- | Among the later exegetes of the Holy Qur'an, [[Fakhr al-Din al-Razi]] (d. 606/1209) investigated the story from different aspects in more detail. He emphasized that Moses (a) in these verses refers to Moses, the son of Imran, the well-known Israelite prophet to whom [[Torah]] is attributed, since according to an argument by [[Abu Bakr al-Qaffal al-Marwzi]] (d. 417/1026), if someone else (such as Moses b. Misha b. Joseph b. Jacob) was intended, there had to be distinguishing evidence and attributes, since the name, Moses, without any qualifications, refers to the well-known Moses (a). Fakhr al-Din al-Razi also concerned himself with other issues, including the master-commander relationship between Moses and Khidr, the theological problems of potency (istita'a) and the [[infallibility]] of prophets, and a jurisprudential issue about whether it is permissible, recommended or obligatory to give food. | ||
== | ==Viewpoint of Shia== | ||
There are hadiths in [[Shiite]] [[hadith]] collections with regard to the meeting between Moses (a) and Khidr (a). | There are hadiths in [[Shiite]] [[hadith]] collections with regard to the meeting between Moses (a) and Khidr (a). | ||
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[[Al-'Allama al-Majlisi]] devoted a section of the volume 13 of his ''[[Bihar al-anwar]]'' to the story of Moses (a) and Khidr (a) and cited 55 hadiths in this regard. Some of these hadiths concern the details of the meeting between Moses (a) and Khidr (a), and some others concern the identification of Khidr (a) and his being or not being a prophet. There are also hadiths according to which Khidr (a) went to [[Ahl al-Bayt (a)]], offering his condolences for the demise of the Holy Prophet (s). And there are hadiths according to which he accompanied [[Dhu l-Qarnayn]] in the search for the spring of life, and there are hadiths concerning his longevity. | [[Al-'Allama al-Majlisi]] devoted a section of the volume 13 of his ''[[Bihar al-anwar]]'' to the story of Moses (a) and Khidr (a) and cited 55 hadiths in this regard. Some of these hadiths concern the details of the meeting between Moses (a) and Khidr (a), and some others concern the identification of Khidr (a) and his being or not being a prophet. There are also hadiths according to which Khidr (a) went to [[Ahl al-Bayt (a)]], offering his condolences for the demise of the Holy Prophet (s). And there are hadiths according to which he accompanied [[Dhu l-Qarnayn]] in the search for the spring of life, and there are hadiths concerning his longevity. | ||
== | ==As a Prophet== | ||
There is a controversy among [[exegete]]s of the Holy Qur'an with respect to the prophethood of Khidr (a). | There is a controversy among [[exegete]]s of the Holy Qur'an with respect to the prophethood of Khidr (a). | ||
Fakhr al-Din al-Razi rejected six arguments presented by exegetes of the Holy Qur'an for the prophethood of Khidr. | |||
[[Al-Shaykh al-Tusi]] cited [[Abu 'Ali al-Juba'i]] and Rummani (d. 384/994) as saying that Khidr (a) was a prophet, and attributed the rejection of this view to Ibn Akhshid (d. 326/937). But he himself made no comments on this issue. | [[Al-Shaykh al-Tusi]] cited [[Abu 'Ali al-Juba'i]] and Rummani (d. 384/994) as saying that Khidr (a) was a prophet, and attributed the rejection of this view to Ibn Akhshid (d. 326/937). But he himself made no comments on this issue. | ||