While prophets are a major part of Islamic belief, there are lesser known more ambiguous figures like Al Khidr, The Green Man. Believed to be an immortal miracle worker, he is a figure of power and awe.

A thread on Al Khidr-

While referenced in the Qur’an he is not directly named. He is a wise man whom God directs Moses to learn from. (Q Kaf)

Moses finds Al Khidr at the point where two waters meet asking to follow and learn form him.

Ibn Atiyyah says it is where fresh and sweet water meet.

Al Khidr agrees but only if no questions are asked. A promise Moses struggles with.

First they travel by boat thanks to some nice sailors, but upon their arrival Al Khidr strikes the boat with his staff damaging it.

Moses exclaims in disbelief, but Al Khidr reminds him of the promise.

Next, they meet a loving couple only for Al Khidr to kill their son, again Moses is in disbelief and protests only to be silenced.

Finally they arrive at a village where they are met with hostility. Al Khidr responds by repairing their decrepit wall.

Moses cannot believe it. He asks how he could be so cruel to the others while helping out the inhospitable.

Al Khidr finally replies: he damaged the boat to save it from being conscripted into a war, he killed the boy for he would become a tyrant and burden on his parents, and he repaired the wall for under it is treasure owed to orphans this way the village would not find it.

Al Khidr leaves Moses and Moses is left to marvel.

Little else is mentioned, but the figure of Al Khidr is expanded in both the hadiths and in later commentary.

He derives his name from a story about his presence causing green to grow hence Al Khidr or the “Green Man.”

While not directly mentioned as immortal, he is believed to be still living. Similar to Ilyas and Jesus both of whom ascended, or the last Imam in Shi’ism in occultation.

Al Khidr is said to walk the unearth untethered.

According to Ibn Ishaq, Al Khidr will remain alive until the end of days when the dajjal will kill him.

Therefore he unites past, present, and future in his life.

In a narration Al Khidr and Ilyas meet yearly in Jerusalem. He is also believed to appear in Mecca and Medina at certain historical periods and in visitations.

Anas says Ilyas and Al Khidr meet at the wall holding Yaj Majuj back

For some religious scholars it is clear Al Khidr is a prophet, yet others say he is merely one close to God, or a wali.

Some interpret Wali as a saint, though that is not an exact comparison. In either case he is a figure of great spiritual significance

There are some who believe Al Khidr and Ilyas are the same, but others clearly distinguish between the two.

Al Tabari and Tha’labi say Ilyas is an Israelite while Al Khidr is from the Persians.

Marwadi notes the debate among scholars noting some even argued he is an angel.

On account of his role as a teacher, Sufis have taken him as a murshid, or leader. He is a spiritual ancestor and teacher of wisdom.

Like the prophet Idris, he is a figure found both in orthodoxy but also in esotericism

Al Khidr is associated strongly with dreams and dream divination.

There are various popular folk prayers used to invoke a visitation from him, or to ascertain the answer to a question

He also is connected to Mercury and Pisces in astrological theories. He is attributed with Mercurial qualities while the connection to Pisces comes from the presence of a fish in his story that comes back to life.

Various artworks show him as a wise and luminous man wearing green and riding upon a fish or whale.

You can see some from @MENALibAHS https://twitter.com/MENALibAHS/status/1257733475987316737

Across the Near East and South Asia, shrines are dedicated to Al Khidr at spots believed to be where he visited.

Many people still claim to receive visitations from him. Some at pilgrimage say they’ve seen him, to others he appears in dreams

Many people say he attends funerals or appears in the cemetery.

One family I interviewed, said a beautiful and luminous stranger came to the funeral of their loved one and gave them much-needed money which they tried to refuse, but the man vanished.

They believed him to be Al Khidr

In other folk traditions he’s said to be capable of healing the sick and injured.

In one Palestinian tradition a short rhyming incantation is used to ask Al Khidr for rain

In folk and popular practices Al Khidr is an intercessionary figure capable of miracles. He is also a point of cultural contact between religions. In the Levant he is associated with Saint George, likely as a result of an enduring pre-Islamic, pre-Christian fertility cult.

We see this association with St. George shrines called “Khizrilis” or Khidr-Ilyas

A popular folk practice involves honoring Khidr-George-Elijah on April 23rd to mark the beginning of Summer.

Similarly, Al Khidr is invoked in oaths by Alawites

Al Khidr becomes a figure that transcends confessional boundaries as a popular folk saint

For historians of religion, he offers interesting exploration.

Biblical prophets are absorbed and Islamized in the Qur’anic narrative as in where Abraham is called one of the “submitters” (Q 3:67)

Al Khidr continues this process. In the Qur’an he is an Islamic figure who is inserted into the narrative of Moses to teach him.

The structure and wisdom of the story is similar to other Late Antique morality tales about mysterious figures passing on wisdom and not unlike the Rabbinic story of Moses and Joshua

He’s also a figure in popular or folk Islam where he is transformed into a living miracle-worker, inspiring dreams, visiting and comforting the mourning, and reaffirming a living faith.

I shall expand on other esoteric and popular figures in future threads.