Ruling on claiming that Al-Khadir takes care of people in rivers and deserts
Question:
Is Al-Khadir (peace be upon him) a guardian of the rivers and deserts and does he help those who get lost if they call him?
Answer:
According to the correct opinions of the scholars, Al-Khadir (peace be upon him) died before Allah sent the Wahy (Revelation) to His Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), as Allah (Exalted be He) says: “And We granted not to any human being immortality before you (O Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم): then if you die, would they live forever?” [al-Anbiya: 34]
However, if it is assumed that Al-Khidr stayed alive until the time of the Prophet (peace be upon him), the Sunnah indicates that if he were alive then, he would have certainly died shortly after the death of our Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). It is authentically reported that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “Have you seen this night of yours? At the end of one hundred years, there will be no one on the surface of the earth from those who are on it today.” 1
He is therefore regarded as a dead person, who cannot hear anyone calling him, respond to the Du`a’ (supplications) of those supplicating to him, or guide anyone who gets lost and asks for his help. But if we did suppose that he is still alive today, he would be deemed as being absent, and his position would be like that of other people who are absent. It would not be permissible to supplicate to him or ask him for help, whether in the times of distress or prosperity, due to the general meaning of this Ayah: “…so invoke not anyone along with Allâh.” [al-Jinn: 18]
There are many other Ayahs with the same meaning.
Ahmad, vol. 2, pp. 88, 121, and 131; Al-Bukhari, Fath-ul-Bari, nos. 115, 1126, 3599, 5844, 6218, and 7069; Muslim, nos. 2537 and 2538; Abu Dawud, no. 4348; and Al-Tirmidhi, no. 2251. ↩
- Chairman: Shaykh Ibn Baz
- Deputy Chairman: Shaykh Abdul-Razzaq Afifi
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