Is al-khadir dead or alive

Is al-khadir dead or alive

Question
Is al-Khadir still alive? Tell me all about him.

Answer

Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds; and blessings and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon all his Family and Companions.
Many eminent scholars of Islam such as: al-Bukhari, Ibrahim al-Harbi, Abu al-Hussain Bin al-Menadi, Abu al-Faraj Ibn al-Jouzia and Ibn Taymiyah ruled that he is dead. There are many sound proofs for this opinion:
1 - Allah Says (Interpretation of meaning): (. And We granted not to any human being immortality before you (O Muhammad SAW), then if you die, would they live forever? ). [21:34].

al-Khadir was a person and is included in the generality and commonness of this verse. He can not then be given any exceptional state unless there is a sound evidence for it. No such state exists.
2 - Allah also says: (And (remember) when Allâh took the Covenant of the Prophets, saying: "Take whatever I gave you from the Book and Hikmah (understanding of the Laws of Allâh, etc.), and afterwards there will come to you a Messenger (Muhammad SAW) confirming what is with you; you must, then, believe in him and help him.). [3:81].

Ibn Abbas ( ) said: Allah has taken a convenant from every Messenger. He sent that when Muhammad is sent while he is alive he should believe in him (i.e. Muhammad) and help him (support him). If Al-Khadir is a Messenger he is from those who took that convenant. So, if he were alive, during the era of Muhammad (Blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) he would not have had any choice than to be with the Prophet Muhammad (Blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) believing in what Allah had revealed to him and supporting him against all enemies of Islam during that difficult period.

Again, if Al-Khadir were a wâli, there is no doubt that Abu Bakr who supported the Prophet Muhammad (Blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) with all his ability was superior to him and if he were a Prophet Musa (Blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) was superior to him. The Prophet Muhammad (Blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: "By Allah, Who has my life in His Hand, if Musa were alive, he would not have had any other choice but to follow me". [Ahmad].
Ibn Katheer said: 'It is known that there is no sound good or even acceptable narration that proves that al-Khadir ever met with the Prophet Muhammad (Blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) or that he ever got involved in any of the fighting that took place.
If one wonders by saying: "Wasn't he present during all the battles that took place, but nobody saw him?". The answer is : "This probability is almost nil as it requires us to particularise a general by illusions only. Again, what pushed him to stay unseen? No doubt that his reward would have been greater if he showed himself and this would have added yet another miracle to the Prophet Muhammad (Blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) .

Moreover- according to Ibn kather - if al-Khadir remained alive after the death of the Prophet Muhammad (Blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), he would have told the Muslims about the wrong narrations said to be from the Prophet Muhammad (Blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) that were sources of many innovations, and extremist views. He would also have fought with the Muslims against their enemies and joined their Jam'a (Muslim community).
Indeed his establishment of the right evidence and the appropriate rulings and his advice to the scholars and rulers would have been much better for him than his hiding in many different countries, his wandering everywhere around the world or his meeting with some people who might not be of the best ones and who take him as the leader who translates from them. What we have mentioned here is enough for those who understand and Allah guides whom He wills to a straight path'. Ibn Katheer.

3 - There are yet other pieces of evidence from the sound Hadith. The Prophet Muhammad (Blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) once prayed the prayer of al-Isha and said: "Do you see this night, after a hundred years from it, no living person on this earth will be alive". Ibn Omar said: "He meant the end of his century". Ibn al-Jawzi (May Allah have mercy on him) said: 'These sound narrations cut off the roots of the claim that al-Khadir (Blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) is still alive".

Because, if al-Khadir (Blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) had lived till the era of the Prophet Muhammad (Blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), the above hadith implies that he would not have lived after that century. So, he is now absent not present, i.e. He no longer lives.

The above are then some proofs for his death as established by the Muslim scholars.

And Allah knows best.
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