WAS AL-KHIDHR A PROPHET?

﷽

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Peace, mercy, and blessings of Allah be upon you.

We have narrations indicating that Al-Khidr (peace be upon him) was not a prophet. Among them is a report found in Basa'ir Ad-Darajat (p. 393) from Abu Ja‘far (peace be upon him), in response to a question about the "Muhaddath" (one who receives divine inspiration). He said:

ينكت في أذنه فيسمع طنيناً كطنين الطست أو يقرع على قلبه فيستمع وقعاً كوقع السلسلة على الطست فقلت نبي فقال لا مثل الخضر ومثل ذي القرنين.

"He receives inspiration by having it imprinted in his ear, which he hears as a ringing sound like the sound of a basin, or it is imprinted upon his heart, and he perceives it as a sound like the clinking of a chain on a basin. I asked: ‘Is he a prophet?’ He replied: ‘No, the example of Al-Khidr is like the example of Dhul-Qarnayn.’” [1]

Moreover, Sayyid Ibn Tawus explicitly states in Sa‘d al-Su‘ud that Al-Khidr was not a prophet. In his refutation of Al-Jubba'i he writes:

هذا على دعواه الباطلة أن الخضر (عليه السلام) نبي، وإذا كان غير نبي، فقد سقط قول الجبائي بالكلية

"This is based on his false claim that Al-Khidr (peace be upon him) was a prophet. If he were not a prophet, then Al-Jubba'is argument collapses entirely." [2] 

May you remain under Allah’s protection.

References

[1] Saffar, Muhammad bin Al-Hasan. Basa'ir Ad-Darajat, p. 393

[2] Ibn Tawus, Sayyid. Sa‘d al-Su‘ud. p. 164

The original text in Arabic can be found here

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Peace, mercy, and blessings of Allah be upon you.

Esteemed brothers at Al-'Aqaid Research Center, may Allah bless you and your efforts in serving the school of Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them) and Islam as a whole.

I have a question regarding Al-Khidr (peace be upon him). Among Ahl al-Sunnah, there is a difference of opinion on whether he was a prophet or a righteous saint (wali). However, I would like to inquire about our Shi'a perspective: Is Al-Khidr considered a prophet or a wali in our tradition?

I request evidence from authentic narrations and the statements of scholars.

Peace, mercy, and blessings of Allah be upon you.

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Answer

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