This excerpt is taken from Sheikh Irshad Ullah Maan's book The Search for Truth.
Question: Is Khidr (peace be upon him) still alive?
Answer: Khidr (peace be upon him) was a servant of Allah, and many hadith scholars have proven with evidence that he was a prophet of Allah. Imam Qurtubi said that according to the majority, he was a prophet. This is also testified by Quranic verses because a prophet does not learn knowledge from someone of lower status, and the knowledge of the unseen is only given to the prophets. The story that he drinks the water of life is baseless.
Allah Almighty has not granted immortality to anyone. The Quran testifies to this:
[وَ مَا جَعَلۡنَا لِبَشَرٍ مِّنۡ قَبۡلِکَ الۡخُلۡدَ ؕ اَفَا۠ئِنۡ مِّتَّ فَہُمُ الۡخٰلِدُوۡنَ]،[کُلُّ نَفۡسٍ ذَآئِقَۃُ الۡمَوۡتِ ؕ]
[And We did not grant to any man before you eternity, so if you die - would they be eternal? Every soul will taste death.]
Reference: (Al-Anbiya:34-35)
Everyone must drink the cup of death, and regarding the death of Khidr (peace be upon him), Imam Bukhari, Ibrahim al-Harbi, Abu Ja'far Ibn al-Manawi, Abu Ya'la Ibn al-Farra', Abu Tahir al-Abbadi, and Abu Bakr Ibn al-Arabi, among other hadith scholars, have issued definitive rulings. Their evidence is the statement of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, which he said in his final days:
None of the people present on the surface of the earth today will remain after a century.
Reference: Muslim, Book of Virtues of the Companions, Chapter on the Meaning of His Saying ﷺ: ((At the head of a hundred))...... etc.: 2538
And in
Reference: Surah Al-Imran, verse (81)
it is stated: And Allah took a covenant from the prophets that when I give you the Book and wisdom, then a prophet comes to you confirming your Book, you must believe in him and support him. But there is no authentic report that Sayyiduna Khidr (peace be upon him) came to the Prophet ﷺ, nor is it established that he fought alongside him. On the day of Badr, the Prophet ﷺ said: O Allah! If this group is destroyed, then Your earth will not be worshipped.
Reference: Muslim, Book of Jihad and Expeditions, Chapter on the Support by Angels in the Battle of Badr: 1763
If Sayyiduna Khidr (peace be upon him) were present, then this negation would not be correct. Further details can be seen in
Reference: Sahih al-Bukhari with Fath al-Bari (6/434)
, etc. Therefore, Sayyiduna Khidr (peace be upon him) has passed away. This matter is strong and firm based on evidence. In this regard, many couplets and stories that mention the eternal life of Sayyiduna Khidr (peace be upon him) and the age of Khidr are entirely un-Islamic and contrary to the Quran and Hadith, as has been explained above.
