Question
Is Khidr (عليه السلام) still alive?
Answer
There is no valid evidence proving that Khidr (عليه السلام) is alive. Some Sufis have spread false beliefs regarding his supposed life.
Scholarly Evidence
❀ Ḥāfiẓ Ibn al-Jawzī (رحمه الله, d. 597H) said:
الدليل على أن الخضر ليس بباق فى الدنيا أربعة أشياء؛ القرآن والسنة وإجماع المحققين من العلماء والمعقول
“The evidence that Khidr (عليه السلام) is not alive in this world is based on four things: (1) the Qur’an, (2) the Sunnah, (3) the consensus of the verifying scholars, and (4) reason.”
(al-Manār al-Munīf, p. 69)
❀ Imām Ibn al-Qayyim (رحمه الله, d. 751H) said:
الأحاديث التى يذكر فيها الخضر وحياته كلها كذب ولا يصح فى حياته حديث واحد
“All the aḥādīth mentioning Khidr (عليه السلام) and his being alive are fabricated lies. Not a single ḥadīth regarding his life is authentic.”
(al-Manār al-Munīf, p. 67)
❀ Ḥāfiẓ Ibn Kathīr (رحمه الله, d. 774H):
قد روي من وجه آخر ضعيف ولا يصح
“It has been narrated through other weak chains, but none are authentic.”
(al-Bidāyah wa’l-Nihāyah 2/258)
❀ Ḥāfiẓ Ibn Ḥajar (رحمه الله, d. 852H):
هي واهية كلها
“All the narrations regarding this matter are weak.”
(Natāʾij al-Afkār 4/358)
❀ ʿAllāmah Mullā ʿAlī al-Qārī al-Ḥanafī (رحمه الله, d. 1014H):
الجمهور من الفقهاء والمحدثين وغيرهم وبعض الصوفية على أنه مات
“The majority of jurists, hadith scholars, and others—including some Sufis—are of the opinion that Khidr (عليه السلام) has passed away.”
(Mirqāt al-Mafātīḥ 8/3466)
Conclusion:All reliable evidence proves that Khidr (عليه السلام) is not alive today. The belief in his continued existence has no foundation in the Qur’an, Sunnah, or authentic reports, and the majority of scholars affirm that he has passed away.
