◈ Evidence from Qur’an and Sunnah on the Death of Khidr (ʿAlayhis-Salām) ◈
Source: Fatāwā al-Dīn al-Khāliṣ, Vol. 1, Page 252
Is Khidr (ʿalayhis-salām) still alive?
A popular narrative suggests that Khidr (ʿalayhis-salām) roams the deserts and desolate lands to this day, while Ilyās (ʿalayhis-salām) travels the seas, and they both meet annually at Ḥajj to shave their heads together. Is there any authentic and definitive evidence supporting this belief?
It is essential to recognize that the death of Khidr (ʿalayhis-salām) is established by the Qur’an, authentic Sunnah, scholarly consensus (ijmāʿ), and logical reasoning. Those who claim he is alive rely on:
✘ Weak narrations
✘ Unverifiable dreams
✘ Unsupported statements
They possess no sound or conclusive evidence.
﴿وَإِذْ أَخَذَ اللّٰهُ مِيثَاقَ النَّبِيِّينَ...﴾
(Sūrah Āl ʿImrān, 3:81)
"And [mention] when Allah took a covenant from the Prophets... 'If a Messenger comes to you confirming what you have, you must believe in him and support him...'"
According to ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAbbās رضي الله عنه, this covenant applied not only to the Prophets but also to the righteous saints (awliyāʾ).
Therefore, if Khidr (ʿalayhis-salām) were alive during the time of the Prophet ﷺ, and if he were a Prophet or Walī, it would have been obligatory upon him to:
✔ Believe in the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ
✔ Support him
✔ Adhere to his Sharīʿah
﴿وَمَا جَعَلْنَا لِبَشَرٍ مِّن قَبْلِكَ الْخُلْدَ...﴾
(Sūrah al-Anbiyāʾ, 21:34)
"And We did not grant eternal life to any human before you. So if you die, would they be eternal?"
This verse encompasses all human beings, including Khidr (ʿalayhis-salām).
Without explicit and sound evidence, he cannot be excluded from this general rule.
Imām Ibn Kathīr mentioned this in al-Bidāyah wa al-Nihāyah (1/334).
Narrated by ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿUmar رضي الله عنهما:
The Prophet ﷺ said:
"Whoever is alive on the face of the earth today, none of them will remain after one hundred years."
– Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī (1/188, 2/39, 61), Muslim (1/16, 89)
Narrated by Jābir رضي الله عنه:
The Prophet ﷺ said:
"No soul living on the earth today will remain alive after one hundred years."
Imām Ibn Kathīr quoted these in al-Bidāyah (1/336) and transmitted the statement of Imām Ibn al-Jawzī, who said:
"These aḥādīth completely invalidate the claim of Khidr’s being alive."
❶ Claiming he is alive without proof is tantamount to speaking falsely about Allah, which is ḥarām according to the Qur’an.
❷ Had he been alive for thousands of years, the Qur’an would have clearly mentioned this miracle.
❸ If Khidr lived before Nūḥ (ʿalayhis-salām), then the flood would have wiped out his nation, as the Qur’an affirms that none survived except those on the Ark.
❹ Claims of him being seen are based on weak reports and personal dreams, which lack sharʿi validity.
❺ If he were alive, he would fulfill obligations of Islām like jihad, daʿwah, Jumuʿah, and congregational prayers—yet there's no record of any such participation.
﴿وَلَا تَقْفُ مَا لَيْسَ لَكَ بِهِ عِلْمٌ...﴾
(Sūrah al-Isrāʾ, 17:36)
"And do not follow that of which you have no knowledge. Verily, the hearing, the sight, and the heart—each of these shall be questioned."
◈ Conclusion:
✔ All sound textual, rational, and scholarly evidence confirms that Khidr (ʿalayhis-salām) has passed away.
✘ Claims of his being alive rely on unfounded stories, dreams, or weak narrations.
To assert such a belief without proof is to follow conjecture, not guidance.
Allah knows best what is correct.
Source: Fatāwā al-Dīn al-Khāliṣ, Vol. 1, Page 252
❖ Question:
Is Khidr (ʿalayhis-salām) still alive?
A popular narrative suggests that Khidr (ʿalayhis-salām) roams the deserts and desolate lands to this day, while Ilyās (ʿalayhis-salām) travels the seas, and they both meet annually at Ḥajj to shave their heads together. Is there any authentic and definitive evidence supporting this belief?
① Position of Qur’an, Sunnah, the Consensus of Scholars, and Sound Reasoning
It is essential to recognize that the death of Khidr (ʿalayhis-salām) is established by the Qur’an, authentic Sunnah, scholarly consensus (ijmāʿ), and logical reasoning. Those who claim he is alive rely on:
✘ Weak narrations
✘ Unverifiable dreams
✘ Unsupported statements
They possess no sound or conclusive evidence.
② Evidence from the Book of Allah (Qur’an)
✔ First Evidence:
﴿وَإِذْ أَخَذَ اللّٰهُ مِيثَاقَ النَّبِيِّينَ...﴾
(Sūrah Āl ʿImrān, 3:81)
"And [mention] when Allah took a covenant from the Prophets... 'If a Messenger comes to you confirming what you have, you must believe in him and support him...'"
According to ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAbbās رضي الله عنه, this covenant applied not only to the Prophets but also to the righteous saints (awliyāʾ).
Therefore, if Khidr (ʿalayhis-salām) were alive during the time of the Prophet ﷺ, and if he were a Prophet or Walī, it would have been obligatory upon him to:✔ Believe in the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ
✔ Support him
✔ Adhere to his Sharīʿah
✔ Second Evidence:
﴿وَمَا جَعَلْنَا لِبَشَرٍ مِّن قَبْلِكَ الْخُلْدَ...﴾
(Sūrah al-Anbiyāʾ, 21:34)
"And We did not grant eternal life to any human before you. So if you die, would they be eternal?"
This verse encompasses all human beings, including Khidr (ʿalayhis-salām).
Without explicit and sound evidence, he cannot be excluded from this general rule.
Imām Ibn Kathīr mentioned this in al-Bidāyah wa al-Nihāyah (1/334).③ Evidence from the Sunnah
✔ First Ḥadīth:
Narrated by ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿUmar رضي الله عنهما:
The Prophet ﷺ said:
"Whoever is alive on the face of the earth today, none of them will remain after one hundred years."
– Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī (1/188, 2/39, 61), Muslim (1/16, 89)
✔ Second Ḥadīth:
Narrated by Jābir رضي الله عنه:
The Prophet ﷺ said:
"No soul living on the earth today will remain alive after one hundred years."
Imām Ibn Kathīr quoted these in al-Bidāyah (1/336) and transmitted the statement of Imām Ibn al-Jawzī, who said:"These aḥādīth completely invalidate the claim of Khidr’s being alive."
④ Statements of Scholars and Scholarly Consensus (Ijmāʿ)
- Imām Ibn Qayyim narrated from Ibrāhīm Ḥarbī:
"Those who use unknown or unseen matters as evidence are unjust; such claims stem from satanic whispers." - Imām al-Bukhārī responded to the claim of Khidr’s being alive:
"How is that possible when the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said that none will remain after one hundred years?" - Shaykh al-Islām Ibn Taymiyyah stated:
"Had Khidr been alive, he would have joined the Prophet ﷺ in jihad and learning, because the Prophet ﷺ said:
*'Even if Mūsā (ʿalayhis-salām) were alive, he would have no choice but to follow me.'” - Scholars who confirmed the death of Khidr (ʿalayhis-salām):
✔ Imām ʿAlī ibn Mūsā al-Riḍā
✔ Imām Ibrāhīm ibn Isḥāq al-Ḥarbī
✔ Abū al-Ḥasan al-Manāwī
✔ Qāḍī Abū Yaʿlā
✔ Imām Ibn al-Jawzī – who declared that those insisting on Khidr’s being alive have deviated from Sharīʿah.
⑤ Logical and Rational Evidence
❶ Claiming he is alive without proof is tantamount to speaking falsely about Allah, which is ḥarām according to the Qur’an.
❷ Had he been alive for thousands of years, the Qur’an would have clearly mentioned this miracle.
❸ If Khidr lived before Nūḥ (ʿalayhis-salām), then the flood would have wiped out his nation, as the Qur’an affirms that none survived except those on the Ark.
❹ Claims of him being seen are based on weak reports and personal dreams, which lack sharʿi validity.
❺ If he were alive, he would fulfill obligations of Islām like jihad, daʿwah, Jumuʿah, and congregational prayers—yet there's no record of any such participation.
⑥ Classical Scholars and Their Writings on the Issue
- Ibn Qayyim – al-Manār al-Munīf fī al-Ṣaḥīḥ wa al-Ḍaʿīf (p. 27, Ed. Abū Ghuddah)
- Ḥāfiẓ Ibn Ḥajar al-ʿAsqalānī – Fatḥ al-Bārī (6/309), al-Iṣābah (1/428)
- Ibn Kathīr – al-Bidāyah wa al-Nihāyah (1/325–337)
- Ibn al-Jawzī – ʿAjālat al-Muntaẓir fī Ḥāl al-Khiḍr
- Ibn Taymiyyah – a dedicated epistle on his death
- ʿAlī al-Qārī – Kashf al-Khadr ʿan Amr al-Khiḍr
- Ibn al-Manār – a specific epistle affirming Khidr’s death
⑦ Qur’anic Warning
﴿وَلَا تَقْفُ مَا لَيْسَ لَكَ بِهِ عِلْمٌ...﴾
(Sūrah al-Isrāʾ, 17:36)
"And do not follow that of which you have no knowledge. Verily, the hearing, the sight, and the heart—each of these shall be questioned."
◈ Conclusion:
✔ All sound textual, rational, and scholarly evidence confirms that Khidr (ʿalayhis-salām) has passed away.
✘ Claims of his being alive rely on unfounded stories, dreams, or weak narrations.
To assert such a belief without proof is to follow conjecture, not guidance.
Allah knows best what is correct.
