Shaykh Ash-Shanqiti (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
The stories of Al-Khidr told by the righteous are innumerable. They claim that he and Ilyas perform Hajj each year and they narrated Du`as from them, and these stories are well known and widespread, but the basis of what they say is very weak, because most of them are stories narrated from some of those whom they think are righteous, or dreams and Hadiths that are attributed to Anas or others, but all of them are inauthentic narrations and cannot be used to prove anything.
What seems to me to be more likely, based on the evidence concerning this matter, is that Al-Khidr is not alive , rather he died. This is for a number of reasons:
- The apparent meaning of the verse (interpretation of the meaning)
{And We granted not to any human being immortality before you (O Muhammad); then if you die, would they live forever?} [Al-Anbiya’ 21:34]
- The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “O Allah, if you allow this group of Muslims to be destroyed, You will not be worshipped on earth.” (Narrated by Muslim)
- The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said that one hundred years after the night on which he was speaking, none of the people who were on the face of the earth then would still be alive. If Al-Khidr had been alive at that point he would not have remained after the hundred years mentioned.
Muslim ibn Al-Hajjaj said that `Abdullah ibn `Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) led us in praying `Isha’ one night towards the end of his life, then he stood up and said: ‘Do you see this night of yours? One hundred years from now not one of those who are on the face of the earth now will remain.” Ibn `Umar said: “The people did not understand these words of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), and they said that this meant that the Day of Resurrection would come after one hundred years. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, ‘not one of those who are on the face of the earth now will remain’ meaning that that generation would pass away.”
- If Al-Khidr had lived until the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), he would have followed him, supported him and fought alongside him, because he was sent to the two races of jinn and mankind.
And Allah knows best.
