al-Khidr, the Green Man

al-Khiḍr, The Green Man

al-Khiḍr and Alexander the Great stand before the Fountain of Life
Walters manuscript W.610: Alexander the Great and the prophet Khiḍr (Khizr) stand before the Fountain of Life.

Khiḍr literally means 'The Green One', representing freshness of spirit and eternal liveliness, green symbolizing the freshness of knowledge "drawn out of the living sources of life." Whatever the source for this green may he, it has come to symbolize the benign presence of the divine wisdom as imparted by the Divine Himself to Khiḍr and to Prophet Muhammad (UWBP).

In Muslim tradition, al-Khiḍr is widely known as the spiritual guide of Moses and Alexander the Great, a wali (saint), a prophet, and one of four immortals along with Enoch (Idris), Jesus, and Elijah.

Qur'ānic commentators say that al-Khiḍr is one of the prophets; others refer to him simply as an angel who functions as a guide to those who seek God. And there are yet others who argue for his being a perfect wali meaning the one whom God has taken as a friend.

Khiḍr is associated with the Water of Life. Since he drank the water of immortality he is described as the one who has found the source of life, 'the Eternal Youth.' He is the mysterious guide and immortal saint in popular Islamic lore and the hidden initiator of those who walk the mystical path.

In the Islamic tradition Khiḍr is alive and well and continues to guide the perplexed and those who invoke his name.

  • Sura 18 (al-Kahf): 'The Cave'
  • Hadiths concerning al-Khiḍr
  • Is Hazrat Khiḍr alive?
  • Al-Khiḍr, the Green Spiritual Guide
  • Al-Khiḍr: The Green Man of Sufism
  • Al-Khidr, the Legendary Immortal Prophet, Mystic, Trickster and Sea Spirit
  • Dhulqarnein and al-Khiḍr
  • A Parable of Blessing
  • Prayer to meet Khiḍr
  • Khiḍr in Encyclopedia of Islam
  • Khwaja Khadir and the Fountain of Life
  • Khiḍr, Alexander and the Fountain of Life
  • Idris and al-Khiḍr
  • Kataragama Khiḍr shrine in Sri Lanka
  • Khiḍr in the Popular Religion of Turkey
  • Khiḍr in Islamic Tradition
  • The cult of Hizir in Turkey
  • Shrine of Khwaja Khizr Bukkur
  • Book Review: 'Encountering Khiḍr'
  • The Green Fingerprint
  • Patron Saint of Cannabis
  • The Coming of al-Mahdi
  • Al-faqr or Spiritual Poverty
  • Resources on al-Khiḍr