al-Zahr al-Nadr fi Hal al-Khidr
- Author died
- 852 AH
- Editions
- Majmaʿ al-Buḥūth al-Islāmiyyah
al-Zahr al-Nadr fi Hal al-Khidr (The Fresh Blossom on the State of al-Khidr) is a specialized hadith and biographical monograph by Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani (773–852 AH / 1372–1449 CE), dedicated to examining the identity, prophethood, and debated mortality of the enigmatic figure al-Khidr .
Background and Composition
Ibn Hajar originally drafted an extensive biographical entry on al-Khidr in his biographical dictionary al-Isabah fi Tamyiz al-Sahabah, in accordance with his criterion to record anyone reported to have encountered the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, even without a confirmed report establishing companionship . He subsequently extracted and revised this material into a standalone treatise arranged into thematic chapters (أبواب) with additions and omissions, aiming to provide readers with a comprehensive compilation of what he had examined and received regarding the subject . In compiling the treatise, Ibn Hajar drew upon earlier specialized works, notably by Abu al-Husayn Ibn al-Munadi among earlier scholars and Abu al-Faraj Ibn al-Jawzi among later authorities, supplementing their findings with extensive additional research .
While Ibn Hajar did not state a title in his introduction, his prominent student al-Sakhawi documented it under the title al-Zahr al-Nadr fi Hal al-Khidr . It has also appeared under variant titles, such as al-Zahr al-Nadr fi Naba' al-Khidr and al-Zahr al-Nadr fi Akhbar al-Khidr .
Contents and Core Arguments
The treatise addresses several core questions surrounding al-Khidr: his name and lineage, whether he was a prophet or a saint (wali), and whether he died in antiquity or remains alive .
- Prophethood: Ibn Hajar argues that al-Khidr was a prophet, relying on the Quranic statement regarding his actions: وَمَا فَعَلْتُهُ عَنْ أَمْرِي ("And I did not do it of my own accord") . He reasons that actions involving scuttling a boat and taking a life require divine command through direct revelation (wahy), which is unique to prophets and cannot be legitimized for non-prophets through inspiration (ilham) .
- Mortality and Critique of Longevity Reports: Ibn Hajar conducts a critical hadith evaluation of reports attributing continuous life and miraculous encounters to al-Khidr, demonstrating their transmission defects and lack of authenticity . He concludes that sound evidence refutes the popular belief in al-Khidr's continued survival . His primary arguments include the lack of any sound report showing that al-Khidr ever came to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ to believe in him and assist him, the lack of textual proof for singular longevity spanning millennia, and the general prophetic statement that no living soul present on earth would survive beyond a hundred years .
Reception and Publication
Al-Sakhawi considered the treatise the finest work written on the accounts and status of al-Khidr . Later hadith scholars and commentators frequently cited Ibn Hajar's critical verdicts on the weakness of narrations concerning al-Khidr's life .
The work was printed in Cairo within the collection Majmu'at al-Rasa'il al-Muniriyyah by Muhammad Munir al-Dimashqi . It was subsequently edited by Salah al-Din Maqbul Ahmad and published by the Islamic Research Center in New Delhi (1408 AH / 1988 CE) and later reprinted by Dar Ghiras in Kuwait, as well as published in Beirut and Cairo .
Answer updated