"There they found a servant from among Our servants whom We had granted a mercy from Us and whom We had taught knowledge from Our Presence."
Quran 18:65
I'm repeating this one line from yesterday's initial discussion of the 18th surah, al-Kahf, "The Cave." We mentioned Khidr, the "Green One.," and before moving on I thought I should provide more information about him.
Nasr tells us: "He was said to have been given the name Khidr (or al-Khadir, 'The Green One') because wherever he prayed or stood, everything around him became green, that is, renewed with life; and in Islamic art forms, such as Persian miniatures, Khidr is always portrayed as wearing green.
Khidr is widely considered a prophet, although some say that he was just a righteous servant of God or an angel. Commentators put forward several arguments in support of Khidr's being a prophet, however, including that he was given direct and unmediated knowledge from God, which is the mark of prophethood, and that Moses followed him and sought knowledge from him, suggesting that, at least in some ways, Khidr was superior to Moses, and none can be superior toa prophet save another prophet. Moreover, in v. 82, Khidr states that the various acts that her performs, which are shocking to Moses, are not acts that he did upon his own command, indicating that he did them upon God's Command, another mark of prophethood. . . .
. . . Some consider Khidr to have been alive at the time of the legendary Persian hero and king Afaridun (Farakun), and at the beginning of the dime of Dhu l-Qurnayn (whose story follows immediately upon this one), as well as during the time of Moses. Khidr remains an important figure in Islamic thought, particularly among Sufi practitioners, some of whom consider him to be an eternal and mysterious mystical master who still guides or even initiates certain people into the Sufi path through dreams and visions." (p. 751)
We'll have a lot more to say about Khidr and Moses in the next few days. It's difficult for me to read about Khidr and not reflect upon the story of Gawain the Green Knight or even Tom Bombadil, although there are many other figures that would also apply.
Quran 18:65
I'm repeating this one line from yesterday's initial discussion of the 18th surah, al-Kahf, "The Cave." We mentioned Khidr, the "Green One.," and before moving on I thought I should provide more information about him.
Nasr tells us: "He was said to have been given the name Khidr (or al-Khadir, 'The Green One') because wherever he prayed or stood, everything around him became green, that is, renewed with life; and in Islamic art forms, such as Persian miniatures, Khidr is always portrayed as wearing green.
Khidr is widely considered a prophet, although some say that he was just a righteous servant of God or an angel. Commentators put forward several arguments in support of Khidr's being a prophet, however, including that he was given direct and unmediated knowledge from God, which is the mark of prophethood, and that Moses followed him and sought knowledge from him, suggesting that, at least in some ways, Khidr was superior to Moses, and none can be superior toa prophet save another prophet. Moreover, in v. 82, Khidr states that the various acts that her performs, which are shocking to Moses, are not acts that he did upon his own command, indicating that he did them upon God's Command, another mark of prophethood. . . .
. . . Some consider Khidr to have been alive at the time of the legendary Persian hero and king Afaridun (Farakun), and at the beginning of the dime of Dhu l-Qurnayn (whose story follows immediately upon this one), as well as during the time of Moses. Khidr remains an important figure in Islamic thought, particularly among Sufi practitioners, some of whom consider him to be an eternal and mysterious mystical master who still guides or even initiates certain people into the Sufi path through dreams and visions." (p. 751)
We'll have a lot more to say about Khidr and Moses in the next few days. It's difficult for me to read about Khidr and not reflect upon the story of Gawain the Green Knight or even Tom Bombadil, although there are many other figures that would also apply.
No comments:
Post a Comment