Hundred Questions - Hazrat-i Khizr (a.s)
Hazrat-i Khizr (May peace be through him)
Q28 Who is Hazrat-i Khizr (May peace be through him)? And how true is what is said about his perpetual living in this world?
A28 Hazrat-i Khizr (May peace be through him) was a prophet, and when the time came he departed from this world. However, a story about him has continued to be told that he had drunk the water of life and is therefore ever living. In this connection people thought that in some corner of the world there was a place called zulumat (darknesses) where the spring of the water of life is found. If someone drinks from it once in his life he never dies and becomes ever living. It is said that Alexander tried to obtain it, but he could not. All this is based on fiction and thus there is no truth in it.
Nonetheless, it is true that ta'wil is presented by mostly using this famous tradition as an example. According to ta'wil, zulumat stands for ignorance and because recognition is hidden within ignorance the water of life stands for recognition (ma`rifat) and Hazrat-i Khizr (May peace be through him) stands for the true guide (i.e. Imam) who is always present in this world to guide man to the water of recognition. Thus, in reality, it is recognition that is the water of life by obtaining which a mu'min becomes ever living spiritually, but not physically.
The wise Qur'an vehemently rejects that anyone can live without tasting death (29:57), or that one can live forever physically (21:34), how then is it possible for Hazrat-i Khizr (May peace be through him), Hazrat-i `Isa (May peace be through him) or anybody else to live forever physically?
Today science and technology have greatly facilitated us to understand the realities of religion. Nevertheless, they have not been able to find such a water of life on the surface of the earth that enables one to live forever physically. Thus the tradition of the eternal physical life of Hazrat-i Khizr (May peace be through him) cannot be true without ta'wil.
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