Al-Khidr is a figure not mentioned by name in the Quran. He is described in Surah Al-Kahf, as a righteous servant of God possessing great wisdom or mystic knowledge. In various Islamic and non-Islamic traditions, Khidr is described as an angel, prophet, or wali, who guards the sea, teaches secret knowledge and aids those in distress. He prominently figures as patron of the Islamic saint ibn Arabi. The figure of al-Khidr has been syncretized over time with various other figures including Dūraoša and Sorūsh in Iran, Sargis the General and Saint George in Asia Minor and the Levant, Samael in Judaism, Elijah among the Druze, John the Baptist in Armenia, and Jhulelal in Sindh and Punjab in South Asia. He is commemorated on the holiday of Hıdırellez.
Al-Khidr riding on a fish, as depicted in the mid-17th century
A Persian manuscript depicting Elijah and al-Khiḍr praying together from an illuminated manuscript version of Stories of the Prophets
Dome of al-Khidr, al-Aqsa Mosque, Old City of Jerusalem
al-Khiḍr and Alexander the Great in front of the Fountain of Life
In Islam, angels are believed to be heavenly beings, created from a luminous origin by God. The Quran is the principal source for the Islamic concept of angels, but more extensive features of angels appear in hadith literature, Mi'raj literature, Islamic exegesis, theology, philosophy, and mysticism.
Angel in a Persian miniature, in the style of Bukhara, 16th century.
Angel Blowing a Woodwind, ink and opaque watercolor painting from Safavid Iran, c. 1500, Honolulu Academy of Arts.
The angels Harut and Marut punished by hanging over the well, condemned to teach sorcery. (c. 1703)
1543 illustration of the Mi'raj from an edition of the Khamsa of Nizami Ganjavi created for Shah Tahmasp I
