Lexington Books
Pages: 162
Trim: 6 x 9
978-1-4985-9591-9 • Hardback • August 2022 • $95.00 • (£73.00)
Irfan A. Omar is associate professor at Marquette University
Introduction
Chapter 1: The Origins and Meanings of the Khiḍr Story
Chapter 2: Khiḍr in Muslim Sources and Traditions of Piety
Chapter 3: Khiḍr in Sufism
Chapter 4: Khiḍr in Folklore
Chapter 5: Khiḍr in Muḥammad Iqbāl’s Poetry
Conclusion
Works Cited
Index
Omar offers a fresh and insightful narrative of a timeless, ubiquitous, protean, and always engaging figure in Islamicate literature and lore. He draws on a wide range of sources, from exegesis of the Qur’an’s Sura of the Cave (18) to mystical texts elaborating on Al-Khidr’s unique spiritual credentials. Omar emphasizes throughout Al-Khidr’s role as an inter-religious cross-cultural symbol of mediation and liberation from stereotypes—an “initiator” who continually surprises with manifestations of his stature and versatility as a paradigmatic sage and mentor.
— John Renard, Saint Louis University