Thus what is the continuing practice of Khizr and Dhulqarnain?

Thus what is the continuing practice of Khizr and Dhulqarnain?” Imam Hasan Askari (a.s.) said in reply, “Prolonged occultation.” Ahmad at once said, “O son of Allah’s Messenger, would the occultation of the Promised Imam (a.s.) be also prolonged?” Imam (a.s.) replied, “By my Lord!

Yes, so much so, that even those who had accepted him, would turn away from their belief and none shall remain except one from whom Allah has taken the covenant of our guardianship and in whose hearts is rooted our love and those who support it with their hearts. O Ahmad! This is the command of Allah and one of the divine secrets and one of the Unseen matters of Allah.

So remember what I am telling you and keep it confidential and be of the thankful ones so that you may reside in the position of Illiyeen with us.” The author says: I heard this tradition only from Ali bin Abdullah Warraq and found it only in his writings. So I asked him about it and he narrated it to me from Saad bin Abdullah from Ahmad bin Ishaq which I have mentioned.

Narration of Prophet Khizr (a.s.) 1 - Narrated to me Muhammad bin Ibrahim bin Ishaq (r.a.): Narrated to us Abdul Aziz bin Yahya Basri: Narrated to us Muhammad bin Atiyyah: Narrated to us Hisham bin Ja’far from Hammad from Abdullah Ibne Sulaiman that he said: “I read in some books of Allah, the Mighty and Sublime that Dhulqarnain was a righteous man. Allah appointed him as a proof on His servants and did not appoint his as a prophet.

Allah gave him power in the earth and things worked out in his favor. He described to him the spring of life and said that one who drinks from this, never dies till he hears the blowing of the horn. Thus he set out in search of this spring till he reached to the area in which it was located. There were 360 springs in that place. Khizr was in the vanguard of his army and he was the Dhulqarnain’s favorite.

Dhulqarnain gave to Khizr and other men a salted dry fish each and instructed them to wash it in different springs and stressed that each of them should wash in only one spring. Each of them headed for different springs. When Khizr placed the fish in his spring, it became alive and swam away. When Khizr noticed this he realized that he has come to the spring of life. So he washed his clothes in the same spring, bathed and also drank the water.

All the people returned with fish but Khizr did not have any. On being asked Khizr narrated the whole story. Dhulqarnain asked: Did you drink that water? He replied: Yes.