Is There Peace in Your Land?

On their way back, they passed by a man who was covered under his blanket. Mūsā saw that man and said to him: al-salāmu ʿalaykum. The man stood up and said: wa annā bi-arḍika al-salām — people here do not know about salām. Who are you? Mūsā said: I am Mūsā. The man said: Mūsā Banī Isrāʾīl? Are you the Mūsā of the children of Israel? Mūsā said: yes. Al-Khaḍir already knew of him and had heard about him, so when he said, I am Mūsā, he asked: are you the Mūsā of Banū Isrāʾīl? He wanted to make sure. He said: yes, I am the Mūsā of Banū Isrāʾīl. He said: I am al-Khaḍir.

Mūsā (peace be upon him) told al-Khaḍir: I want to learn from you. How humble — a nabī of Allah telling this man, who might not be a nabī, because there is a difference of opinion about whether al-Khaḍir was a nabī or not. Some scholars say he was; some say he was not. It is an undetermined issue, because there is no evidence that he was a nabī of Allah. He could have been one of the anbiyāʾ, or he could have been a walī of Allah (swt); we do not know. Regardless, it shows that Mūsā wanted to learn from him, and he came in a very humble manner: I want to study under you.

Al-Khaḍir said: I have knowledge that Allah has taught me which you do not have, and you have knowledge that Allah has taught you which I do not have. So al-Khaḍir knew that he had some knowledge unknown to Mūsā, and that Mūsā had some knowledge unknown to him.