interlude: al-khidr

In his 1993 book Sacred Drift, Essays on the Margins of Islam, Peter Wilson writes “When you say the name of Khezr in company you should always add the greeting Salaam aliekum! since he may be there… immortal and anonymous, engaged on some karmic errand. Perhaps he’ll hint of his identity by wearing green, or by revealing knowledge of the occult and hidden. But he’s something of a spy, and if you have no need to know he’s unlikely to tell you. Still, one of his functions is to convince skeptics of the existence of the Marvelous, to rescue those who are lost in deserts of doubt and dryness. So he’s needed now more than ever, and surely still moves among us playing his great game.”

from khidr.org

I didn’t catch the name in the workshop, so I was searching for Hitr, Hitter, pre-Islamic, green coat, green foliage, any little hint. Finally I found him, Al Khidr, or Khezr, and a prayer to meet him. I may use it, as soon as I figure out what a “darood” is.

During my browsing on the website, I read the above paragraph. A memory came to me, from within the past hour. I was on my way to lunch, in traffic on Washington Street heading for the mall. My attention was drawn to an elderly man on the sidewalk. He had a full head of white hair and a bushy white beard, wore large brown glasses. His most striking characteristic, though, was his kelly green sport jacket. He walked delicately, carefully, rolling the sides of his feet inward, and I watched him for the minute that I waited for the light to change and wondered about him and his small shopping bag.

Salaam aliekum!