who taught them the Book and wisdom. Their Prophet said to them:

“If Moses were alive and you followed him, abandoning me, you would surely go astray.”

And when Jesus son of Mary, peace be upon him, descends from heaven, he will judge among them only by the Book of their Lord and the sunnah of their Prophet. In light of this, what need could they possibly have for al-Khidr or anyone else? Moreover, the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, has informed them of Jesus’s descent from the heavens and his presence among the Muslims, and he said:

“How can a community perish when I am at its beginning and Jesus is at its end?!”

If these two noble prophets—who, together with Abraham, Moses, and Noah, are the foremost among the messengers—and Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, the master of humanity, have not concealed themselves from this nation, neither from its masses nor from its elect, then how could one who is not their equal hide from it? And if al-Khidr were perpetually alive, why did he not—