What Is Meant by Masih and Khidr in a Verse

Question

The verse below, composed in praise of Hazrat Mu‘in al-Din Chishti, namely the verse: [ar]تیرے لحد کی زیارت ہے زندگی دل کی[/ar] [ar]مسیح و خضر سے اونچا مقام اقبال ہے تیرا[/ar] “Visiting your grave (lahd) is the life of the heart; higher than Masih (the Messiah) and Khidr is your exalted rank,” — to what extent can such attribution [of these merits] in this verse be considered correct?

Answer

In the speech of poets there are abundant metaphors and figures of speech; not every word is used in its literal meaning. Here “Masih” does not mean Hazrat ‘Isa ﵇, but rather his well-known quality — namely, a skilled physician — just as “Hatim” is often used to mean a generous man and “Rustam” a champion wrestler. Likewise, by “Khidr” is meant one who shows the way.

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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