Legend has it that after many journeys and conquests, the king Sikander Zulqarnain found this obssession to attain the water of life (aab-e-hayat), after drinking a single drop thereof, one can live forever without fear of death.

So he took his companions with him, and set out on the search for the water of life. Along the way, he found the company of Khizr (the green one) who was after a similar persuit.

They travelled for many many miles, and many many days, until they reached a place so far away that even the light of sun could not reach it. This place was called, the abode of darkness (beher-e-zulamaat). It was a vast expanse of land, and so utterly dark that you a person could not see his own hand if he raised it in front of him. The caravan lost sence of its direction there, and lost all contact with each other or their surroundings.

Only khizr, somehow, managed to pass through this place, and reached the coveted spring of eternal life, of which, he took his fill.

When khizr returned to the abode of darkness, he found that his companions are still wandering about in the darkness, and have no clue of where to go. Khizr gathered them together again, and urged them to move on to the sprint of life, but everyone was so tired at this time, hungry, sleepless, and dispirited, that they decided to return home.

Khizr, feeling pity at the loss of his compatriots - how they put in such an effort, but still left discontented - decided to do something for them. He gathered his friends again, and told them, the although they cannot see anything in the abode of darkness, still, the ground upon which they are standing is not composed of stones, and clay, but precious jewels, pearls and diamonds. So pick as many as you can, and take them back to the world with you, so that you can become rich, and your journey is not left entirely fruitless.

Some of the people, who knew khizr to be truthful and believed in him, filled their knapsacks, with as much as they could, although it was a burden to carry all that. Still others, slightly skeptical, slightly trustful, did pick up a little stones, so the burden would not be too much, but bearable. A third group, thinking that this khizr has already decieved us once, letting us loose our way in this abode of darkness, and will likely do so again also, did not pick anything and returned back empty handed.

For many days and many nights they travelled, until, the first rays of the sun caught them, and behold, all the stones they had picked actually turned out to be priceless gems. Those who had picked up many were very happy, but those who had picked only a few regretted at how they could get much richer if only they had picked more. ofcourse, the group that returned empty handed was most dismayed!

The water of life, is remembrance (zikr) of the personal name of God (ism-e-zaat), through which one attains unification with Him, and which is the real purpose for which this whole journey is being undertaken in the first place.

The abode of darkness is this world, where you cannot see anything, and through which you must pass in order to attain your life purpose.

Khizr represents those selected, blessed individuals, who attain Allah through his remembrance, and thus become from among the Auliya and the Prophets, returning to us to guide and take us their too.

The stones, are religious duties, and good deeds, which turn out to be valuable diamonds in the next world, and whose value cannot be ascertained right away in the darkness. Yet, they are nothing more then a consolation for those, who otherwise fail short of attaining the water of life - their real life purpose.

The three groups of people are from among us, who loose heart in following khizr to the spring of life, and even more, do not even trust him in whatever residual benefit we can attain by picking up as many good deeds as we can.