The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions (1288 page)

 
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Khazars
.

National group, originally of S. Russia, who professed Judaism. The Khazars were an independent nation of E. Europe between the 7th and 10th cents. CE. They converted to Judaism
c.
740 CE. The nation disappeared by the 11th cent., but as late as 1309, Hungarian Roman Catholics were forbidden to marry people described as Khazars. See also
JUDAH HALEVI
, who took the story of the conversion as the framework for his exposition of Judaism in
Sefer ha-Kuzari
.

 
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Khem
(5th cent. BCE).

The perfect or model Buddhist bhikh
uni (nun; see
BHIKH
U
) according to the Buddha. She was a queen of Bimbis
ra, of great beauty; but through the Buddha's teaching, she realized the transience of the body and achieved the condition of
arhat
.

 
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Khenpo
(abbr. for
mkhan-po
):

see
ABBOT
.

 
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Khi
r
.

In Islam, the mystical guide. He is at once human and angelic, mundane and celestial. Authorities such as
al-Tabar
and al-Nawaw
consider him immortal. He is associated with the colour green, the highest of colours in Islamic cosmology. The starting-point for traditions about Khi
r is the account in the Qur’
n (18. 60–82), in which the prophet
Moses
meets Khi
r and they set out on a journey. According to the
S
f
s
, Khi
r is the immortal guide possessing wisdom and powers beyond human understanding. He can manifest himself at many places at the same time, become invisible at will, and fly through the air.