The Sīrat is distinct from the Sīrat al-Malik al-Iskandar, the Arabic version of the ancient Greek Alexander Romance, which is a literary rather than popular work. It follows a completely different narrative from that found in the Alexander Romance or in the Arabic Dhu ʾl-Qarnayn tradition. Al-Ṣūrī cites Kaʿb al-Aḥbār and Wahb ibn Munabbih as his major sources. He also sometimes cites . In general, however, he does not cite sources. One of the distinguishing features of the narrative, as the long title suggests, is the prominence of al-Khiḍr as Alexander's companion in all his adventures, not just that to the Land of Darkness.
