Tafsir of Surah al-Kahf Ayah 71-78
They set out; when they found a ship, they boarded it. He made a hole therein. He said, ‘Have you made a hole therein to drown its people? Indeed, you have committed a grave thing.’
He said, ‘Did I not say that you would never be able to bear with me patiently.’
He said, ‘Do not blame me for what I forgot and do not make me suffer difficulty in my affair.’
Then they set out; when they met a boy, he killed him. Moses said, ‘Have you killed an innocent soul unlawfully? Indeed, you have committed a grave matter.’
He said, ‘Did I not say to you, Moses, would never be able to bear with me patiently.’
He said, ‘If I ask you about anything after this, do not keep me in your company. Indeed, you have a sufficient excuse to part with me.’
Then they set out; when they reached a village, they asked its inhabitants for food, but they refused to entertain them. They found therein a wall that was about to fall, and he repaired it. Moses said, ‘If you wished you could ask for some wage for doing so.’
He said, ‘This is the time of parting between you and me. I will inform you about the interpretation of what you could not have patience with.’ [Surah al-Kahf: 71-78]
Tafsir
The Story of Moses and al-Khidr (2)
The surah then narrates the three things that al-Khidr did and Moses could not have patience with them.The First Incident
They set out; when they found a ship, they boarded it. He made a hole therein. He said, ‘Have you made a hole therein to drown its people? Indeed, you have committed a grave thing.’ [71]
He said, ‘Did I not say that you would never be able to bear with me patiently.’ [72]
He said, ‘Do not blame me for what I forgot and do not make me suffer difficulty in my affair.’ [73]
Moses and al-Khidr set out along the seashore, looking for a ship. When they found one, they boarded it. Then al-Khidr made a hole in the ship. Moses disapprovingly said, ‘Have you made a hole in it to drown its passengers. Indeed you have committed a grave matter.’Moses meant that making a hole in the ship would endanger the lives of its passengers, which is a grave act.
Al-Khidr replied, ‘Did I not say that you would never be able to bear with me patiently.’
Al-Khidr said so because he knew that Moses could not remain silent if he saw him doing things that he did not know the wisdom behind them.
Apologizing for his disapproval of what al-Khidr did, Moses said, ‘Do not blame me for what I forgot and do not make me suffer difficulty in my affair.’
Moses apologized for forgetting that al-Khidr told him not to ask about things that he would do and that might appear blameworthy.
Moses said to al-Khidr: ‘Do not blame me for forgetting your condition, and do not be so hard on me.’
Moses acknowledged his mistake, as he objected to what al-Khidr did and that he did not wait until al-Khidr would tell him clarification about it.
Thus, He asked al-Khidr to forgive him, and not to be hard on him.
Though Moses was determined to be patient and accepted the condition of al-Khidr, he was unable to remain silent when he saw the strange thing that al-Khidr did, for which there was no acceptable interpretation. His behavior agreed with human nature that reacts differently with what it perceived theoretically in real-life experience. He promised to be patient and not ask about what he would see, but when the matter became a reality, he could not fulfill his promise and expressed objection.
The Second Incident
Then they set out; when they met a boy, he killed him. Moses said, ‘Have you killed an innocent soul unlawfully? Indeed, you have committed a grave matter.’ [74]
He said, ‘Did I not say to you, Moses, would never be able to bear with me patiently.’ [75]
He said, ‘If I ask you about anything after this, do not keep me in your company. Indeed, you have a sufficient excuse to part with me.’ [76]
After Moses and al-Khidr left the ship, and al-Khidr accepted Moses' apology, they went on their journey. Then they met a boy and Al-Khidr killed him. At such a moment, Moses could not bear with what he saw, or restrain his anger. Disapprovingly and angrily, Moses said, ‘Have you killed an innocent soul unlawfully? Indeed, you have committed a grave matter.’Al-Khidr reminded Moses of his promise that he would not ask about anything until things would be clarified to him.
Al-Khidr said, ‘Did I not say to you, Moses, would never be able to bear with me patiently?’
In the Arabic version the word ‘laka i.e. you’, which is translated as ‘Moses’ was used. It was added for emphasis. It is as if al-Khidr was saying to Moses, ‘O Moses! Indeed, I told you…’
At this point, Moses reconsidered his position. He realized that he did not comply with the terms of his agreement with al-Khidr two times. Therefore, he willingly asked him to give him a final opportunity, after which al-Khidr will be absolved from his promise to Moses to accompany him.
He said, ‘If I ask you about anything after this, do not keep me in your company. Indeed, you have a sufficient excuse to part with me.’
Moses said to al-Khidr, ‘If I ask you about anything after this time, do not keep me in your company. Indeed, you have reached the highest degree of excuse, after which you will have the right not to accompany me as I violated your instructions twice.’
The reaction of Moses indicates how deeply he regretted his behavior with al-Khidr.
Messenger Muhammad said, ‘We wished that Moses was patient so that Allah would tell us more about their story.’
The Third and Final Incident
Then they set out; when they reached a village, they asked its inhabitants for food, but they refused to entertain them. They found therein a wall that was about to fall, and he repaired it. Moses said, ‘If you wished you could ask for some wage for doing so.’ [77]
He said, ‘This is the time of parting between you and me. I will inform you about the interpretation of what you could not have patience with.’ [78]
Moses and al-Khidr went on walking and reached a village. They asked its inhabitants for food, but they refused to entertain them.While Moses and al-Khidr were going about in the village, they found a wall that was about to fall. Al-Khidr repaired it, but he did not ask for a wage from the villagers for doing so. Moses could not bear with this situation because the villagers were stingy and refused to accommodate them, but al-Khidr helped them without asking for compensation. The conduct of al-Khidr was strange and perplexing.
Moses said to al-Khidr, ‘If you wished, you could ask for some wage for repairing the wall.’ He said so because they were hungry and the villagers refused to entertain them. Asking for compensation was natural conduct in such a situation.
However, this request was the end of the companionship between al-Khidr and Moses. Al-Khidr said to Moses,
He said, ‘This is the time of parting between you and me. I will inform you about the interpretation of what you could not have patience with.’
Al-Khidr told Moses that the time for separation came as Moses told him earlier ‘If I ask you about anything after this, do not keep me in your company.’
However, al-Khidr told Moses that he would inform him about the interpretation of the things that he could not bear patiently.
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