• Among the lessons is a reminder of the famous, far-reaching maxim: a greater evil may be averted by committing a lesser one, and the greater of two benefits is preferred even if the lesser must be sacrificed. Killing the young boy was in itself an evil, yet had he lived until maturity and led his parents away from their faith, the evil would have been far greater. Though sparing the boy might appear good on the surface, preserving the parents’ religion was the superior good; therefore al-Khidr killed him after God had inspired him with the underlying reality. That inner inspiration (1) for him equalled the manifest proofs required of others.

• Another major principle derived here is that when a person acts in another’s property for the sake of benefit or to repel harm, the action is permissible without prior permission—even if it involves partial damage—just as al-Khidr scuttled the boat so that it would become flawed and thus escape confiscation by the oppressive king. From these two principles flow countless subsidiary benefits.

• The passage also shows that working at sea is as lawful as working on land, for He said, “They were laboring upon the sea” (18:79).

• It likewise indicates that killing is among the gravest of sins.

• Furthermore, Allah protects the righteous servant—his person, his children, and all that concerns him—as in the verse, “And their father had been righteous” (18:82). Serving the righteous and attending to their needs is therefore more meritorious than serving others, for al-Khidr explained his action concerning the wall by saying, “And their father had been righteous” (18:82).