• Another lesson is to observe proper courtesy with Allah even in one’s choice of words. Al-Khidr attributed the flaw in the ship to himself, saying, “I intended to damage it” (18:79), whereas he ascribed the benefit to Allah: “Your Lord intended that they reach maturity and retrieve their treasure, as a mercy from your Lord” (18:82). Abraham likewise said, “And when I fall ill, He is the One Who cures me” (26:80), and the jinn declared, “We do not know whether evil has been intended for the inhabitants of the earth, or whether their Lord intends for them what is right” (72:10). Yet everything, good or bad, takes place only by Allah’s decree and preordainment.

• It is also inferred that a person should not abandon his companion under any circumstance, but should remain faithful to the companionship until patience is no longer possible. Harmony with one’s companion in matters that are not forbidden strengthens and preserves the bond, whereas refusing to accommodate him is a cause for the relationship to dissolve.