“Excessive speech tarnishes scholars and lays bare the faults of fools. Keep to moderation, for that is a mark of divine success and sound judgment. Turn away from the ignorant, put them off, and meet the foolish with forbearance, (1) for such conduct befits the wise and adorns the learned. If an ignorant man insults you, remain silent out of patience and keep your distance out of prudence, for what will remain of his ignorance and abuse of you is far greater and more serious.

O son of ʿImrān, never imagine that you have been granted more than a little knowledge, for rashness (2) and heavy-handedness spring from reckless intrusion and affectation. O son of ʿImrān, do not burst through a door whose lock you do not know, nor shut a door whose opening you do not understand. O son of ʿImrān, the one whose appetite for this world is never sated, whose desire for it never ends, who belittles his own state and accuses Allah concerning what He has decreed for him—how can such a person be an ascetic? Can one whose passions dominate him refrain from his desires, (3) or will the quest for knowledge benefit him while ignorance already envelops him, (4) when he claims to strive for the Hereafter even as his heart is set upon this world?

O Moses, learn whatever you learn so that you may act upon it; do not learn it merely to relate it, lest its ruin fall upon you while its light benefits others. O Moses son of ʿImrān, let renunciation and God-fearing piety be your garment, and let knowledge and remembrance be your speech. Multiply good deeds, for you will inevitably commit sins. Shake your heart with fear, for that pleases your Lord, and do good, for you are bound to do evil as well. You have been admonished—if only you will keep it.”

Then al-Khidr turned away, leaving Moses sorrowful, distressed, and weeping. (5)

This ḥadīth is not authentic. I suspect it is the handiwork of Zakariyyā ibn Yaḥyā al-Waqar al-Miṣrī, whom more than one of the leading imams (6) declared a liar. What is astonishing is that the ḥadīth master Ibn ʿAsākir kept silent about it.

The ḥadīth master Abū Nuʿaym al-Iṣbahānī said:

Sulaymān b. Aḥmad b. Ayyūb al-Ṭabarānī narrated to us; ʿAmr b. Isḥāq b. Ibrāhīm b. al-ʿAlāʾ al-Ḥimṣī narrated to us; Muḥammad b. al-Faḍl b. ʿImrān al-Kindī narrated to us; Baqiyyah b. al-Walīd narrated to us, from Muḥammad b. Ziyād, from Abū Umāmah—who said that the Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings be upon him—said to his Companions:

“Shall I tell you about al-Khidr?” They said, “Yes, O Messenger of Allah.” He said:

“While al-Khidr was one day walking in the marketplace of the Children of Israel, a slave under a contract of manumission (7) saw him and said, ‘Give me charity—may Allah bless you.’ Al-Khidr replied, ‘I believe in Allah; whatever He wills comes to pass. I have nothing to give you.’ The destitute man said, ‘I beseech you by the Face of Allah, give me charity, for I have perceived the sky reflected in your face.’”