“Moses rose to address the Children of Israel and was asked, ‘Who is the most knowledgeable of people?’ He replied, ‘I am.’ Allah reproached him because he had not referred knowledge back to Him. So Allah revealed to him: ‘I have a servant at the junction of the two seas who is more knowledgeable than you.’ Moses said, ‘My Lord, how may I find him?’ He said, ‘Take a fish with you and place it in a basket; wherever you lose the fish, he will be there.’

“So he took a fish, placed it in a basket, and set out, accompanied by his servant Joshua son of Nun. When they reached the rock, they laid down their heads and fell asleep. The fish began to stir in the basket, came out of it, and fell into the sea, making its way through the sea as though through a tunnel. Allah, exalted is He, held back the flow of the water over the fish, so that it formed something like a vaulted arch above it. (1)

“When they awoke, his companion forgot to tell him about the fish. They continued for the rest of that day and through their night, until, on the following day, Moses said to his servant, ‘Bring us our meal; we have certainly suffered much fatigue from this journey of ours.’ Moses did not experience fatigue until he had passed the place to which he had been directed. (2)

“His servant said to him, ‘Do you recall when we took refuge at the rock? I forgot the fish—and none but Satan made me forget to mention it—and it made its way into the sea in a wondrous manner.’ He said: ‘The fish’s course was a tunnel, while it was a marvel to Moses and his servant.’ Moses said, ‘That is what we were seeking.’ So they retraced their steps until they came to the rock, where they found a man covered by a garment. Moses greeted him, and Khidr, peace be upon him, said, ‘How could there be such a greeting in your land?’ Moses said, ‘I am Moses.’ He said, ‘Moses of the Children of ⦗220/b⦘ Israel?’ He replied, ‘Yes. I have come to you so that you may teach me some of the sound guidance that you have been taught.’

“Khidr said, ‘You will never be able to remain patient with me, O Moses. I possess knowledge from Allah which He has taught me and which you do not know; and you possess knowledge from Allah which Allah has taught you and which I do not know.’ Moses said, ‘You will find me patient, if Allah wills, and I will not disobey any command of yours.’ Khidr said to him, ‘Then if you follow me, do not ask me about anything until I mention it to you myself.’

“So they set out, walking along the shore, when a ship passed by. They asked its people to take them aboard, and they recognized Khidr and took them aboard without charge. No sooner had they boarded the ship than Khidr had pried loose (3) one of its planks with an adze. Moses said to him, ‘These people took us aboard without charge, yet you have deliberately damaged their ship in order to drown its people! You have indeed done a grave thing!’ He said, ‘Did I not tell you that you would never be able to remain patient with me?’ Moses said, ‘Do not take me to task for what I forgot, nor impose hardship upon me in this matter.’

“He said: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, ‘Moses’s first lapse was out of forgetfulness, [the second was due to a condition, and the third was deliberate].’ (4)

“He said: A sparrow came and perched upon the edge of the ship, then dipped once into the sea. Khidr said to him, ‘My knowledge and your knowledge have diminished [nothing of] (5) Allah’s knowledge except as much as this sparrow has diminished this sea.’

“Then they disembarked from the ship. While they were walking along the shore, Khidr saw a boy playing with other boys. Khidr seized him by the head and tore it off with his hand, killing him. (6) Moses said to him, ‘Have you killed an innocent soul who had killed no one? You have indeed done a heinous thing!’ He said, ‘Did I not tell you that you would never be able to remain patient with me?’ He said, ‘And this was more serious than the first.’ Moses said, ‘If I ask you about anything after this, then do not keep me in your company. You have received from me a valid excuse.’

“So they continued on until they came to the people of a town and asked them for food, but they refused to offer them hospitality. There they found a wall about to collapse, and Khidr set it upright. He said: It had been leaning, so Khidr raised it with his hand. Moses said, ‘We came to people who neither fed us nor offered us hospitality. Had you wished, you could have taken payment for it.’ Khidr said, ‘This is the parting between me and you. I will inform you of the interpretation of that over which you could not remain patient.’

“The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, ‘We wished that Moses had remained patient, so that more of their account might have been related to us.’” (7)

Sa‘id ibn Jubayr said: Ibn ‘Abbas used to recite: “Ahead of them was a king who seized every sound ship (8) by force,” and he used to recite: “As for the boy, he was a disbeliever, while his parents were believers.” (9)

In another narration from Sa‘id ibn Jubayr, from Ibn ‘Abbas, from Ubayy ibn Ka‘b, the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “[Moses rose] (10), the Messenger of Allah, and admonished the people one day until eyes overflowed and hearts were softened. Then he departed, and a man caught up with him and said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, is there anyone on earth more knowledgeable than you?’ He replied, ‘No.’ Allah reproached him because he had not referred knowledge back to Allah. He was told, ‘Yes—[Our servant Khidr].’ (11) He said, ‘My Lord, where is he?’ He said, ‘At the junction of the two seas.’ [He said, ‘My Lord, grant me knowledge through which I may know You better than he does.’] (12) He said, ‘Take a dead fish; where life is breathed into it...’ In another narration, he was told: ‘Take a salted fish as provision, for wherever you lose the fish...’ So he took a fish and placed it in a basket.” (13)

We now return to the commentary. His saying, exalted is He: “And when Moses said to his servant”—Joshua son of Nun—“I will not cease”: that is, I will continue travelling, (14) “until I reach the junction of the two seas.” Qatadah said: the Sea of Persia and the Sea of Rome, on the eastern side. Muhammad ibn Ka‘b said: Tangier. Ubayy ibn Ka‘b said: Africa. (16)