Khidr, and so they took them aboard without charge. Once they had put out to sea, Khidr took an axe and broke open a plank of the ship.” (1) This is the meaning of His saying, Exalted is He:

“Until, when they had boarded the ship, he damaged it. Moses said to him, ‘Have you damaged it in order to drown its people?’”

Hamzah and al-Kisa’i recited it as li-yaghraqa ahluha—with the yaa’ and raa’ bearing fathah vowels, and ahluha in the nominative—meaning, “so that its people might drown,” with the verb construed as intransitive. The others recited it as li-tughriqa ahlaha—with the taa’ bearing a dammah and the raa’ a kasrah, and ahlaha in the accusative—meaning that the act is attributed to Khidr.

“You have certainly done a grave thing”: that is, something reprehensible. In the language of the Arabs, imr means a calamity; its basic sense is anything severe and immense. One says, amira al-qawmu, when the people become numerous and their affair grows serious.

Al-Qutaybi said: imr means something astonishing.

It is related that when Khidr damaged the ship, no water entered it. It is also related that when Moses saw this, he took his garment and stuffed the breach with it. And it is related that Khidr took a glass cup and patched the breach in the ship with it.

“He said, ‘Did I not tell you that you would certainly not be able to bear patiently with me?’ Moses said, ‘Do not take me to task for what I forgot, nor make things difficult for me in my affair.’ So they set out, until, when they met a boy, he killed him. Moses said, ‘Have you killed an innocent soul, who had killed no one? You have certainly done a terrible thing.’” (72–74)

The learned man—Khidr—said, “Did I not tell you that you would certainly not be able to bear patiently with me?” Moses said, “Do not take me to task for what I forgot.” Ibn Abbas said: He did not actually forget; rather, this was an indirect expression, as though he had forgotten something else. (3) It was also said that it means: for what I abandoned of your covenant; for nisyan can mean abandonment.

Ubayy ibn Ka‘b related from the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him: “The first was forgetfulness on Moses’s part, the second was a condition, and the third was deliberate.” (4)

“Nor make things difficult for me in my affair”: that is, do not overwhelm me. It was also said: do not burden me with hardship. One says, arhaqtuhu ‘usran, meaning, “I burdened him with that.” That is: do not constrict my affair for me; deal with me gently, and do not deal with me harshly.

“So they set out, until, when they met a boy, he killed him.” The account states that they came out of the sea and walked on, passing by some boys at play. Khidr took a handsome boy with a radiant face, laid him down, and then slaughtered him with a knife.

Al-Suddi said: He was the most handsome of them, and his face glowed with beauty.