“Then, when they had passed beyond it, Moses said to his young attendant, ‘Bring us our meal; we have certainly suffered fatigue from this journey of ours.’ * He said, ‘Do you remember when we took shelter by the rock? I forgot the fish, and none but Satan made me forget to mention it. It made its way into the sea in a wondrous manner.’ * Moses said, ‘That is what we were seeking.’ So they retraced their steps, following their own tracks. * There they found one of Our servants, upon whom We had bestowed mercy from Us and whom We had taught knowledge from Our presence. * Moses said to him, ‘May I follow you so that you may teach me some of the right guidance you have been taught?’ * He said, ‘You will never be able to remain patient with me. * And how can you be patient concerning that of which you have no full knowledge?’ * Moses said, ‘You will find me patient, if Allah wills, and I will not disobey any command of yours.’ * He said, ‘Then, if you follow me, do not ask me about anything until I myself mention it to you.’ * So they set out, until, when they boarded the ship, he damaged it,” up to His words: “That is the explanation of what you could not bear patiently.”

When Moses and his young attendant had passed beyond the meeting place of the two seas, Moses said to him, “Bring us our meal; we have certainly suffered fatigue from this journey of ours.” That is, they had grown tired only from the part of their journey after passing that place. They had felt no trace of fatigue during the long journey by which they reached the meeting place of the two seas. This was one of the signs and indications showing Moses that what he sought was there. Moreover, ⦗482⦘ their longing to reach that place had made the journey easy for them. Once they had passed beyond their destination, however, they began to feel fatigued.

When Moses said this to his young attendant, the latter replied, “Do you remember when we took shelter by the rock? I forgot the fish.” That is: Do you recall when night brought us to take shelter by that rock known to them both? “I forgot the fish, and none but Satan made me forget to mention it,” for Satan was the cause of that. “It made its way into the sea in a wondrous manner.” That is, when it slipped away and entered the sea, this was something wondrous.

The commentators said that this path was a tunnel-like passage for the fish and a wonder to Moses and his attendant. When the young attendant told him this, Moses remembered Allah’s promise that when he lost the fish, he would find al-Khidr. Moses therefore said, “That is what we were seeking”—that is, what we were looking for. “So they retraced their steps”—that is, they returned—“following their own tracks.” In other words, they retraced their footprints to the place where they had forgotten the fish. When they reached it, they found one of Our servants. This was al-Khidr, who was a righteous servant and, according to the correct view, not a prophet.

We had bestowed upon him [“mercy from Us”; that is, Allah had granted him a special mercy through which his knowledge and righteous deeds increased, “and We taught him”] (1) “knowledge from Our presence” [that is, from Us]. He had been granted knowledge that Moses had not been given, although Moses (peace be upon him) possessed greater knowledge than he did in most matters, particularly in the branches of knowledge concerning faith and foundational religious principles. This was because Moses was one of the Messengers of firm resolve, whom Allah favored above the rest of creation in knowledge, deeds, and other respects. When Moses met him, he spoke courteously, seeking his consent and stating what he wanted:

“May I follow you so that you may teach me some of the right guidance you have been taught?” That is: May I follow you so that you may teach me some of what Allah has taught you—knowledge by which I may find and follow right guidance and recognize the truth concerning those matters?

Allah had granted al-Khidr such inspiration and miraculous favors that he was able to perceive the hidden realities of many things that remained concealed even from Moses (peace be upon him). Al-Khidr therefore said to Moses: I do not refuse your request, but “you will never be able to remain patient with me.” That is, you will be unable to follow me and remain in my company, because you will witness things that you cannot patiently endure—things whose outward appearance is objectionable, while their inner reality is otherwise. Hence, he said, “And how can you be patient concerning that of which you have no full knowledge?” That is: How can you remain patient concerning something whose inward and outward aspects you do not fully comprehend and whose purpose and outcome you do not know?

Moses replied, “You will find me patient, if Allah wills, and I will not disobey any command of yours.” This was a resolve he made before the circumstance that would test him had arisen. Yet resolve is one thing, while actually exercising patience is another. Thus, Moses (peace be upon him) did not remain patient when the event occurred.

Al-Khidr then said to him, “Then, if you follow me, do not ask me about anything until I myself mention it to you.” That is: Do not initiate any questioning or objection until I myself explain its circumstances to you at the appropriate time. He thus forbade Moses from questioning him and promised to inform him of the reality of the matter.

“So they set out, until, when they boarded the ship, he damaged it.” That is, al-Khidr tore a plank from it. He had a purpose in doing so that he would later explain. Moses (peace be upon him) could not remain patient because the act appeared objectionable: it damaged the ship and could cause those aboard it to drown. Moses therefore said, “Have you damaged it so as to drown its people? You have certainly done a dreadful thing.” That is, something grave and abhorrent. This resulted from his lack of patience (peace be upon him).

Al-Khidr said to him, “Did I not say that you would never be able to remain patient with me?” That is: What I told you has now come to pass. Moses’ objection on this occasion was due to forgetfulness, so he said, “Do not hold me accountable for what I forgot, nor burden me with difficulty in this matter.” That is: Do not make matters difficult for me, and pardon me, for this occurred out of forgetfulness. Therefore, do not hold me accountable on the first occasion. Moses thus both acknowledged his lapse and offered his excuse, indicating that al-Khidr should not be harsh with his companion. Al-Khidr consequently pardoned him.

“So they set out, until, when they met a boy”—that is, a young child—“al-Khidr killed him.” Moses became intensely angry, and religious zeal stirred within him when al-Khidr killed a young boy who had committed no sin. “He said, ‘Have you killed an innocent soul who had taken no life? You have certainly done a terrible thing.’” What could be more terrible than killing a child who bore no sin and had killed no one? Moses’ first objection had resulted from forgetfulness; this one did not, but rather arose from his lack of patience.