*Story ~ Moses & Al-Khidr*

And (remember) when Musa (Moses) said to his boy-servant: “I will not give up (travelling) until I reach the junction of the two seas or (until) I spend years and years in travelling.” (V:18:60)

“Musa (Moses) got up to deliver a speech before the Children of Israel and he was asked, ‘Who is the most learned person among the people?’ Musa (Moses) replied, ‘I (am the most learned).’ God admonished him for he did not ascribe knowledge to God Alone. So God revealed to him: ‘At the junction of the two seas there is a slave of Ours who is more learned than you.’ Musa (Moses) asked, ‘O my Lord, how can I meet him?’ God said, ‘Take a fish and put it in a basket and then proceed (set out and where you lose the fish, you will find him).’

So Musa (Moses) (took a fish and put it in a basket and) set out, along with his boy-servant Yusha’ bin Nun, till they reached a rock (on which) they both lay their heads and slept. The fish moved vigorously in the basket and got out of it and fell into the sea and there it took its way through the sea (straight) as in a tunnel. (V. 18:61) God stopped the current of water on both sides of the way created by the fish, and so that way was like a tunnel. When Musa (Moses) got up, his companion forgot to tell him about the fish, and so they carried on their journey during the rest of the day and the whole night. The next morning Musa (Moses) asked his boy-servant ‘Bring us our morning meal; truly, we have suffered much fatigue in this, our journey.’ (V. 18:62) 

Musa (Moses) did not get tired till he had passed the place which God had ordered him to seek after. His boy-servant then said to him, ‘Do you remember when we betook ourselves to the rock? I indeed forgot the fish; none but Satan made me forget to remember it. It took its course into the sea in a strange way.’ (V. 18:63)

There was a tunnel for the fish and for Musa (Moses) and his boy-servant there was astonishment. Musa (Moses) said, ‘That is what we have been seeking’. So they went back retracing their footsteps. (V. 18:64) They both returned, retracing their steps till they reached the rock. Behold! There they found a man covered with a garment. Musa (Moses) greeted him. Al-Khidr said astonishingly. ‘Is there such a greeting in your land?’ Musa (Moses) said, ‘I am Musa (Moses).’ He said, ‘Are you the Musa (Moses) of the Children of Israel?’ Musa (Moses) said, ‘Yes’; and added, ‘I have come to you so that you may teach me something of that knowledge which you have been taught.’

Al-Khidr said, ‘You will not be able to have patience with me.’ (V. 18:67)

‘O Musa (Moses)! I have some of God knowledge which He has bestowed upon me but you do not know it; and you too, have some of God knowledge which He has bestowed upon you, but I do not know it.’ Musa (Moses) said, ‘If God wills, you will find me patient, and I will not disobey you in aught.’ (V. 18:69)

Al-Khidr said to him. ‘Then, if you follow me, ask me not about anything till I myself mention it to you.’ (V. 18:70) After that both of them proceeded along the sea coast, till a ship passed by and they requested the crew to let them go on board. The crew recognized Al-Khidr and allowed them to get on board free of charge. When they got on board, suddenly Musa (Moses) saw that Al-Khidr had pulled out one of the planks of the ship with an adze. Musa (Moses) said to him, ‘These people gave us a free lift, yet you have scuttled their ship so as to drown its people! Verily, you have committed a thing ‘Imra’ (a Munkar - evil, bad, dreadful thing).’ (V. 18:71)

Al-Khidr said, ‘Did I not tell you, that you would not be able to have patience with me ?’ (V. 18:72) Musa (Moses) said, ‘Call me not to account for what I forgot and be not hard upon me for my affair (with you.)’ (V. 18:73) *

“The first excuse given by Musa (Moses), was that he had forgotten. Then a sparrow came and sat over the edge of the ship and dipped its beak once in the sea. Al-Khidr said to Musa (Moses), ‘My knowledge and your knowledge, compared to God’s knowledge is like what this sparrow has taken out of the sea.’ Then they both got out of the ship, and while they were walking on the sea shore, Al-Khidr saw a boy playing with other boys. Al-Khidr got hold of the head of that boy and pulled it out with his hands and killed him. Musa (Moses) said, ‘Have you killed an innocent person who had killed none! Verily, you have committed a thing ‘Nukra’ (a great Munkar - prohibited, evil, dreadful thing)!’ (V. 18:74) He said, ‘Did I not tell you that you would not be able to have patience with me?’ (V. 18:75) (The subnarrator said, ‘The second blame was stronger than the first one.’) Musa (Moses) said, ‘If I ask you anything after this, keep me not in your company; you have received an excuse from me.’ (V. 18:76)

Then they both proceeded until they came to the people of a town. They asked them for food but they refused to entertain them. (Then) they found there a wall on the point of falling down. (V. 18:77) Al-Khidr set it up straight with his own hands. Musa (Moses) said, ‘We came to these people, but they neither fed us nor received us as guests. If you had wished, you could surely have exacted some recompense for it.’ (Al-Khidr) said, ‘This is the parting between me and you, that is the interpretation of those (things) over which you could not hold patience.’ (V. 18:78-82).”

“As for the ship, it belonged to Masâkîn (poor people) working in the sea. So I wished to make a defective damage in it, as there was a king after them who seized every ship by force.”

“And as for the boy, his parents were believers, and we feared lest he should oppress them by rebellion and disbelief. So we intended that their Lord should change him for them for one better in righteousness and near to mercy.”

“And as for the wall, it belonged to two orphan boys in the town; and there was under it a treasure belonging to them; and their father was a righteous man, and your Lord intended that they should attain their age of full strength and take out their treasure as a mercy from your Lord. And I did it not of my own accord. That is the interpretation of those (things) over which you could not hold patience.” (V. 18:79 - 82)

“As for the ship, it belonged to Masâkîn (poor people) working in the sea. So I wished to make a defective damage in it, as there was a king after them who seized every ship by force.”

“And as for the boy, his parents were believers, and we feared lest he should oppress them by rebellion and disbelief. So we intended that their Lord should change him for them for one better in righteousness and near to mercy.”

“And as for the wall, it belonged to two orphan boys in the town; and there was under it a treasure belonging to them; and their father was a righteous man, and your Lord intended that they should attain their age of full strength and take out their treasure as a mercy from your Lord. And I did it not of my own accord. That is the interpretation of those (things) over which you could not hold patience.” (V. 18:79 - 82)

MORAL:▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

There are many great lessons one can derive from this beautiful and inspiring story. One of them is the concept of “little Evil, for greater Good”

Clearly, the things Al – Khidr did can be seen as evil. He broke part of the boat, killed a boy, and helped an evil people.

But why? He later explains to Musa why.

The damaging of the boat was so that an oppressive king won’t take it.

The killing of the boy was because he would grow up to be oppressive to the parents

And the helping of the villagers was in fact for the two orphans.

Another thing to reflect upon is the blessings of God. When He takes something from you, He always returns it either in the same form or better!

The boat was only damaged to an extent that it would be left alone by the king, however it could easily be fixed and hence they were able to keep the boat, which was in fact their livelihood

The boy would have been bad, and God didn’t only save the parents from a horrible fitnah, but will bless them with a good child after. [This makes you think. All those parent that loose children who are young; they start hating God and don’t understand why their child was taken from them. But it is only on the day of judgement when they will be told that their child would have been infact oppressive to them and this was a test to see if they would have patience and Imaan!!]

As for the villagers, they without doubt would have stolen the treasure of the orphans if they had known about its. So God was taking care of the children [of righteous parents]. This tells you a lot about those who worry about the future of their children.

Evil is from God. But God does don’t create anything purely Evil. Everything thing Evil in this Life has some good in it. This is evident in the above story.