Surah Al-Kahf 18:71-82 - Quran Translation Commentary

71. So the two set forth till, when they boarded the boat, he made a hole therein. Moosa said: “Have you made a hole in it to drown the people of the boat? Verily you have done a strange thing.”⁹⁷

72. He said: “Did I not tell you that you could not bear with me?”

73. He (Moosa) said “Do not take me to task for what I forgot, nor be hard on me for what I did.”

74. Then the two moved on till, when they met a boy, he killed him. He (Moosa) said: What! have you killed an innocent person who had killed no man? Verily you have committed a wicked act.”⁹⁸

75. He said: “Did I not tell you that you could not bear with me?”

76. He (Moosa) said: “If after this I ask you anything concerning anything, do not keep company with me, verily you have received an excuse from me.”

77. Then the two proceeded till, when they reached the people of a township, and asked for food, they declined to receive them as guests.⁹⁹ Then there they found a wall on the point of falling down, so he repaired it. Said (Moosa):” Had you wished, you could have taken payment for your labour.”¹⁰⁰

78. He said: “This is the parting between you and me!¹⁰¹ I will now inform you about the interpretation of that which you could not bear with patience.

79. As for the boat, it belonged to the poor people, working on the sea, for I wished to mar it, for there was beyond them a king who is taking every boat by force.¹⁰²

80. And as for the boy, his parents were believers and We feared lest he should oppress them by rebellion and disbelief.”

81. Therefore, We intended that their Lord should give them in his place another one better in purity and more akin to mercy.¹⁰³

82. “And as for the wall, it belonged to two orphan boys in the city, and beneath was a treasure for them, and their father was righteous, and your Lord desired that they should attain maturity and dig out their treasure ¹⁰⁴ as a mercy from their Lord; and I did it not upon my own command.¹⁰⁵ Such is the interpretation of that with which you could not bear.”¹⁰⁶

Commentary

97. This objection of Prophet Moosa was in accordance with the external appearances and was not out of place, while Prophet Khidhr had done this work in view of some hidden purpose, which was right in its own way, which was not manifest as is mentioned further.

The accompanying of Prophet Moosa’s servant is not mentioned during the journey which he undertook under the guidance of Prophet Khidhr. It appears that the servant was left near the rock, so that Prophet Moosa could take him back home on his return (God knows better).

98. Apparently the boy had not been guilty of any crime which could attract the punishment of his being slain. Therefore, Prophet Moosa could not keep his patience and he declared that act as the forbidden one, while Prophet Khidhr had performed that duty on account of a hidden purpose, as is mentioned further.

99. To feed a traveller is the demand of good conduct. In those days there were no arrangements for the travellers to feed themselves as are found in the present times. Therefore, the approved customary practice was to receive travellers as guests in all townships, but the people of that particular township did not provide even one time’s food to these travellers.

100. Prophet Moosa said so because the people of that township did not deserve to be served in any way, particularly when they refused to feed the hungry travellers even for one time. But before Prophet Khidhr there was another purpose on which a veil of secrecy was drawn.

101. This was the third time that Prophet Moosa objected. Therefore there was no room for any excuses, and the parting of ways approached. It is revealed from this episode that man gives his judgement on the external appearances, even though he may be a prophet, and as long as the hidden purpose is not revealed through divine revelation; he is compelled to give his decision on the external manifestation, The demand of the Shariah is also limited to the extent of man’s knowledge.

102. That is: To make the boat defective was not without advantages. In fact the purpose was to save the boat of the poor from being usurped by the tyrant king. This ruler used to take away every boat that passed through his town and was found to be in good condition. Prophet Khidhr removed one of its planks so that the officers of the king should deem it to be a broken boat and ignore it. He had employed this strategy on the basis of the special knowledge that was granted to him, and since he was a prophet, it is obvious that he might have been informed beforehand through the divine revelation.

The objection of Prophet Moosa was in accordance with the external appearances, and the strategy of Prophet Khidhr was in accordance with the special knowledge that was granted to him, and from that point of view that strategy was correct and beneficial, though its purpose and advantage were not known to Prophet Moosa.

As for the question as to how a change was effected in the property of another man without his permission, its answer is that first of all this interference or change was effected on the command from Allah, which therefore was proper and rightful, secondly sometimes one has to effect a change in the property of other in order to save it from loss, e.g. in the case of fire, a closed door is broken open even without the owner’s permission. Examples of such interferences and changes in others’ properties in order to save individuals or the society from losses can be round in plenty.

103. The word used in the text is ‘ghulam’ which applies to a boy of immature age and also to that of a mature age. In Surah Yusuf the narrative has that when a man had wanted to draw water from the well and he spotted Prophet Yusuf, he shouted that it was good news, there was a boy inside, although at that time Prophet Yusuf was seventeen years old. Therefore, it is likely that the boy whom Prophet Khidhr killed might have been mature and also a disbeliever. His parents were believers, therefore, this boy’s being a disbeliever meant that he was an apostate, and the punishment for apostasy in Islam is death. Moreover this boy was also rebellious. When Prophet Khidhr came to know of this state of affairs through revelation, he feared that this boy would surely be a cause of trouble for his parents: In view for this fear, he prayed to God that He may give them in his place a righteous lad, by belief and practice, and who should also be kind, so that he might treat his parents with kindness. Thereafter he killed the boy by the command of Allah. This killing was either the killing of an apostate which was lawful by the Shariah or if the boy was of an immature age, then it was the enforcement of a command in the process of divine administration by the Creator of the universe, which act was performed by a prophet in an extraordinary manner. In such a case it cannot be compared with the ordinary cases of killing. This was an exceptional case, which was exclusively reserved for Prophet Khidhr, which was also clarified to the prophet who enforced a Shariah, Prophet Moosa. It was like that exceptional command which was given to Prophet Ibrahim to slaughter his son Ismail. It is obvious that this was a special command reserved for Prophet Khidhr who was commanded by a special command to execute a killing which involved a disbelieving boy. Therefore, this act can neither attract any objection nor can it be a precedent for others to act similarly.

The pronoun used here by Prophet Khidhr “We” signifies that this act was in reality an act in the process of divine administration which only angels perform, and no wonder if angels might have helped him in performing this act, and in view of their association he might have used the pronoun “We” The quietness with which this act of killing was performed near the seashore, gives an idea that in the enforcement of Allah’s command, the angels might have joined him.

104. Even in spite of the improper treatment meted out to Prophet Khidhr and Prophet Moosa by the people of the township, the reason for Prophet Khidhr’s erecting the wall is that Allah had informed him that beneath this wall the treasure of the orphan boys was buried. If the wall had fallen, anybody would have grabbed the treasure of the orphans, particularly when they saw that the people of the township were immoral. Prophet Khidhr ignored their maltreatment, and repaired the wall with his own hands. This was an act of virtue which was performed by him.

105. This is a clear proof that he was a prophet, because he had not performed these acts with his will or under his authority. He had done so with Allah’s command. The knowledge that was granted to Prophet Khidhr, on the basis of which he was charged with special duties, that is he should adopt such strategies whose advantage and purpose might not be manifest, but whose result should be beneficia1 to the people and which should be righteous.

106. The chronicle of Prophet Moosa’s journey, which was undertaken for the attainment of a particular knowledge, ends here. The purpose behind narrating this chronicle is to make it clear that in the process of divine administration such events occur and such conditions shape up whose real purpose and benefit lie under cover. The eyes which see external appearances do not see the hidden realities, but Allah’s mercy and lordship is ever working behind the scenes. A glimpse of that can be seen in the events narrated here, after the meeting of these two prophets. Therefore, people of faith Should not be disheartened by the unhelpful circumstances in the struggle between the faith and disbelief. It is not unlikely that some really great good may come out of this and His mercies which are hidden in the clouds may shower their blessings on them. They should, therefore, place their trust in Allah, be patient and persevere.

The second lesson proposed to be imparted by this chronicle is that the great advantages lying behind the incidents and events occurring in the world, have a veil drawn over them and it is necessary that a day may come when the reality may be disclosed so that the people may know that the world is not a purposeless, haphazard creation but that it was created under a well thought out plan by the All-Knowing, All Wise Being, behind which great purposes and advantages were hidden. Allah has appointed the Day of Judgement for this very purpose that the veil from the secrets of the world may be lifted and those who have been holding right and wrong views about the world may be given their compensation for the acts and deeds performed by them in the life of the world.