Anwar Al-Quran

Verses 75–83

18. Al-Kahf · The Cave

Makkan110 verses

۞ قَالَ أَلَمْ أَقُل لَّكَ إِنَّكَ لَن تَسْتَطِيعَ مَعِىَ صَبْرًۭا

18:75He said, ‘Did I not tell you that you cannot have patience with me?’

قَالَ إِن سَأَلْتُكَ عَن شَىْءٍۭ بَعْدَهَا فَلَا تُصَٰحِبْنِى ۖ قَدْ بَلَغْتَ مِن لَّدُنِّى عُذْرًۭا

18:76He said, ‘If I question you about anything after this, do not keep me in your company. You already have enough excuse on my part.’

فَٱنطَلَقَا حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَآ أَتَيَآ أَهْلَ قَرْيَةٍ ٱسْتَطْعَمَآ أَهْلَهَا فَأَبَوْا۟ أَن يُضَيِّفُوهُمَا فَوَجَدَا فِيهَا جِدَارًۭا يُرِيدُ أَن يَنقَضَّ فَأَقَامَهُۥ ۖ قَالَ لَوْ شِئْتَ لَتَّخَذْتَ عَلَيْهِ أَجْرًۭا

18:77So they went on until they came to the people of a town. They asked its people for food, but they refused to extend them any hospitality. There they found a wall which was about to collapse, so he erected it. He said, ‘Had you wished, you could have taken a wage for it.’12

قَالَ هَٰذَا فِرَاقُ بَيْنِى وَبَيْنِكَ ۚ سَأُنَبِّئُكَ بِتَأْوِيلِ مَا لَمْ تَسْتَطِع عَّلَيْهِ صَبْرًا

18:78He said, ‘This is where you and I shall part. I will inform you about the interpretation of that over which you could not maintain patience.

أَمَّا ٱلسَّفِينَةُ فَكَانَتْ لِمَسَٰكِينَ يَعْمَلُونَ فِى ٱلْبَحْرِ فَأَرَدتُّ أَنْ أَعِيبَهَا وَكَانَ وَرَآءَهُم مَّلِكٌۭ يَأْخُذُ كُلَّ سَفِينَةٍ غَصْبًۭا

18:79As for the boat, it belonged to some poor people who work on the sea. I wanted to make it defective, for behind them was a king seizing every ship usurpingly.3

وَأَمَّا ٱلْغُلَٰمُ فَكَانَ أَبَوَاهُ مُؤْمِنَيْنِ فَخَشِينَآ أَن يُرْهِقَهُمَا طُغْيَٰنًۭا وَكُفْرًۭا

18:80As for the boy, his parents were faithful [persons], and We feared he would overwhelm them with rebellion and unfaith.

فَأَرَدْنَآ أَن يُبْدِلَهُمَا رَبُّهُمَا خَيْرًۭا مِّنْهُ زَكَوٰةًۭ وَأَقْرَبَ رُحْمًۭا

18:81So We desired that their Lord should give them in exchange one better than him in respect of purity and closer in mercy.

وَأَمَّا ٱلْجِدَارُ فَكَانَ لِغُلَٰمَيْنِ يَتِيمَيْنِ فِى ٱلْمَدِينَةِ وَكَانَ تَحْتَهُۥ كَنزٌۭ لَّهُمَا وَكَانَ أَبُوهُمَا صَٰلِحًۭا فَأَرَادَ رَبُّكَ أَن يَبْلُغَآ أَشُدَّهُمَا وَيَسْتَخْرِجَا كَنزَهُمَا رَحْمَةًۭ مِّن رَّبِّكَ ۚ وَمَا فَعَلْتُهُۥ عَنْ أَمْرِى ۚ ذَٰلِكَ تَأْوِيلُ مَا لَمْ تَسْطِع عَّلَيْهِ صَبْرًۭا

18:82As for the wall, it belonged to two boy orphans in the city. Under it there was a treasure belonging to them. Their father had been a righteous man. So your Lord desired that they should come of age and take out their treasure—as a mercy from your Lord. I did not do that out of my own accord. This is the interpretation of that over which you could not maintain patience.’4

وَيَسْـَٔلُونَكَ عَن ذِى ٱلْقَرْنَيْنِ ۖ قُلْ سَأَتْلُوا۟ عَلَيْكُم مِّنْهُ ذِكْرًا

18:83They question you concerning Dhul Qarnayn. Say, ‘I will relate to you an account of him.’

Tafsir

Commentary on this passage

Verse 78

1.The whole event bespeaks a fortunate coincidence that Moosa (a.s.) is a Messenger and the recipient of a Shariat and Khizr (a.s.) too is a virtuous Messenger of Allah and the possessor of inspired knowledge from Allah. It is obligatory upon Hazrat Moosa (a.s.) to follow his Shariat and responsibility of Khizr (a.s.) is to demonstrate as per covenant. his inspired knowledge and give a unique guidance to Moosa (a.s.).

There is no personal divergence between their disparate views and opinions. Rather, it is similar to the variance in the apparent meaning of Quran and its exegesis. There is no difference in it as they are both Divine concepts. The affairs of Moosa (a.s.) were in accordance to the apparent law due to which speaking was his religious obligation. He had to take notice of anything out of the ordinary, even if its responsibility rested with Khizr (a.s.). While it was the task of Khizr (a.s.) to focus his attention towards his own inspired knowledge because he associated with Moosa (a.s.) for imparting this knowledge. The base of Moosa’s (a.s.) utterances were the Divine Laws while the fountainhead of Khizr’s (a.s.) actions were Divine secrets and Divine mysteries are never in contradiction of Islamic Law. They act in distinctive fields and that was precisely the reason for his quiet acceptance of the revelation and refraining from argument regarding its validity.

Footnotes

Explanations of words and phrases in these verses

  1. Benefit

    Some commentators emphasize that the child had reached maturity because a person who is not matured cannot be killed in retaliation. The objection of Moosa (a.s.) was why he had killed without retaliation.

  2. 1

    According to some people the village was Antioch. In the tradition of Imam Ja’far as-Sadiq (a.s.) the name of this town is recorded as Nasiriyyah.

  3. 2

    According to some commentators the refusal to feed the guests has been mentioned to announce that such a behaviour is absolutely degrading. On the basis the people of the village requested the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) to change the word of the ayat to denote that they came to serve the guests. This was rejected by the Prophet (s.a.w.s.) as it would be tempering with revelation. This is the best proof of the unalterability of the Holy Quran.

  4. 3

    This word indicates that Safina is a faultless boat otherwise what was the use of making a hole in it.

  5. 4

    This word indicates that Taweel is the reality behind some incident. It is not the hidden meaning of a word.

  6. Benefit

    The incident of Moosa and Khizr (a.s.) shows that to travel vast distances in search of knowledge is from the practice of the Prophets and the secrets of the knowledge of Khizr (a.s.) was concealed in his servitude. Also, that haste is not appropriate in every matter. Every divine affair has an apparent as well as a hidden aspect and not everyone is aware of this.