Volume 6, Book 60, Number 249:
Narrated Said bin Jubair:
I said to Ibn ‘Abbas, “Nauf Al-Bikali claims that Moses, the companion of Al-Khadir was not the
Moses of the children of Israel” Ibn ‘Abbas said, “The enemy of Allah (Nauf) told a lie.” Narrated Ubai
bin Ka’b that he heard Allah’s Apostle saying, “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?’ Moses replied, ‘I (am
the most learned).’ Allah admonished him for he did not ascribe knowledge to Allah alone. So Allah
revealed to him: ‘At the junction of the two seas there is a slave of Ours who is more learned than
you.’ Moses asked, ‘O my Lord, how can I meet him?’ Allah said, ‘Take a fish and put it in a basket
(and set out), and where you, will lose the fish, you will find him.’ So 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). (18.61) Allah stopped
the current of water on both sides of the way created by the fish, and so that way was like a tunnel.
When 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 Moses asked his boy-servant ‘Bring us our early meal; no doubt, we have
suffered much fatigue in this journey of ours.’ (18.62) Moses did not get tired till he had passed the
place which Allah had ordered him to seek after. His boy-servant then said to him,’ ‘Do you remem –
ber when we be-took 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 marvelous way.’ (18.63)
There was a tunnel for the fish and for Moses and his boy-servant there was astonishment. Moses
said, ‘That is what we have been seeking’. So they went back retracing their footsteps. (18.64) They
both returned, retracing their steps till they reached the rock. Behold ! There they found a man
covered with a garment. Moses greeted him. Al-Khadir said astonishingly. ‘Is there such a greeting in
your land?’ Moses said, ‘I am Moses.’ He said, ‘Are you the Moses of the children of Israel?’ Moses
said, ‘I have come to you so that you may teach me of what you have been taught.
Al-Khadir said, ‘You will not be able to have patience with me. (18.66) O Moses! I have some of
Allah’s knowledge which He has bestowed upon me but you do not know it; and you too, have some
of Allah’s knowledge which He has bestowed upon you, but I do not know it.” Moses said, “Allah will –
ing, you will find me patient, and I will not disobey you in anything.’ (18.6) Al-Khadir said to him. ‘If
you then follow me, do not ask me about anything until I myself speak to you concerning it.’ (18.70),
After that both of them proceeded along the sea coast, till a boat passed by and they requested the
Volume 6 – 1036 / 1700
SAHIH BUKHARI VOLUME 6 > BOOK 60: PROPHETIC COMMENTARY ON THE QUR’AN (TAFSEER OF THE PROPHET (PBUH))
crew to let them go on board. The crew recognized Al-Khadir and allowed them to get on board free
of charge. When they got on board suddenly Moses saw that Al-Khadir had pulled out one of the
planks of the boat with an adze. Moses said to him.’ These people gave us a free lift, yet you have
scuttled their boat so as to drown its people! Truly, you have done a dreadful thing.’ (18.71)
Al-Khadir said, ‘Didn’t I say that you can have no patience with me ?’ (18.72) Moses said, ‘Call me
not to account for what I forgot and be not hard upon me for my affair (with you.)” (18.73)
Allah’s Apostle said, “The first excuse given by Moses, was that he had forgotten. Then a sparrow
came and sat over the edge of the boat and dipped its beak once in the sea. Al-Khadir said to Moses,
‘My knowledge and your knowledge, compared to Allah’s knowledge is like what this sparrow has
taken out of the sea.’ Then they both got out of the boat, and while they were walking on the sea
shore, Al-Khadir saw a boy playing with other boys. Al-Khadir got hold of the head of that boy and
pulled it out with his hands and killed him. Moses said, ‘Have you killed an innocent soul who has
killed nobody! Truly, you have done an illegal thing.’ (18.74) He said, “Didn’t I tell you that you can
have no patience with me?’ (18.75) (The sub narrator said, the second blame was stronger than the
first one.) Moses said, ‘If I ask you about anything after this, keep me not in your company, you have
received an excuse from me.’ (18.76)
Then they both proceeded until they came to the inhabitants of a town. They asked them food but
they refused to entertain them. (In that town) they found there a wall on the point of falling down.
(18.77) Al-Khadir set it up straight with his own hands. Moses said, ‘These are people to whom we
came, but they neither fed us nor received us as guests. If you had wished, you could surely have ex –
acted some recompense for it. Al-Khadir said, ‘This is the parting between me and you ..that is the in –
terpretation of (those things) over which you were unable to hold patience.’ (18.78-82)
Allah’s Apostle said, “We wished that Moses could have been more patient so that Allah might
have described to us more about their story.”