• Moses travels with his servants seeking higher knowledge

• He meets the one who had been gifted with knowledge by God and seeks to follow him requesting him to teach him what God had taught him

Al-Kahf Verses 60 – 70

وَإِذْ قَالَ مُوسَىٰ لِفَتَاهُ لَا أَبْرَحُ حَتَّىٰ أَبْلُغَ مَجْمَعَ الْبَحْرَيْنِ أَوْ أَمْضِيَ حُقُبًا

And (remember) when said Moses unto his 1boy: “I will cease not until I reach the junction of the two rivers or I will go on (a non-stop march) for years.” (18:60)2

فَلَمَّا بَلَغَا مَجْمَعَ بَيْنِهِمَا نَسِيَا حُوتَهُمَا فَاتَّخَذَ سَبِيلَهُ فِي الْبَحْرِ سَرَبًا

So when they reached the junction of the two (rivers), they forgot3their fish and it took its way into the sea making a hole (in the earth). (18:61)

فَلَمَّا جَاوَزَا قَالَ لِفَتَاهُ آتِنَا غَدَاءَنَا لَقَدْ لَقِينَا مِنْ سَفَرِنَا هَٰذَا نَصَبًا

But when they had gone (some distance) said he4unto his boy “Bring unto us our morning meal, indeed we have met from this our journey weariness.” (18:62)

قَالَ أَرَأَيْتَ إِذْ أَوَيْنَا إِلَى الصَّخْرَةِ فَإِنِّي نَسِيتُ الْحُوتَ وَمَا أَنْسَانِيهُ إِلَّا الشَّيْطَانُ أَنْ أَذْكُرَهُ وَاتَّخَذَ سَبِيلَهُ فِي الْبَحْرِ عَجَبًا

He said: “Didst thou see (what happened) when we took refuge on the rock, then verily I forgot5the fish, and nothing made me forget6to mention of it but the devil; and it took its way into the sea, what a wonder it is!” (18:63)

قَالَ ذَٰلِكَ مَا كُنَّا نَبْغِ فَارْتَدَّا عَلَىٰ آثَارِهِمَا قَصَصًا

He said: “That is (the place) what we were seeking for!” So they retraced their steps, (18:64)

فَوَجَدَا عَبْدًا مِنْ عِبَادِنَا آتَيْنَاهُ رَحْمَةً مِنْ عِنْدِنَا وَعَلَّمْنَاهُ مِنْ لَدُنَّا عِلْمًا

Then found they one, from among Our servants7whom We had vouchsafed mercy8from unto Us and We had taught him knowledge9unto Ourselves. (18:65)

قَالَ لَهُ مُوسَىٰ هَلْ أَتَّبِعُكَ عَلَىٰ أَنْ تُعَلِّمَنِ مِمَّا عُلِّمْتَ رُشْدًا

Said unto him Moses: “Shall I follow thee on condition that thou shouldst teach me aright of what thou hast been taught.” (18:66)10

قَالَ إِنَّكَ لَنْ تَسْتَطِيعَ مَعِيَ صَبْرًا

Said he:11“Verily, thou canst not have patience with me.” (18:67)

وَكَيْفَ تَصْبِرُ عَلَىٰ مَا لَمْ تُحِطْ بِهِ خُبْرًا

How canst thou be patient about what thou comprehendest not its knowledge. (18:68)

قَالَ سَتَجِدُنِي إِنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ صَابِرًا وَلَا أَعْصِي لَكَ أَمْرًا

He said: “Thou wilt find me patient if God willeth, and I shall not disobey thee in any matter.” (18:69)12

قَالَ فَإِنِ اتَّبَعْتَنِي فَلَا تَسْأَلْنِي عَنْ شَيْءٍ حَتَّىٰ أُحْدِثَ لَكَ مِنْهُ ذِكْرًا

Said he:13“If thou followest me, ask me not of aught until I myself unto thee make mention of it.” (18:70)

Commentary

Verse 60

It is reported by (M.S.)14 that once Moses while preaching to his people thought himself to be the most learned one among the men and there being none equal to him in knowledge. God commanded Gabriel to go at once to Moses and tell him that what he imagined about himself was not a fact and there is one more learned than him living near the rock at the junction of the two rivers, and Moses should go and earn some knowledge from the man. Moses was commanded to have a roasted fish along with him and whenever the roasted fish gets alive and gets into any river or sea, it will make a way for him and he should follow the track created by the fish. Immediately as he received the command from God, Moses started on the journey with his deputy Joshua Ibn Nun who attended on him with some bread and a roasted fish and decided to wander to any extent until he finds out the man of the greater knowledge and wisdom

The man referred to by God was Khidr. One of the miracles given to Khidr was that if he sat leaning on any dry stick it becomes fresh green. Khidr literally means green. (M.S. and U.I.)15

Khidr by name was Baliyu, son of Malka, son of Admir, son of Arfas, son of Sam, son of Noah.

Huqba is said to be a long extent of time - about 80 years.

Verse 61

At last Moses and Joshua reached a spring. Moses sat on a rock beside the spring. It is said that Moses slept on the rock and Joshua placed the fish on a rock, when the roasted fish suddenly jumped and got into the river.

The Junction of the Two Seas are interpreted as the joining of the two arms of the Red Sea viz. the Gulf of Aqaba and the Gulf of Suez (AYA)16. Some commentators interpret it as the meeting of the two great streams of knowledge viz. the knowledge of Moses and that of Khidr. (M.S.)17

Verses 62 - 64

When Moses and Joshua had passed the spring, Moses told Joshua to provide him with breakfast. When they did not find the fish along with the bread Joshua remembered the wonderful incident of the roasted fish springing into the river and passing through the water - and apologized for forgetting to report the incident to Moses for it was a satanic effect of forgetfulness that was cast on him. Moses said that was the Sign which they had to follow to reach the learned man of God. Moses and Joshua retraced their footsteps and reached the rock and followed the track made by the fish, through the water.

Verse 65

They found a man spreading his prayer mat on the water of the river and engaged in prayer. When Moses wished him, the man immediately returned the salutation saying “Peace be to thee Moses, the Apostle, and to the Children of Israel.” Moses wondered at the man already knowing his and to the Children of Israel.” Moses wondered at the man already knowing his name and his designation. This was Khidr who was specially blessed by God and endowed with knowledge direct from God.

• 1. Disciple.
• 2. Refer to verses 25:53, 35:15 & 55:19.
• 3. Left away though the act of forgetting was of the boy but figuratively it is at tributed to both.
• 4. Moses.
• 5. ‘Adhkuruhu’ may refer to take back the fish in the sense that the boy tells Moses that he left the fish on the rock and forgot to take it back. (A.P.).
• 6. Made me delayed to.
• 7. The Holy Apostle ‘Khidr’.
• 8. Apostle-ship & long life.
• 9. A kind of Knowledge of the unseen.
• 10. The form ‘Rushda’ may also apply to what has been taught to ‘Khidr’.
• 11. Khidr.
• 12. Note - The promise of Moses is conditional.
• 13. Khidr.
• 14. Minhaj as-Sadiqin [Mulla Fathullah Kashani].
• 15. Minhaj as-Sadiqin [Mulla Fathullah Kashani] and Usul al-Irshad [Shaykh al-Mufid].
• 16. Abdullah Yusuf Ali’s English translation of the Holy Quran.
• 17. Minhaj as-Sadiqin [Mulla Fathullah Kashani]