Al-Jalalayn

Al-Jalalayn — Al-Jalalayn

So when they reached a juncture between the two between the two seas they forgot their fish — Joshua forgot his luggage leaving it behind at the moment of departure and Moses forgot to remind him — and so it the fish made its way into the sea that is it formed it — through God’s forming it — by burrowing that is like through a burrow which is a passage that is long and enclosed; this was so because God exalted be He held back the flow of the water preventing it from engulfing the fish and it the water withdrew from around it the fish and remained thus like a cleft without closing and what was beneath it the cleft stood still.

Al-Jalalayn — Al-Jalalayn

And when they had made the traverse of that location having journeyed until the morning of the following day he Moses said to his lad ‘Bring us our breakfast ghadā’ that meal which is consumed at the beginning of the day. We have certainly encountered on this journey of ours much fatigue’ exhaustion which took its effect on them after the traverse.

Al-Jalalayn — Al-Jalalayn

He said ‘Do you see? — in other words remember when we sheltered at the rock in that location indeed I forgot the fish — and none but Satan made me forget al-shaytān ‘Satan’ substitutes for the suffixed pronoun hā’ of ansānī-hu to mention it an adhkurahu an inclusive substitution in other words it should be understood as ansānī dhikrahu ‘he Satan made me forget the mentioning of it’ — and it the fish made its way into the sea in an amazing manner’ ‘ajaban constitutes the second direct object that is to say Moses and his lad were amazed by it because of what has already been explained concerning it.

Al-Jalalayn — Al-Jalalayn

Said he Moses ‘That namely our losing the fish is what we have been seeking!’ what we have been after for it is a sign for us of the presence of the one whom we seek. So they turned back retracing their footsteps until they reached the rock.

Al-Jalalayn — Al-Jalalayn

So there they found one of Our servants namely al-Khidr to whom We had given mercy from Us — according to one opinion this mercy was prophethood; according to another it was authority and this latter is the opinion of the majority of scholars — and We had taught him knowledge from Us ‘ilman is the second direct object in other words some knowledge of unseen things; al-Bukhārī reports the following hadīth ‘Moses was delivering a sermon among the Children of Israel and was asked “Who is the most knowledgeable of people?” to which he Moses said “Myself”. God then reproached him for not having attributed his knowledge as coming from Him. God then revealed to him the following “Truly there is a servant of Mine at the juncture of the two seas; he is more knowledgeable than you”. Moses then asked “My Lord how do I reach him?” He God said ‘Take a fish with you and place it in a basket and the place where you lose the fish will be the place where he is.” He Moses took a fish and placed it in a basket and departed together with his lad Joshua son of Nun until they reached the rock. There they placed their heads back and fell asleep. The fish began to move about in the basket until it escaped from it and fell into the sea and it made its way into the sea in an amazing manner. God then held back the flow of the water preventing it from engulfing the fish forming a kind of arch over it. When he awoke his companion Joshua forgot to inform him of what had happened to the fish and so they journeyed on for the remainder of that day and night until on the morning of the second day Moses said to his lad ‘Bring us our breakfast’ to where he says and it made its way into the sea in an amazing manner’. He Bukhārī said ‘For the fish it the way into the sea was by ‘burrowing’ saraban and for Moses and his lad it this way was ‘amazing’ ‘ajaban …’ and so on to the end of Bukhārī’s report.