Tafsir Ibn Kathir (abridged)

Tafsir Ibn Kathir (abridged) — Hafiz Ibn Kathir

The Story of killing the Boy فَانطَلَقَا (Then they both proceeded,) means, after the first incident, حَتَّى إِذَا لَقِيَا غُلاَمًا فَقَتَلَهُ (till they met a boy, and he (Khidr) killed him.) It has been stated previously that this boy was playing with other boys in one of the towns, and that Al-Khidr deliberately singled him out. He was the finest and most handsome of them all, and Al-Khidr killed him. When Musa, peace be upon him, saw that he denounced him even more fervently than in the first case, and said hastily: أَقَتَلْتَ نَفْسًا زَكِيَّةً (Have you killed an innocent person) meaning, a young person who had not yet committed any sin or done anything wrong, yet you killed him بِغَيْرِ نَفْسٍ (without Nafs) with no reason for killing him. لَّقَدْ جِئْتَ شَيْئاً نُّكْراً (Verily, you have committed a thing Nukr!) meaning, something that is clearly evil. قَالَ أَلَمْ أَقُلْ لَّكَ إِنَّكَ لَن تَسْتَطِيعَ مَعِىَ صَبْراً (He said: "Did I not tell you that you can have no patience with me") Once again, Al-Khidr reiterates the condition set in the first place, so Musa says to him: إِن سَأَلْتُكَ عَن شَىْءٍ بَعْدَهَا (If I ask you anything after this,) meaning, `if I object to anything else you do after this,' فَلاَ تُصَاحِبْنِى قَدْ بَلَغْتَ مِن لَّدُنِّى عُذْراً (keep me not in your company, you have received an excuse from me.) `you have accepted my apology twice.' Ibn Jarir narrated from Ibn `Abbas that Ubayy bin Ka`b said: "Whenever the Prophet mentioned anyone, he would pray for himself first. One day he said: «رَحْمَةُ اللهِ عَلَيْنَا وَعَلَى مُوسَى لَوْ لَبِثَ مَعَ صَاحِبِهِ لَأَبْصَرَ الْعَجَبَ، وَلَكِنَّهُ قَالَ: إِن سَأَلْتُكَ عَن شَىْءٍ بَعْدَهَا فَلاَ تُصَاحِبْنِى قَدْ بَلَغْتَ مِن لَّدُنِّى عُذْراً» (May the mercy of Allah be upon us and upon Musa. If he had stayed with his companion he would have seen wonders, but he said, (`If I ask you anything after this, keep me not in your company, you have received an excuse from me.'))"

Tafsir Ibn Kathir (abridged) — Hafiz Ibn Kathir

The Story of repairing the Wall Allah tells us that فَانطَلَقَا (they both proceeded) after the first two instances, حَتَّى إِذَآ أَتَيَآ أَهْلَ قَرْيَةٍ (till when they came to the people of a town,) Ibn Jarir narrated from Ibn Sirin that this was Al-Aylah. According to the Hadith; «حَتَّى إِذَا أَتَيَا أَهْلَ قَرْيَةٍ لِئَامًا» (When they came there, the people of the town were mean.) i.e., miserly اسْتَطْعَمَآ أَهْلَهَا فَأَبَوْاْ أَن يُضَيِّفُوهُمَا فَوَجَدَا فِيهَا جِدَاراً يُرِيدُ أَن يَنقَضَّ (they asked them for food, but they refused to entertain them. Then they found therein a wall about to collapse and he (Khidr) set it up straight.) means, he fixed it so it was standing upright properly. We have already seen in the Hadith quoted above that he set it up with his own hands, supporting it until it was standing straight again, which is something extraordinary. At this point Musa said to him: لَوْ شِئْتَ لاَتَّخَذْتَ عَلَيْهِ أَجْراً (If you had wished, surely you could have taken wages for it!) meaning, because they did not entertain us as guests, you should not have worked for them for free. قَالَ هَـذَا فِرَاقُ بَيْنِى وَبَيْنِكَ (He said: "This is the parting between you and I) meaning, because you said after the boy was killed that if you asked me anything after that, you would not accompany me any further. So this is the parting of the ways between me and you. سَأُنَبِّئُكَ بِتَأْوِيلِ (I will tell you the interpretation) meaning explanation, مَا لَمْ تَسْطِـع عَّلَيْهِ صَبْراً (of (those) things over which you were not able to be patient.)

Tafsir Ibn Kathir (abridged) — Hafiz Ibn Kathir

The Story of repairing the Wall Allah tells us that فَانطَلَقَا (they both proceeded) after the first two instances, حَتَّى إِذَآ أَتَيَآ أَهْلَ قَرْيَةٍ (till when they came to the people of a town,) Ibn Jarir narrated from Ibn Sirin that this was Al-Aylah. According to the Hadith; «حَتَّى إِذَا أَتَيَا أَهْلَ قَرْيَةٍ لِئَامًا» (When they came there, the people of the town were mean.) i.e., miserly اسْتَطْعَمَآ أَهْلَهَا فَأَبَوْاْ أَن يُضَيِّفُوهُمَا فَوَجَدَا فِيهَا جِدَاراً يُرِيدُ أَن يَنقَضَّ (they asked them for food, but they refused to entertain them. Then they found therein a wall about to collapse and he (Khidr) set it up straight.) means, he fixed it so it was standing upright properly. We have already seen in the Hadith quoted above that he set it up with his own hands, supporting it until it was standing straight again, which is something extraordinary. At this point Musa said to him: لَوْ شِئْتَ لاَتَّخَذْتَ عَلَيْهِ أَجْراً (If you had wished, surely you could have taken wages for it!) meaning, because they did not entertain us as guests, you should not have worked for them for free. قَالَ هَـذَا فِرَاقُ بَيْنِى وَبَيْنِكَ (He said: "This is the parting between you and I) meaning, because you said after the boy was killed that if you asked me anything after that, you would not accompany me any further. So this is the parting of the ways between me and you. سَأُنَبِّئُكَ بِتَأْوِيلِ (I will tell you the interpretation) meaning explanation, مَا لَمْ تَسْطِـع عَّلَيْهِ صَبْراً (of (those) things over which you were not able to be patient.)

Tafsir Ibn Kathir (abridged) — Hafiz Ibn Kathir

Interpretations of why the Ship was damaged This is an explanation of what Musa found so hard to understand, and the appearence of which he condemed. Allah showed Al-Khidr the hidden reasons, so he said, "I damaged the ship to make it faulty, because they used to pass by a king who was one of the oppressors, who يَأْخُذُ كُلَّ سَفِينَةٍ (seized every boat), i.e., every good, sound boat غَصْباً (by force.) `So I wanted to prevent him from taking this boat by making it appear faulty, so that its poor owners who had nothing else could benefit from it.' It was also said that they were orphans.

Tafsir Ibn Kathir (abridged) — Hafiz Ibn Kathir

Interpretation of why the Boy was killed Ibn `Abbas narrated from Ubayy bin Ka`b that the Prophet said: «الْغُلَامُ الَّذِي قَتَلَهُ الْخَضِرُ طُبِعَ يَوْمَ طُبِعَ كَافِرًا» (The boy Al-Khidr killed was destined to be a disbeliever from the day he was created.) It was recorded by Ibn Jarir from Ibn `Abbas. He said: فَكَانَ أَبَوَاهُ مُؤْمِنَيْنِ فَخَشِينَآ أَن يُرْهِقَهُمَا طُغْيَـناً وَكُفْراً (his parents were believers, and we feared he would oppress them by rebellion and disbelief) Their love for him might make them follow him in disbelief. Qatadah said, "His parents rejoiced when he was born and grieved for him when he was killed. If he had stayed alive, he would have been the cause of their doom. So let a man be content with the decree of Allah, for the decree of Allah for the believer, if he dislikes it, is better for him than if He were to decree something that he likes for him." An authentic Hadith says; «لَا يَقْضِي اللهُ لِلْمُؤْمِنِ مِنْ قَضَاءٍ إِلَّا كَانَ خَيْرًا لَه» (Allah does not decree anything for the believer except it is good for him.) And Allah says: وَعَسَى أَن تَكْرَهُواْ شَيْئًا وَهُوَ خَيْرٌ لَّكُمْ (and it may be that you dislike a thing which is good for you.) 2:216. فَأَرَدْنَآ أَن يُبْدِلَهُمَا رَبُّهُمَا خَيْراً مِّنْهُ زَكَـوةً وَأَقْرَبَ رُحْماً (So we intended that their Lord should exchange him for them for one better in righteousness and nearer to mercy. ) A child who was better than this one, a child for whom they would feel more compassion. This was the view of Ibn Jurayj.