Al-KahfAyah 76

Tafsir Ibn Kathir

The Story of killing the Boy

ููŽุงู†ุทูŽู„ูŽู‚ูŽุง

(Then they both proceeded,) means, after the first incident,

ุญูŽุชู‘ูŽู‰ ุฅูุฐูŽุง ู„ูŽู‚ููŠูŽุง ุบูู„ุงูŽู…ู‹ุง ููŽู‚ูŽุชูŽู„ูŽู‡ู

(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:

ุฃูŽู‚ูŽุชูŽู„ู’ุชูŽ ู†ูŽูู’ุณู‹ุง ุฒูŽูƒููŠู‘ูŽุฉู‹

(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

ุจูุบูŽูŠู’ุฑู ู†ูŽูู’ุณู

(without Nafs) with no reason for killing him.

ู„ู‘ูŽู‚ูŽุฏู’ ุฌูุฆู’ุชูŽ ุดูŽูŠู’ุฆุงู‹ ู†ู‘ููƒู’ุฑุงู‹

(Verily, you have committed a thing Nukr!) meaning, something that is clearly evil.

ู‚ูŽุงู„ูŽ ุฃูŽู„ูŽู…ู’ ุฃูŽู‚ูู„ู’ ู„ู‘ูŽูƒูŽ ุฅูู†ู‘ูŽูƒูŽ ู„ูŽู† ุชูŽุณู’ุชูŽุทููŠุนูŽ ู…ูŽุนูู‰ูŽ ุตูŽุจู’ุฑุงู‹

(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:

ุฅูู† ุณูŽุฃูŽู„ู’ุชููƒูŽ ุนูŽู† ุดูŽู‰ู’ุกู ุจูŽุนู’ุฏูŽู‡ูŽุง

(If I ask you anything after this,) meaning, `if I object to anything else you do after this,'

ููŽู„ุงูŽ ุชูุตูŽุงุญูุจู’ู†ูู‰ ู‚ูŽุฏู’ ุจูŽู„ูŽุบู’ุชูŽ ู…ูู† ู„ู‘ูŽุฏูู†ู‘ูู‰ ุนูุฐู’ุฑุงู‹

(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:

ยซุฑูŽุญู’ู…ูŽุฉู ุงู„ู„ู‡ู ุนูŽู„ูŽูŠู’ู†ูŽุง ูˆูŽุนูŽู„ูŽู‰ ู…ููˆุณูŽู‰ ู„ูŽูˆู’ ู„ูŽุจูุซูŽ ู…ูŽุนูŽ ุตูŽุงุญูุจูู‡ู ู„ูŽุฃูŽุจู’ุตูŽุฑูŽ ุงู„ู’ุนูŽุฌูŽุจูŽุŒ ูˆูŽู„ูŽูƒูู†ู‘ูŽู‡ู ู‚ูŽุงู„ูŽ:
ุฅูู† ุณูŽุฃูŽู„ู’ุชููƒูŽ ุนูŽู† ุดูŽู‰ู’ุกู ุจูŽุนู’ุฏูŽู‡ูŽุง ููŽู„ุงูŽ ุชูุตูŽุงุญูุจู’ู†ูู‰ ู‚ูŽุฏู’ ุจูŽู„ูŽุบู’ุชูŽ ู…ูู† ู„ู‘ูŽุฏูู†ู‘ูู‰ ุนูุฐู’ุฑุงู‹ยป

(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.'))"