(…So Allah inspired to him “At the junction of the two seas there is a slave amongst my slaves who is more learned than you.” Moses said, “O my Lord! How can I meet him?” Allah said: Take a fish in a large basket (and proceed) and you will find him at the place where you will lose the fish. So Moses set out along with his (servant) boy, Yusha` bin Noon, and carried a fish in a large basket till they reached a rock, where they laid their heads (i.e. lay down) and slept. The fish came out of the basket and it took its way into the sea as in a tunnel. So it was an amazing thing for both Moses and his (servant) boy.
They proceeded for the rest of that night and the following day. When the day broke, Moses said to his (servant) boy: “Bring us our early meal. No doubt, we have suffered much fatigue in this journey.“ Moses did not get tired till he passed the place about which he was told…)
Moses’s servant boy, Yusha’ bin Noon, said: “Do you remember when we rested by the rock? ˹That is when˺ I forgot the fish. None made me forget to mention this except Satan. And the fish made its way into the sea miraculously.” (Al-Kahf 18: 63)
Moses PBUH responded, (“That is ˹exactly˺ what we were looking for.” So they returned, retracing their footsteps.) So, they went back retracing their footsteps, till they reached the rock.
(And ˹remember˺ when Moses said to his young assistant, “I will never give up until I reach the junction of the two seas, even if I travel for ages.* But when they ˹finally˺ reached the point where the seas met, they forgot their ˹salted˺ fish, and it made its way into the sea, slipping away ˹wondrously˺.
When they had passed further, he said to his assistant, “Bring us our meal! We have certainly been exhausted by today’s journey.”
He replied, “Do you remember when we rested by the rock? ˹That is when˺ I forgot the fish. None made me forget to mention this except Satan. And the fish made its way into the sea miraculously.”
Moses responded, “That is ˹exactly˺ what we were looking for.” So they returned, retracing their footsteps.
There they found a servant of Ours, to whom We had granted mercy from Us and enlightened with knowledge of Our Own. ) (Al-Kahf 18: 60-65)
…)أَوْحَى اللَّهُ إِلى موسى-عليه السلام- إِنَّ عَبْدًا مِنْ عِبَادِي بِمَجْمَعِ الْبَحْرَيْنِ هُوَ أَعْلَمُ مِنْكَ، قَالَ مُوسَى: أَيْ رَبِّ كَيْفَ لِي بِهِ؟
فَقِيلَ لَهُ: احْمِلْ حُوتًا فِي مِكْتَلٍ-هو الزنبيل أو القدر- فَحَيْثُ تَفْقِدُ الْحُوتَ فَهُوَ ثَمَّ. فَانْطَلَقَ وَانْطَلَقَ مَعَهُ فَتَاهُ يُوشَعُ بْنُ نُونٍ فَحَمَلَ مُوسَى عَلَيْهِ السَّلَام حُوتًا فِي مِكْتَلٍ وَانْطَلَقَ هُوَ وَفَتَاهُ يَمْشِيَانِ حَتَّى أَتَيَا الصَّخْرَةَ، فَرَقَدَ مُوسَى وَفَتَاهُ فَاضْطَرَبَ الْحُوتُ فِي الْمِكْتَلِ حَتَّى خَرَجَ مِنْ الْمِكْتَلِ فَسَقَطَ فِي الْبَحْرِ، قَالَ
وَأَمْسَكَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ جِرْيَةَ الْمَاءِ حَتَّى كَانَ مِثْلَ الطَّاقِ فَكَانَ لِلْحُوتِ سَرَبًا وَكَانَ لِمُوسَى وَلفَتَاهُ عَجَبًا
فَانْطَلَقَا بَقِيَّةَ يَوْمِهِمَا وَلَيْلَتِهِمَا وَنَسِيَ صَاحِبُ مُوسَى أَنْ يُخْبِرَهُ، فَلَمَّا أَصْبَحَ مُوسَى عَلَيْهِ السَّلَام قَالَ لِفَتَاهُ (آتِنَا-أي أعطنا- غَدَاءَنَا لَقَدْ لَقِينَا مِنْ سَفَرِنَا هَذَا نَصَبًا)-أي تعبنا من طول السفر- قَالَ وَلَمْ يَنْصَبْ حَتَّى جَاوَزَ الْمَكَانَ الَّذِي أُمِرَ بِهِ…
قَالَ له يوشع بن نون: (أَرَأَيْتَ إِذْ أَوَيْنَا إِلَى الصَّخْرَةِ فَإِنِّي نَسِيتُ الْحُوتَ وَمَا أَنْسَانِيهُ إِلَّا الشَّيْطَانُ أَنْ أَذْكُرَهُ وَاتَّخَذَ سَبِيلَهُ فِي الْبَحْرِ عَجَبًا) )الكهف 18: 63)
قَالَ مُوسَى: (ذَلِكَ مَا كُنَّا نَبْغِ-هذا المكان الذي نريده-فَارْتَدَّا عَلَى آثَارِهِمَا قَصَصًا) قَالَ يَقُصَّانِ آثَارَهُمَا-أي يمشيان على أثر خطواتهما-حَتَّى أَتَيَا الصَّخْرَةَ….
وَإِذْ قَالَ مُوسَىٰ لِفَتَاهُ لَا أَبْرَحُ حَتَّىٰ أَبْلُغَ مَجْمَعَ الْبَحْرَيْنِ أَوْ أَمْضِيَ حُقُبًا ﴿٦٠﴾ فَلَمَّا بَلَغَا مَجْمَعَ بَيْنِهِمَا نَسِيَا حُوتَهُمَا فَاتَّخَذَ سَبِيلَهُ فِي الْبَحْرِ سَرَبًا﴿61)
فَلَمَّا جَاوَزَا قَالَ لِفَتَاهُ آتِنَا غَدَاءَنَا لَقَدْ لَقِينَا مِن سَفَرِنَا هَـٰذَا نَصَبًا ﴿٦٢
قَالَ أَرَأَيْتَ إِذْ أَوَيْنَا إِلَى الصَّخْرَةِ فَإِنِّي نَسِيتُ الْحُوتَ وَمَا أَنسَانِيهُ إِلَّا الشَّيْطَانُ أَنْ أَذْكُرَهُ ۚ وَاتَّخَذَ سَبِيلَهُ فِي الْبَحْرِ عَجَبًا ﴿٦٣
قَالَ ذَٰلِكَ مَا كُنَّا نَبْغِ ۚ فَارْتَدَّا عَلَىٰ آثَارِهِمَا قَصَصًا ﴿٦٤
فَوَجَدَا عَبْدًا مِّنْ عِبَادِنَا آتَيْنَاهُ رَحْمَةً مِّنْ عِندِنَا وَعَلَّمْنَاهُ مِن لَّدُنَّا عِلْمًا﴿65﴾ (الكهف 18: 60-65)