What Were the Three Things Al-Khidr Did?
ما هي الثلاث مواقف والأفعال التي فعلها الخضر؟
1- They found a ship that belonged to some poor men, and they asked them if they could board the ship to get to the other side of the river (or the sea). So, they allowed them to board it, but once they were on board, al-Khidr made a hole in the ship. Moses commented: You made a hole in the ship, and this would cause harm to its owners. What you did is terrible!
(So they set out, but after they had boarded a ship, the man made a hole in it. Moses protested, "Have you done this to drown its people? You have certainly done a terrible thing!") (Al-Kahf 18: 71)
2- Then, they went on walking, and they found a boy. Al-Khidr killed him, so Moses, peace be upon him, told him: You killed an innocent soul without reason.
(So they proceeded until they came across a boy, and the man killed him. Moses protested, "Have you killed an innocent soul, who killed no one? You have certainly done a horrible thing.") (Al-Kahf 18: 74)
3- After that, they got to a town and asked its people to give them food, but they refused. Then, al-Khidr saw a wall that was about to collapse, so he fixed it and put it upright. Moses, peace be upon him, told him: You could have taken a fee for fixing the wall since they refused to offer us some food.
(So they moved on until they came to the people of a town. They asked them for food, but the people refused to give them hospitality. There they found a wall ready to collapse, so the man set it right. Moses protested, "If you wanted, you could have demanded a fee for this.") (Al-Kahf 18: 77)
After those three incidents, and before they parted, al-Khidr explained to Moses why he had done what he did, and he told him as Allah the Almighty narrates:
"He replied, "This is the parting of our ways. I will explain to you what you could not bear patiently."" (Al-Kahf 18: 78)
وجدوا سفينة يمتلكها رجال فقراء فطلبوا منهم أن يركبوا معهم ليذهبوا إلى الطرف الآخر من النهر (أو البحر). فوافق المساكين وركبوا معهم. ولما ركبوا فيها، خرق الخضر السفينة. فسأله موسى عليه السلام: لماذا خرقت السفينة؟ إن هذا شيء شنيع.
(فَانطَلَقَا حَتَّىٰ إِذَا رَكِبَا فِي السَّفِينَةِ خَرَقَهَا ۖ قَالَ أَخَرَقْتَهَا لِتُغْرِقَ أَهْلَهَا لَقَدْ جِئْتَ شَيْئًا إِمْرًا) الكهف 18: 71
ثم مشوا فوجدوا غلامًا فقتله الخضر دون سبب. فقال له موسى عليه السلام: كيف قتلت نفسًا بريئة دون سبب؟
(فَانطَلَقَا حَتَّىٰ إِذَا لَقِيَا غُلَامًا فَقَتَلَهُ قَالَ أَقَتَلْتَ نَفْسًا زَكِيَّةً بِغَيْرِ نَفْسٍ لَّقَدْ جِئْتَ شَيْئًا نُّكْرًا) الكهف 18: 74
تابعوا السير حتى وصلوا إلى قرية. طلبوا من أهل القرية أكلًا (استضافة) فرفضوا إعطاءهم أي شيء. وجدوا جدارًا مكسورًا سيقع فرممه الخضر وأصلحه كي لا يقع. قال له موسى عليه السلام: كان من الممكن أن تطلب أجرة على إصلاحه، خاصة بعد هذه المعاملة التي امتنعوا فيها عن استضافتنا.
(فَانطَلَقَا حَتَّىٰ إِذَا أَتَيَا أَهْلَ قَرْيَةٍ اسْتَطْعَمَا أَهْلَهَا فَأَبَوْا أَن يُضَيِّفُوهُمَا فَوَجَدَا فِيهَا جِدَارًا يُرِيدُ أَن يَنقَضَّ فَأَقَامَهُ ۖ قَالَ لَوْ شِئْتَ لَاتَّخَذْتَ عَلَيْهِ أَجْرًا) الكهف 18: 77
بعد الثلاث مواقف وقبل أن يفترقا، أخبر الخضر موسى عليه السلام عن سبب الأفعال التي فعلها:
(قَالَ هَـٰذَا فِرَاقُ بَيْنِي وَبَيْنِكَ ۚ سَأُنَبِّئُكَ بِتَأْوِيلِ مَا لَمْ تَسْتَطِع عَّلَيْهِ صَبْرًا) الكهف 18: 78
1. The First Test: A Hole in the Ship | الاختبار الأول: خرقٌ في السفينة
The first incident comes almost at once. A poor community lets Moses and Al-Khidr board their ship free of charge, and Al-Khidr repays that kindness, from Moses' own vantage point, by damaging the vessel: "Have you done this to drown its people? You have certainly done a terrible thing!" (Surah Al-Kahf 18:71). Al-Khidr's answer is short and unapologetic, "Did I not say that you cannot have patience with me?" (18:72), and Moses immediately retreats, "Excuse me for forgetting, and do not be hard on me" (18:73), the first of his lapses, which the Prophet described as forgetfulness.
تقع الحادثة الأولى على الفور تقريبًا. يسمح قومٌ فقراء لموسى والخضر بركوب سفينتهم مجانًا، فيكافئهما الخضر، من منظور موسى، بإتلاف السفينة: "أخرقتها لتغرق أهلها لقد جئت شيئًا إمرًا" (الكهف 18: 71). فيجيبه الخضر بإيجازٍ لا اعتذار فيه: "ألم أقل إنك لن تستطيع معي صبرًا" (الكهف 18: 72)، فيتراجع موسى فورًا: "لا تؤاخذني بما نسيت ولا ترهقني من أمري عسرًا" (الكهف 18: 73)، وكانت هذه أولى مخالفاته، وقد وصفها النبي ﷺ بأنها كانت نسيانًا.
فَانطَلَقَا حَتَّىٰ إِذَا رَكِبَا فِي السَّفِينَةِ خَرَقَهَا قَالَ أَخَرَقْتَهَا لِتُغْرِقَ أَهْلَهَا لَقَدْ جِئْتَ شَيْئًا إِمْرًا (الكهف 18: 71)2. The Second Test: An Innocent Boy | الاختبار الثاني: غلامٌ بريء
Continuing on, they meet a boy, and Al-Khidr kills him outright: "Have you killed an innocent soul, who killed no one? You have certainly done a horrible thing" (18:74). The reminder comes again in almost identical words to the first, "Did I not tell you that you cannot have patience with me?" (18:75), and Moses, aware he has now broken the agreement twice, offers himself only one remaining chance: "If I ever question you about anything after this, then do not keep me in your company, for by then I would have given you enough of an excuse" (18:76).
يتابعان السير فيلقيان غلامًا فيقتله الخضر دون مقدمات: "أقتلت نفسًا زكية بغير نفس لقد جئت شيئًا نكرًا" (الكهف 18: 74). فيتكرر التذكير بألفاظٍ تكاد تطابق المرة الأولى: "ألم أقل لك إنك لن تستطيع معي صبرًا" (الكهف 18: 75)، فيدرك موسى أنه خالف الاتفاق للمرة الثانية، فيمنح نفسه فرصةً أخيرة: "إن سألتك عن شيء بعدها فلا تصاحبني قد بلغت من لدني عذرًا" (الكهف 18: 76).
فَانطَلَقَا حَتَّىٰ إِذَا لَقِيَا غُلَامًا فَقَتَلَهُ قَالَ أَقَتَلْتَ نَفْسًا زَكِيَّةً بِغَيْرِ نَفْسٍ لَّقَدْ جِئْتَ شَيْئًا نُّكْرًا (الكهف 18: 74)3. The Third Test: A Wall Repaired for Nothing | الاختبار الثالث: جدارٌ يُصلَح بلا مقابل
The pair reach a town, ask its people for food, and are refused hospitality entirely, only for Al-Khidr to find a collapsing wall there and set it upright at no charge. Moses' objection this time is not about harm but about a missed opportunity: "If you wanted, you could have demanded a fee for this" (18:77), given how poorly the townspeople had just treated them.
يصل الاثنان إلى قرية، ويطلبان الطعام من أهلها فيُرفضان تمامًا، ومع ذلك يجد الخضر جدارًا آيلًا للسقوط فيقيمه دون مقابل. اعتراض موسى هذه المرة ليس على ضررٍ وإنما على فرصةٍ ضائعة: "لو شئت لاتخذت عليه أجرًا" (الكهف 18: 77)، نظرًا لسوء معاملة أهل القرية لهما.
فَانطَلَقَا حَتَّىٰ إِذَا أَتَيَا أَهْلَ قَرْيَةٍ اسْتَطْعَمَا أَهْلَهَا فَأَبَوْا أَن يُضَيِّفُوهُمَا فَوَجَدَا فِيهَا جِدَارًا يُرِيدُ أَن يَنقَضَّ فَأَقَامَهُ قَالَ لَوْ شِئْتَ لَاتَّخَذْتَ عَلَيْهِ أَجْرًا (الكهف 18: 77)4. A Pattern: Forgetfulness, Not Disbelief | نمطٌ متكرر: نسيانٌ لا شك
Across all three incidents, Al-Khidr answers each objection the same way, by pointing back to what he had already told Moses before the journey even began: that Moses would not be able to bear this patiently. Moses does not deny wrongdoing or lose faith in his teacher; he cannot hold to the condition of silence; in the hadith in Sahih Al-Bukhari, the first objection came from forgetfulness, the second bound him with a condition, and the third was deliberate, exactly the difficulty Al-Khidr had predicted from the very first exchange between them.
في الحوادث الثلاث جميعها، يجيب الخضر على كل اعتراضٍ بالطريقة نفسها، بالإشارة إلى ما سبق أن أخبر به موسى قبل بدء الرحلة أصلًا: أنه لن يستطيع الصبر معه. ولا ينكر موسى خطأً ولا يفقد ثقته بمعلمه، بل لا يقدر على التزام شرط الصمت؛ ففي الحديث الذي رواه البخاري كانت الأولى نسيانًا، والثانية ألزمته بشرط، والثالثة كانت عمدًا، وهذا بالضبط ما توقعه الخضر منذ أول حوارٍ دار بينهما.
قَالَ إِن سَأَلْتُكَ عَن شَيْءٍ بَعْدَهَا فَلَا تُصَاحِبْنِي قَدْ بَلَغْتَ مِن لَّدُنِّي عُذْرًا (الكهف 18: 76)5. The Parting Words | كلمات الفراق
After the third incident, Al-Khidr does not wait for a fourth objection. He tells Moses directly, "This is the parting of our ways. I will explain to you what you could not bear patiently" (18:78), turning what could have looked like three unexplained wrongs into a promise that every one of them has a reason still to come.
بعد الحادثة الثالثة، لا ينتظر الخضر اعتراضًا رابعًا، بل يخبر موسى مباشرة: "هذا فراق بيني وبينك سأنبئك بتأويل ما لم تستطع عليه صبرًا" (الكهف 18: 78)، محوّلًا ما بدا ثلاثة أفعالٍ بلا تفسير إلى وعدٍ بأن لكل واحدٍ منها سببًا لا يزال قادمًا.
قَالَ هَـٰذَا فِرَاقُ بَيْنِي وَبَيْنِكَ سَأُنَبِّئُكَ بِتَأْوِيلِ مَا لَمْ تَسْتَطِع عَّلَيْهِ صَبْرًا (الكهف 18: 78)Frequently Asked Questions | الأسئلة الشائعة
What was the first thing Al-Khidr did that troubled Moses?
He made a hole in a ship that had carried them across for free.
What was the second thing Al-Khidr did?
He killed a young boy without any apparent cause.
What was the third thing Al-Khidr did?
He repaired a collapsing wall in a town that had refused to feed them, without asking for payment.
Why did Moses keep speaking up despite his earlier promise not to?
He could not hold to it; according to the hadith in Sahih Al-Bukhari, the first objection came from forgetfulness, the second bound him with a condition, and the third was deliberate, exactly the difficulty Al-Khidr had predicted from the start.
What did Al-Khidr say right before they parted?
That their companionship was ending, and he would now explain what Moses could not bear patiently.