One day someone asked Musa (AS), "Who is the most knowledgeable person?" Musa said, "I am." Allah taught him a lesson: "There is a servant of Mine, where the two seas meet, who knows more than you." The Prophet ﷺ told us this servant was named Khidr.
Musa set off with a young helper and a fish in a basket. At the place where the two seas meet, the fish slipped into the sea. That was the sign, and there they found Khidr. Musa asked politely, "May I follow you so you can teach me?" Khidr said, "You won't be able to be patient with me. Don't ask me about anything until I explain it."
They got on a boat, and Khidr made a hole in it! Musa cried, "Why did you do that? The people will drown!" Khidr said, "Didn't I say you couldn't be patient?" Musa said sorry.
They travelled on. In one town the people refused to give them food. Yet Khidr found a wall about to fall down and rebuilt it for free. Musa said, "You could have asked for payment!" (The Qur'an also tells of a harder event between these two, which older children can read with a parent in 18:74–81.)
Then Khidr explained. The boat belonged to poor fishermen, and a king nearby was seizing every good boat; a damaged boat would be left alone. Under the wall was treasure belonging to two orphans whose father had been a good man. Allah wanted it kept safe until they grew up.
Khidr said, "I didn't do any of this on my own. It was by Allah's command."
Where this story comes from
Qur'an 18:60–82 · Al-Kahf
وَإِذۡ قَالَ مُوسَىٰ لِفَتَىٰهُ لَآ أَبۡرَحُ حَتَّىٰٓ أَبۡلُغَ مَجۡمَعَ ٱلۡبَحۡرَيۡنِ أَوۡ أَمۡضِيَ حُقُبࣰا 60 فَلَمَّا بَلَغَا مَجۡمَعَ بَيۡنِهِمَا نَسِيَا حُوتَهُمَا فَٱتَّخَذَ سَبِيلَهُۥ فِي ٱلۡبَحۡرِ سَرَبࣰا 61 فَلَمَّا جَاوَزَا قَالَ لِفَتَىٰهُ ءَاتِنَا غَدَآءَنَا لَقَدۡ لَقِينَا مِن سَفَرِنَا هَٰذَا نَصَبࣰا 62 قَالَ أَرَءَيۡتَ إِذۡ أَوَيۡنَآ إِلَى ٱلصَّخۡرَةِ فَإِنِّي نَسِيتُ ٱلۡحُوتَ وَمَآ أَنسَىٰنِيهُ إِلَّا ٱلشَّيۡطَٰنُ أَنۡ أَذۡكُرَهُۥۚ وَٱتَّخَذَ سَبِيلَهُۥ فِي ٱلۡبَحۡرِ عَجَبࣰا 63 قَالَ ذَٰلِكَ مَا كُنَّا نَبۡغِۚ فَٱرۡتَدَّا عَلَىٰٓ ءَاثَارِهِمَا قَصَصࣰا 64 فَوَجَدَا عَبۡدࣰا مِّنۡ عِبَادِنَآ ءَاتَيۡنَٰهُ رَحۡمَةࣰ مِّنۡ عِندِنَا وَعَلَّمۡنَٰهُ مِن لَّدُنَّا عِلۡمࣰا 65 قَالَ لَهُۥ مُوسَىٰ هَلۡ أَتَّبِعُكَ عَلَىٰٓ أَن تُعَلِّمَنِ مِمَّا عُلِّمۡتَ رُشۡدࣰا 66 قَالَ إِنَّكَ لَن تَسۡتَطِيعَ مَعِيَ صَبۡرࣰا 67 وَكَيۡفَ تَصۡبِرُ عَلَىٰ مَا لَمۡ تُحِطۡ بِهِۦ خُبۡرࣰا 68 قَالَ سَتَجِدُنِيٓ إِن شَآءَ ٱللَّهُ صَابِرࣰا وَلَآ أَعۡصِي لَكَ أَمۡرࣰا 69 قَالَ فَإِنِ ٱتَّبَعۡتَنِي فَلَا تَسۡـَٔلۡنِي عَن شَيۡءٍ حَتَّىٰٓ أُحۡدِثَ لَكَ مِنۡهُ ذِكۡرࣰا 70 فَٱنطَلَقَا حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَا رَكِبَا فِي ٱلسَّفِينَةِ خَرَقَهَاۖ قَالَ أَخَرَقۡتَهَا لِتُغۡرِقَ أَهۡلَهَا لَقَدۡ جِئۡتَ شَيۡـًٔا إِمۡرࣰا 71 قَالَ أَلَمۡ أَقُلۡ إِنَّكَ لَن تَسۡتَطِيعَ مَعِيَ صَبۡرࣰا 72 قَالَ لَا تُؤَاخِذۡنِي بِمَا نَسِيتُ وَلَا تُرۡهِقۡنِي مِنۡ أَمۡرِي عُسۡرࣰا 73 فَٱنطَلَقَا حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَا لَقِيَا غُلَٰمࣰا فَقَتَلَهُۥ قَالَ أَقَتَلۡتَ نَفۡسࣰا زَكِيَّةَۢ بِغَيۡرِ نَفۡسࣲ لَّقَدۡ جِئۡتَ شَيۡـࣰٔا نُّكۡرࣰا 74 ۞ قَالَ أَلَمۡ أَقُل لَّكَ إِنَّكَ لَن تَسۡتَطِيعَ مَعِيَ صَبۡرࣰا 75 قَالَ إِن سَأَلۡتُكَ عَن شَيۡءِۭ بَعۡدَهَا فَلَا تُصَٰحِبۡنِيۖ قَدۡ بَلَغۡتَ مِن لَّدُنِّي عُذۡرࣰا 76 فَٱنطَلَقَا حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَآ أَتَيَآ أَهۡلَ قَرۡيَةٍ ٱسۡتَطۡعَمَآ أَهۡلَهَا فَأَبَوۡاْ أَن يُضَيِّفُوهُمَا فَوَجَدَا فِيهَا جِدَارࣰا يُرِيدُ أَن يَنقَضَّ فَأَقَامَهُۥۖ قَالَ لَوۡ شِئۡتَ لَتَّخَذۡتَ عَلَيۡهِ أَجۡرࣰا 77 قَالَ هَٰذَا فِرَاقُ بَيۡنِي وَبَيۡنِكَۚ سَأُنَبِّئُكَ بِتَأۡوِيلِ مَا لَمۡ تَسۡتَطِع عَّلَيۡهِ صَبۡرًا 78 أَمَّا ٱلسَّفِينَةُ فَكَانَتۡ لِمَسَٰكِينَ يَعۡمَلُونَ فِي ٱلۡبَحۡرِ فَأَرَدتُّ أَنۡ أَعِيبَهَا وَكَانَ وَرَآءَهُم مَّلِكࣱ يَأۡخُذُ كُلَّ سَفِينَةٍ غَصۡبࣰا 79 وَأَمَّا ٱلۡغُلَٰمُ فَكَانَ أَبَوَاهُ مُؤۡمِنَيۡنِ فَخَشِينَآ أَن يُرۡهِقَهُمَا طُغۡيَٰنࣰا وَكُفۡرࣰا 80 فَأَرَدۡنَآ أَن يُبۡدِلَهُمَا رَبُّهُمَا خَيۡرࣰا مِّنۡهُ زَكَوٰةࣰ وَأَقۡرَبَ رُحۡمࣰا 81 وَأَمَّا ٱلۡجِدَارُ فَكَانَ لِغُلَٰمَيۡنِ يَتِيمَيۡنِ فِي ٱلۡمَدِينَةِ وَكَانَ تَحۡتَهُۥ كَنزࣱ لَّهُمَا وَكَانَ أَبُوهُمَا صَٰلِحࣰا فَأَرَادَ رَبُّكَ أَن يَبۡلُغَآ أَشُدَّهُمَا وَيَسۡتَخۡرِجَا كَنزَهُمَا رَحۡمَةࣰ مِّن رَّبِّكَۚ وَمَا فَعَلۡتُهُۥ عَنۡ أَمۡرِيۚ ذَٰلِكَ تَأۡوِيلُ مَا لَمۡ تَسۡطِع عَّلَيۡهِ صَبۡرࣰا 82
Read and listen in the surah →
Hadith: Sahih al-Bukhari 122
💬 What did you learn?
Talk about these together. There is no right or wrong answer.
- Musa was a great prophet, but he still travelled far to learn more. Why is it good to keep learning?
- Sometimes things seem bad, but Allah knows something we don't. Can you think of a time when something that seemed bad turned out to be good?