Narrated Sa`id bin Jubair:I said to Ibn `Abbas, "Nauf-al-Bakali " claims that Moses of Bani Israel was not Moses, the companion of Al-Khadir." Ibn `Abbas said, "Allah's enemy tells a lie! Ubai bin Ka`b narrated to us that Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, 'Moses got up to deliver a sermon before Bani Israel and he was asked, 'Who is the most learned person among the people?' Moses replied, 'I (am the most learned).' Allah then admonished Moses for he did not ascribe all knowledge to Allah only (Then) came the Divine Inspiration:-- 'Yes, one of Our slaves at the junction of the two seas is more learned than you.' Moses said, 'O my Lord ! How can meet him?' Allah said, 'Take a fish in a basket and wherever the fish is lost, follow it (you will find him at that place). So Moses set out along with his attendant Yusha` bin Noon, and they carried with them a fish till they reached a rock and rested there. Moses put his head down and slept. (Sufyan, a sub-narrator said that somebody other than `Amr said) 'At the rock there was a water spring called 'Al-Hayat' and none came in touch with its water but became alive. So some of the water of that spring fell over that fish, so it moved and slipped out of the basket and entered the sea. When Moses woke up, he asked his attendant, 'Bring our early meal' (18.62). The narrator added: Moses did not suffer from fatigue except after he had passed the place he had been ordered to observe. His attendant Yusha` bin Noon said to him, 'Do you remember (what happened) when we betook ourselves to the rock? I did indeed forget (about) the fish ...' (18.63) The narrator added: So they came back, retracing their steps and then they found in the sea, the way of the fish looking like a tunnel. So there was an astonishing event for his attendant, and there was tunnel for the fish. When they reached the rock, they found a man covered with a garment. Moses greeted him. The man said astonishingly, 'Is there any such greeting in your land?' Moses said, 'I am Moses.' The man said, 'Moses of Bani Israel?' Moses said, 'Yes,' and added, 'may I follow you so that you teach me something of the Knowledge which you have been taught?' (18.66). Al-Khadir said to him, 'O Moses! You have something of Allah's knowledge which Allah has taught you and which I do not know; and I have something of Allah's knowledge which Allah has taught me and which you do not know.' Moses said, 'But I will follow you.' Al-Khadir said, 'Then if you follow me, ask me no question about anything until I myself speak to you concerning it.' (18.70). After that both of them proceeded along the seashore. There passed by them a boat whose crew recognized Al-Khadir and received them on board free of charge. So they both got on board. A sparrow came and sat on the edge of the boat and dipped its beak unto the sea. Al-Khadir said to Moses. 'My knowledge and your knowledge and all the creation's knowledge compared to Allah's knowledge is not more than the water taken by this sparrow's beak.' Then Moses was startled by Al-Khadir's action of taking an adze and scuttling the boat with it. Moses said to him, 'These people gave us a free lift, but you intentionally scuttled their boat so as to drown them. Surely you have...' (18.71) Then they both proceeded and found a boy playing with other boys. Al-Khadir took hold of him by the head and cut it off. Moses said to him, 'Have you killed an innocent soul who has killed nobody? Surely you have done an illegal thing! ' (18.74) He said, "Didn't I tell you that you will not be able to have patient with me up to ..but they refused to entertain them as their guests. There they found a wall therein at the point of collapsing.' (18.75-77) Al-Khadir moved his hand thus and set it upright (repaired it). Moses said to him, 'When we entered this town, they neither gave us hospitality nor fed us; if you had wished, you could have taken wages for it,' Al- Khadir said, 'This is the parting between you and me I will tell you the interpretation of (those things) about which you were unable to hold patience.'...(18.78) Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, 'We wished that Moses could have been more patient so that He (Allah) could have described to us more about their story.' Ibn `Abbas used to recite:-- 'And in front (ahead) of them there was a king who used to seize every (serviceable) boat by force. (18.79) ...and as for the boy he was a disbeliever. "
Reference
Sahih al-Bukhari 4727
In-book reference
Book 65, Hadith 249
USC-MSA web (English)
Vol. 6, Book 60, Hadith 251
Translation by Dr. M. Muhsin Khan · Language: EN
Sahih
Sa'id ibn Jubayr said, "I said to Ibn 'Abbas, 'Nawf al-Bikali claims that the Musa of the tribe of Israel is not the Musa of al-Khadir.' He said, 'The enemy of Allah has lied! Ubayy ibn Ka'b related to us from that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: ""Musa stood up to give a speech among the Banu Isra'il and he was asked, 'Who has the most knowledge?' He replied, 'I have.' Allah censured him since he did not ascribe this knowledge to Him. Allah revealed to him, 'Yes, there is one of Our slaves at the meeting of the two seas who knows more than you." Musa said, 'My Lord, how can I reach him?' He was told, 'Take a fish and put it in a basket. When you lose the fish, follow it.' So Musa set out with his lad Yusha' ibn Nun with the fish until they reached a rock and stopped at it. Musa put his head down and went to sleep. (Sufyan said that in a hadith other than the one transmitted by 'Amr, it says, 'There was a spring at the base of the rock called al-Hayat (life). Anything that came in contact with its water was brought to life. The fish was touched by some of the water of that spring.') So the moved, slipped out of the basket and went into the sea. "When Musa woke up, he said to his lad, 'Bring us our morning meal...' Musa did not feel tired until he had gone beyond the place about which Allah had commanded him. His lad, Yusha' ibn Nun, said to him, 'Do you see what has happened? When we went to find shelter at the rock, I forgot the fish..' "So they went back, retracing their steps and found in the sea something like a tunnel through which the fish had passed like a tunnel. When they reached the rock, there was a man wrapped in a garment. Musa greeted him, and he said, 'How is the greeting in your land?' He replied, 'I am Musa.' He asked, 'The Musa of the Banu Isra'il?' Musa said, 'Yes. May I follow you on condition that you teach me some of the right guidance which you have been taught?' Al-Khadir said to him, 'Musa, you have something of the knowledge of Allah which He has taught you which I do not know and I have something of the knowledge of Allah which He has taught me which you do not know.' Musa said, 'Can I follow you?' He answered, 'Then if you follow me, do not question me about anything till I myself make mention of it to you.' "They continued walking along the shore. A boat passed by them and al-Khadir was recognised, and they took them on board for free and they embarked. A sparrow landed on the edge of the ship and dipped its beak into the sea. Al-Khadir said to Musa, 'Your knowledge, my knowledge, and the knowledge of all creatures in respect of the knowledge of Allah is only like what this sparrow took with its beak. The Musa was surprised when al-Khadir picked up an adze and scuttled the ship. Musa said to him, 'Some people carry us for free and 'then you deliberately stave it in so that its owners will be drowned? It is truly a dreadful thing that you have done!" and the ayat continues. "Then they continued and found a boy playing with some other boys. Al-Khadir took of him by the head and cut it off. Musa said to him, 'Have you killed a boy who has done no wrong, without it being in retaliation for someone else? It is truly an appalling thing that you have done!"'He said, 'Did I not say to you that you would not be able to bear with me?' "Then the story continues until he said, 'but they refused them hospitality. They found a wall there about to fall down (and he demonstrated with hand) and al-Khadir set it up straight. Musa said, 'We went to people who did not offer us hospitality or feed us. If you had wanted, you could have taken a wage for that!' He answered, 'This is the parting of the ways between me and you. I will let you know the explanation of those things about which you were not able to be patient.' (18:78)" The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Would that Musa had been patient so that He would have told us more about them!" He said that Ibn 'Abbas used to recite, "Before them was a certain king who seized every sound boat by force," and he used to recite, "As for the youth, he was an unbeliever."
Reference
Sahih al-Bukhari 4727
In-book reference
Book 65, Hadith 249
USC-MSA web (English)
Vol. 6, Book 60, Hadith 251
Translation by Aisha Bewley · Language: EN
Sahih
