Surat Al-Kahf · The Cave
Qur'an 18:74
فَٱنطَلَقَا حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَا لَقِيَا غُلَـٰمًا فَقَتَلَهُۥ قَالَ أَقَتَلْتَ نَفْسًا زَكِيَّةًۢ بِغَيْرِ نَفْسٍ لَّقَدْ جِئْتَ شَيْـًٔا نُّكْرًا
“So they set out, until when they met a boy, he [i.e., al-Khiḍr] killed him. [Moses] said, "Have you killed a pure soul for other than [having killed] a soul? You have certainly done a deplorable thing."”
Al-Kahf 18:74 · Saheeh International
Svenska · Bernström
Och de vandrade vidare till dess de mötte en ung man och [den vise] dödade honom, [varpå Moses] utropade: "Har du berövat en oskyldig människa livet, som inte gjort orätt mot någon annan? Du har sannerligen begått en oerhörd handling!"
Recited by Mishary Alafasy. Plays on through the surah.
The Story of killing the Boy
فَانطَلَقَا
(Then they both proceeded,) means, after the first incident,
حَتَّى إِذَا لَقِيَا غُلاَمًا فَقَتَلَهُ
(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:
أَقَتَلْتَ نَفْسًا زَكِيَّةً
(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
بِغَيْرِ نَفْسٍ
(without Nafs) with no reason for killing him.
لَّقَدْ جِئْتَ شَيْئاً نُّكْراً
(Verily, you have committed a thing Nukr!) meaning, something that is clearly evil.
قَالَ أَلَمْ أَقُلْ لَّكَ إِنَّكَ لَن تَسْتَطِيعَ مَعِىَ صَبْراً
(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:
إِن سَأَلْتُكَ عَن شَىْءٍ بَعْدَهَا
(If I ask you anything after this,) meaning, `if I object to anything else you do after this,'
فَلاَ تُصَاحِبْنِى قَدْ بَلَغْتَ مِن لَّدُنِّى عُذْراً
(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:
«رَحْمَةُ اللهِ عَلَيْنَا وَعَلَى مُوسَى لَوْ لَبِثَ مَعَ صَاحِبِهِ لَأَبْصَرَ الْعَجَبَ، وَلَكِنَّهُ قَالَ:
إِن سَأَلْتُكَ عَن شَىْءٍ بَعْدَهَا فَلاَ تُصَاحِبْنِى قَدْ بَلَغْتَ مِن لَّدُنِّى عُذْراً»
(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.'))"
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (abridged, English).
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