English translation
3401. Narrated Sa’īd bin Jubair: I said to Ibn ‘Abbās, “Nauf Al-Bikālī claims that Mūsā, the companion of Al-Khidr was not Mūsā (the Prophet) of the Children of Isrāel, but some other Mūsā.” Ibn ‘Abbās said, “Allāh’s enemy (i.e., Nauf) has told a lie. Ubaī bin Ka’b told us that the Prophet ﷺ said, ‘Once Mūsā stood up and addressed Bani Isrāel. He was asked who was the most learned man amongst the people. He said, ‘I.’ Allāh admonished him as he did not attribute absolute knowledge to Him (Allāh). So, Allāh said to him, ‘Yes, at the junction of the two seas there is a slave of Mine who is more learned than you.’ Mūsā said, ‘O my Lord! How can I meet him?’ Allāh said, ‘Take a fish and put it in a basket and you will find him at the place where you will lose the fish.' Mūsā took a fish and put it in a basket and proceeded along with his boy-servant, Yūsha' bin Nūn, till they reached the rock where they laid their heads (i.e., lay down). Moses slept, and the fish, moving out of the basket, fell into the sea. 'It took its way into the sea (straight) as in a tunnel. Allāh stopped the flow of water over the fish and it became like an arch (the Prophet ﷺ pointed out this arch with his hands). They travelled the rest of the night, and the next day. Mūsā said to his boy-servant, 'Bring us our early meal; indeed, we have suffered much fatigue in this journey of ours.' Mūsā did not feel tired till he crossed that place which Allāh had ordered him to seek after. His boy-servant said to him, 'Do you know that when we betook ourselves to the rock, I indeed forgot the fish, and none but Satan made me forget to remember it. It took its course into the sea in a strange way?' So there was a tunnel for the fish and for them (Mūsā and his servant) there was astonishment. Mūsā said, 'That is what we have been seeking.' So, both of them went back retracing their footsteps till they reached the rock. There they saw a man lying covered with a garment. Mūsā greeted him and he replied saying, "Is there such a greeting in your land?" Mūsā said, 'I am Mūsā.' The man asked, 'Mūsā of Bānī Isrāēl?' Mūsā said, 'Yes, I have come to you so that you may teach me something of that knowledge which you have been taught (by Allāh).' He said, 'O Mūsā! I have some of the knowledge of Allāh, which Allāh has taught me, and which you do not know, while you have some of the knowledge of Allāh which Allāh has taught you and which I do not know.' Mūsā asked, 'May I follow you?' He said, 'But you will not be able to remain patient with me, for how can you be patient about things which you know not?' (Mūsā said, 'You will find me, if Allāh will, truly patient, and I will not disobey you in aught.') So, both of them set out walking along the seashore, a ship passed by them and they asked the crew of the boat to take them on board. The crew recognized Al-Khīdr and so they took them on board without fare. When they were on board the ship, a sparrow came and stood on the edge of the boat and dipped its beak once or twice into the sea. Al-Khīdr said to Mūsā, 'O Mūsā! My knowledge and your knowledge have not decreased Allāh's Knowledge except as much as this sparrow has decreased the water of the sea with its beak.' Then suddenly Al-Khīdr took an adze and plucked a plank, and Mūsā did not notice it till he had plucked a plank with the adze. Mūsā said to him, 'What have you done? They took us on board charging us nothing; yet you have intentionally made a hole in their ship so as to drown its passengers. Verily, you have done a dreadful thing.' Al-Khīdr replied, 'Did I not tell you that you would not be able to have patience with me?' Mūsā replied, 'Do not blame me for what I have forgotten, and do not be hard upon me for my affair (with you).' So, the first excuse of Mūsā was that he had forgotten. When they had left the sea, they passed by a boy playing with other boys. Al-Khīdr took hold of the boy's head and plucked it with his hand like this. (Sufyān, the subnarrator, pointed with his fingertips as if he was plucking some fruit.) Mūsā said to him, 'Have you killed an innocent person who has not killed any person? You have really done an horrible thing.' Al-Khīdr said, 'Did I not tell you that you would not be able to have patience with me?' Mūsā said, 'If I ask you about anything after this, keep me not in your company. You have received an excuse from me.' Then both of them proceeded till they came to some people of a town, and they asked its inhabitants for food but they refused to entertain them as guests. Then they saw therein a wall which was just going to collapse (and Al-Khiḍr repaired it just by touching it with his hands). (Sufyān, the subnarrator, pointed with his hands, illustrating how Al-Khiḍr passed his hands over the wall upwards.) Mūsā said, 'These are the people whom we have called on, but they neither gave us food, nor entertained us as guests, yet you have repaired their wall. If you had wished, you could have taken wages for it.' Al-Khiḍr said, 'This is the parting between you and me, and I shall tell you the explanation of those things on which you could not remain patient.' The Prophet ﷺ added, "We wished that Mūsā could have remained patient by virtue of which Allāh might have told us more about their story." (Sufyān, the subnarrator, said that the Prophet ﷺ said, "May Allāh bestow His Mercy on Mūsā! If he had remained patient, we would have been told further more about their case.")