Narrated Ibn Juraij:
Ya`la bin Muslim and `Amr bin Dinar and some others narrated the narration of Sa`id bin Jubair.
Narrated Sa`id: While we were at the house of Ibn `Abbas, Ibn `Abbas said, "Ask me (any question)" I
said, "O Abu `Abbas! May Allah let me be sacrificed for you ! There is a man at Kufa who is a storyteller
called Nauf; who claims that he (Al-Khadir's companion) is not Moses of Bani Israel." As for
`Amr, he said to me, "Ibn `Abbas said, "(Nauf) the enemy of Allah told a lie." But Ya`la said to me,
"Ibn `Abbas said, Ubai bin Ka`b said, Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, 'Once Moses, Allah's Messenger (ﷺ), preached to
the people till their eyes shed tears and their hearts became tender, whereupon he finished his sermon.
Then a man came to Moses and asked, 'O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)! Is there anyone on the earth who is more
learned than you?' Moses replied, 'No.' So Allah admonished him (Moses), for he did not ascribe all
knowledge to Allah. It was said, (on behalf of Allah), 'Yes, (there is a slave of ours who knows more
than you ).' Moses said, 'O my Lord! Where is he?' Allah said, 'At the junction of the two seas.' Moses
said, 'O my Lord ! Tell I me of a sign whereby I will recognize the place.' " `Amr said to me, Allah
said, "That place will be where the fish will leave you." Ya`la said to me, "Allah said (to Moses),
'Take a dead fish (and your goal will be) the place where it will become alive.' " So Moses took a fish
and put it in a basket and said to his boy-servant "I don't want to trouble you, except that you should
inform me as soon as this fish leaves you." He said (to Moses)." You have not demanded too much."
And that is as mentioned by Allah:
'And (remember) when Moses said to his attendant .... ' (18.60) Yusha` bin Noon. (Sa`id did not state
that). The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "While the attendant was in the shade of the rock at a wet place, the fish
slipped out (alive) while Moses was sleeping. His attend an said (to himself), "I will not wake him, but
when he woke up, he forgot to tell him The fish slipped out and entered the sea. Allah stopped the
flow of the sea. where the fish was, so that its trace looked as if it was made on a rock. `Amr forming
a hole with his two thumbs an index fingers, said to me, "Like this, as in its trace was made on a
rock."
Moses said "We have suffered much fatigue on this journey of ours." (This was not narrated by Sa`id).
Then they returned back and found Al-Khadir. `Uthman bin Abi Sulaiman said to me, (they found
him) on a green carpet in the middle of the sea. Al-Khadir was covered with his garment with one end
under his feet and the other end under his head. When Moses greeted, he uncovered his face and said
astonishingly, 'Is there such a greeting in my land? Who are you?' Moses said, 'I am Moses.' Al-
Khadir said, 'Are you the Moses of Bani Israel?' Moses said, 'Yes.' Al-Khadir said, "What do you
want?' Moses said, ' I came to you so that you may teach me of the truth which you were taught.' Al-
Khadir said, 'Is it not sufficient for you that the Torah is in your hands and the Divine Inspiration
comes to you, O Moses? Verily, I have a knowledge that you ought not learn, and you have a
knowledge which I ought not learn.' At that time a bird took with its beak (some water) from the sea:
Al-Khadir then said, 'By Allah, my knowledge and your knowledge besides Allah's Knowledge is like
what this bird has taken with its beak from the sea.' Until, when they went on board the boat (18.71).
They found a small boat which used to carry the people from this sea-side to the other sea-side. The
crew recognized Al-Khadir and said, 'The pious slave of Allah.' (We said to Sa`id "Was that Khadir?"
He said, "Yes.") The boat men said, 'We will not get him on board with fare.' Al-Khadir scuttled the
boat and then plugged the hole with a piece of wood.
Moses said, 'Have you scuttled it in order to drown these people surely, you have done a dreadful thing.
(18.71) (Mujahid said. "Moses said so protestingly.") Al-Khadir said, didn't I say that you can have no
patience with me?' (18.72) The first inquiry of Moses was done because of forgetfulness, the second
caused him to be bound with a stipulation, and the third was done intentionally. Moses said, 'Call
me not to account for what I forgot and be not hard upon me for my affair (with you).' (18.73)
(Then) they found a boy and Al-Khadir killed him. Ya`la- said: Sa`id said 'They found boys playing
and Al-Khadir got hold of a handsome infidel boy laid him down and then slew him with knife. Moses
said, 'Have you killed a innocent soul who has killed nobody' (18.74) Then they proceeded and found
a wall which was on the point of falling down, and Al-Khadir set it up straight. Sa`id moved his hand
thus and said 'Al-Khadir raised his hand and the wall became straight. Ya`la said, 'I think Sa`id said,
'Al-Khadir touched the wall with his hand and it became straight (Moses said to Al-Khadir), 'If you
had wished, you could have taken wages for it.' Sa`id said, 'Wages that we might had eaten.' And there
was a king in furor (ahead) of them" (18.79) And there was in front of them. Ibn `Abbas recited: 'In
front of them (was) a king.'
It is said on the authority of somebody other than Sa`id that the king was Hudad bin Budad. They say
that the boy was called Haisur. 'A king who seized every ship by force. (18.79) So I wished that if that
boat passed by him, he would leave it because of its defect and when they have passed they would
repair it and get benefit from it. Some people said that they closed that hole with a bottle, and some
said with tar. 'His parents were believers, and he (the boy) was a non-believer and we (Khadir) feared
lest he would oppress them by obstinate rebellion and disbelief.' (18.80) (i.e. that their love for him
would urge them to follow him in his religion, 'so we (Khadir) desired that their Lord should change
him for them for one better in righteousness and near to mercy' (18:81). This was in reply to Moses'
saying: Have you killed an innocent soul.'? (18.74). 'Near to mercy" means they will be more merciful
to him than they were to the former whom Khadir had killed. Other than Sa`id, said that they were
compensated with a girl. Dawud bin Abi `Asim said on the authority of more than one that this next
child was a girl.
USC-MSA web (English) reference: Vol. 6, Book 60, Hadith 250
Arabic reference: Book 65, Hadith 4726