وَكَيْفَ تَصْبِرُ عَلَىٰ مَا لَمْ تُحِطْ بِهِۦ خُبْرًا 68
Translations
And how can you have patience for what you do not encompass in knowledge?"
Transliteration
Wa kayfa tasbiру ʿalā mā lam tuḥiṭ bihi khubran
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah is Khidr's rhetorical question to Prophet Musa (peace be upon him), asking how he can have patience with matters he does not yet comprehend or have knowledge of. According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari, Khidr is gently rebuking Musa's hasty objections to his actions without understanding their divine wisdom, emphasizing that true patience requires trust in Allah's hidden knowledge and purposes. This teaches that human understanding is limited, and one should not judge actions based on immediate perception alone.
Revelation Context
This ayah occurs within the narrative of Musa's journey with Khidr in Surah Al-Kahf. After Musa objects to Khidr's seemingly unjust actions (damaging a boat and killing a young boy), Khidr poses this question to highlight Musa's lack of comprehension of the divine wisdom behind these deeds, which are later explained. This emphasizes the theme of hidden divine knowledge (ʿilm al-ghayb) versus human limited perception.
Related Hadiths
The hadith in Sahih Bukhari (6236) describes the conversation between Musa and Khidr, with the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) explaining that Musa should have been patient. Additionally, hadiths on patience (sabr) like those in Sahih Muslim emphasize that Allah is with those who are patient (2:153).
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches us to exercise patience and restraint from hasty judgment when confronted with events we do not fully understand, trusting that Allah's wisdom encompasses what our limited minds cannot perceive. It is a powerful reminder for believers to cultivate humility and faith rather than relying solely on immediate rational comprehension.