قَالَ فَإِنِ ٱتَّبَعْتَنِى فَلَا تَسْـَٔلْنِى عَن شَىْءٍ حَتَّىٰٓ أُحْدِثَ لَكَ مِنْهُ ذِكْرًا 70
Translations
He said, "Then if you follow me, do not ask me about anything until I make to you about it mention [i.e., explanation]."
Transliteration
Qala fa-in ittaba'tani fa-la tas'alni 'an shay'in hatta uhditsa laka minhu dhikra
Tafsir (Explanation)
Khidr (the wise servant) lays down a condition for Musa (Moses) to follow him: that Musa must not question him about anything until Khidr himself provides an explanation. According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari, this condition was essential because Khidr possessed divinely-inspired knowledge ('ilm ladunni) of matters that would appear contradictory to ordinary understanding, and premature questioning would prevent Musa from benefiting from the lessons. Al-Qurtubi emphasizes that this teaches the importance of patience, trust, and withholding judgment before understanding the full wisdom behind apparent contradictions.
Revelation Context
This ayah occurs within the story of Musa and Khidr (18:60-82), one of the most detailed narratives in the Quran. The broader context shows Musa's journey to meet a servant of Allah possessing special knowledge. This section specifically records Khidr's condition when Musa requests to accompany him, establishing the framework for the subsequent trials that test Musa's patience and faith.
Related Hadiths
The story of Musa and Khidr is referenced in Sahih Bukhari (Hadith 74) where the Prophet Muhammad mentioned that this was among the greatest stories of patience and seeking knowledge. Additionally, hadiths emphasizing the virtue of patience (sabr) relate thematically to Musa's challenge to accept Khidr's actions without immediate questioning.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches us that true learning sometimes requires patient trust and submission to those with greater knowledge, and that we should refrain from hasty judgments about events or decisions we don't fully understand. It reminds modern believers that apparent contradictions in divine wisdom often conceal deeper purposes that will be revealed in due time.
Related Ayahs
أَمَّا ٱلسَّفِينَةُ فَكَانَتْ لِمَسَـٰكِينَ يَعْمَلُونَ فِى ٱلْبَحْرِ فَأَرَدتُّ أَنْ أَعِيبَهَا وَكَانَ وَرَآءَهُم مَّلِكٌ يَأْخُذُ كُلَّ سَفِينَةٍ غَصْبًا
As for the ship, it belonged to poor people working at sea. So I intended to cause defect in it as there was after them a king who seized every [good] ship by force.
وَإِذْ قَالَ مُوسَىٰ لِفَتَىٰهُ لَآ أَبْرَحُ حَتَّىٰٓ أَبْلُغَ مَجْمَعَ ٱلْبَحْرَيْنِ أَوْ أَمْضِىَ حُقُبًا
And [mention] when Moses said to his boy [i.e., servant], "I will not cease [traveling] until I reach the junction of the two seas or continue for a long period."
وَٱتْلُ مَآ أُوحِىَ إِلَيْكَ مِن كِتَابِ رَبِّكَ ۖ لَا مُبَدِّلَ لِكَلِمَـٰتِهِۦ وَلَن تَجِدَ مِن دُونِهِۦ مُلْتَحَدًا
And recite, [O Muḥammad], what has been revealed to you of the Book of your Lord. There is no changer of His words, and never will you find in other than Him a refuge.
قَالَ لَهُۥ صَاحِبُهُۥ وَهُوَ يُحَاوِرُهُۥٓ أَكَفَرْتَ بِٱلَّذِى خَلَقَكَ مِن تُرَابٍ ثُمَّ مِن نُّطْفَةٍ ثُمَّ سَوَّىٰكَ رَجُلًا
His companion said to him while he was conversing with him, "Have you disbelieved in He who created you from dust and then from a sperm-drop and then proportioned you [as] a man?