فَٱنطَلَقَا حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَا رَكِبَا فِى ٱلسَّفِينَةِ خَرَقَهَا ۖ قَالَ أَخَرَقْتَهَا لِتُغْرِقَ أَهْلَهَا لَقَدْ جِئْتَ شَيْـًٔا إِمْرًا 71
Translations
So they set out, until when they had embarked on the ship, he [i.e., al-Khiḍr] tore it open. [Moses] said, "Have you torn it open to drown its people? You have certainly done a grave thing."
Transliteration
Faintalaqa hatta idha rakiba fi as-safinati kharaqaha qala akharaqtaha litugriqa ahlaha laqad jita shayan imra
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah depicts the moment when the righteous servant (identified as Prophet Khidr in Islamic tradition) deliberately damages the ship upon boarding it with Moses. Moses immediately protests, questioning why Khidr would damage the vessel to drown its owners, calling this action gravely wrong (imra). According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari, this action was divinely inspired and had a hidden wisdom—later revealed to be protecting the ship from being seized by a tyrannical king—demonstrating that apparent harm may conceal greater good known only to Allah and His wise servants.
Revelation Context
This ayah is part of the narrative of Surah Al-Kahf (18:60-82), which recounts Moses's journey with Khidr to gain knowledge. The story illustrates how Divine wisdom often operates beyond human understanding and perception. The broader context emphasizes that Allah's knowledge is infinite while human knowledge is limited, and that trials and difficulties often contain hidden blessings.
Related Hadiths
Sahih Bukhari (3400): Narrated Ibn Abbas regarding the story of Moses and Khidr, confirming that Khidr's actions were done under Divine inspiration and each action had wisdom. Additionally, hadith on the authority of Ibn Masood in various collections affirms that this story was revealed to teach believers about the limits of human knowledge.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that we should not hastily judge actions or circumstances as purely evil, as Allah's wisdom may conceal greater purposes beyond our perception. The lesson for modern believers is to cultivate trust in Divine providence and patience when facing trials, recognizing that what appears harmful may ultimately serve our greater good.