وَأَمَّا ٱلْغُلَـٰمُ فَكَانَ أَبَوَاهُ مُؤْمِنَيْنِ فَخَشِينَآ أَن يُرْهِقَهُمَا طُغْيَـٰنًا وَكُفْرًا 80
Translations
And as for the boy, his parents were believers, and we feared that he would overburden them by transgression and disbelief.
Transliteration
Wa-amma al-ghulamu fakana abawahu mu'minayni fakhashina an yurhiqahuma tughyanan wa-kufran
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah explains Khidr's reasoning for killing the young boy: his parents were believers, and Khidr feared that the boy would grow up to burden them with rebellion against Allah (tughyan) and disbelief (kufr). Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir note that Khidr possessed divine knowledge ('ilm) of the boy's future, and his action was a mercy—Allah would replace the boy with one better in righteousness and kindness. Al-Tabari emphasizes that this killing was sanctioned by Allah's command, not an act of human judgment, distinguishing it from ordinary homicide.
Revelation Context
This ayah is part of the story of Musa and Khidr (18:60-82), a Meccan passage addressing theological questions about divine wisdom and hidden knowledge. The narrative teaches believers that apparent evil may conceal divine good, and that Allah's knowledge encompasses what is hidden from human perception. This story was revealed to comfort the Prophet and believers facing persecution in Mecca.
Related Hadiths
While no hadith directly addresses this specific incident, Sahih Bukhari and Muslim contain hadiths about tawakkul (trust in Allah) and accepting divine decree. Additionally, hadiths about the protection of children's faith, such as those in Sunan Ibn Majah regarding children's upbringing, relate thematically to parental concerns mentioned in the ayah.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches us that Allah's wisdom operates beyond human comprehension, and that apparent tragedies may contain divine mercy we cannot perceive. For believers, it emphasizes the profound responsibility of parents to nurture their children's faith, recognizing that a child's spiritual trajectory affects not only their own destiny but also their parents' peace and legacy.