Important Information About Al-Khijr (Al Kabir)

Surah-Kahf 18 Verses 60-82

It is mentioned in Quran Sharif Surah-Kahf 18 Verses 60-82, Allah sends Musa to meet a person who has more knowledge (Tatvgyan) than him. (This story has been described in detail in the hadith. There is mention of this story in 55 hadiths.)

One day Hazrat Musa was delivering a sermon. A member of the congregation asked him, “O Musa, who is the most knowledge person on earth today?”

Hazrat Musa proudly replied, "I am.”

Allah did not like this style of Musa at all and said, “Musa, I am very sad to hear this from you. How did you consider yourself to be the most knowledgeable?”

Musa knelt down and said, “I am a messenger sent by you and I have gained all the knowledge from you. That is why, I said that no one has more knowledge than me on the earth today.”

Allah said, “Musa, there is a person present on earth who has more knowledge than you, and your knowledge is nothing in front of his knowledge.”

Musa said, “O Allah! I want to meet that person so that I can gain that knowledge which I do not have. Where does that person live and how can I find him? Please tell me this.”

Allah said, “He lives in "Majma-e-Bahrain", that is, where two rivers of sweet and salty water meet.”

Musa said, “O Allah! How will I recognise him?

Allah told him, “Take a dead fish with you in a vessel. Where that fish will revive and dive into the water, understand that he is near.”

(The hadith confirms that this person who is more knowledgeable (intelligent) than Musa and whom Allah has asked Musa to meet in Quran Sharif Surah Kahf 18 Verses 60-82, his name is Al-Khijr and the entire Muslim world agrees with this.)

Musa sets out in search of Al-Khijr with one of his disciples/servants and swears, “I will not give up until I gain knowledge from Al-Khijr, even if I have to walk for ages.”

After travelling a long distance, Musa and his disciple reached the area of "Majma-e-Bahrain". Musa slept with his back against a rock to unwind from the long journey. While he was asleep, the disciple saw that the dead fish, which they had carried in a vessel, revived, wriggled and jumped into the water.

The disciple forgets to inform Musa about the reanimation of the fish, and Musa continues his journey in search of Al-Khijr.

After walking the whole day and all night, the next morning Musa says to his disciple, “I have been exhausted by the journey. Give me something to eat.” Then the disciple recalls, “The fish that we had brought with us, had revived yesterday and jumped into the water at the place where we rested by the rock, and I forgot to tell you due to the influence of Shaitan (Satan).” Hearing this, Musa said, “This was the place where we had to stop.” Musa and his disciple went back retracing their footsteps to the place, and they meet a man with a white beard wearing a white sheet.

Musa introduced himself and said, “Allah has sent me to learn knowledge from you. I plead with you. Teach me the noble knowledge that you have.”

In reply, Al-Khijr said, “Musa! You will not be able to have patience with me at all, because how can you be patient on something, of which you do not know the reality?”

Musa said, “You will find me patient and I will not disobey you in anything.”

Al-Khijr said, “Alright! If you want to follow me, keep in mind not to question me about anything, until I myself tell you about it.

From this place, Musa sent his disciple back and began his journey with Al-Khijr.

On the way, they saw a boat belonging to some poor people, who used to work hard and ferry people across the river by charging them. Al-Khijr and Musa boarded that boat. During the journey, Al-Khijr broke the frames of the boat and the boat started filling with water. The people started throwing water out and somehow avoided drowning. Seeing this, Musa protested and said to Al-Khijr, “Do you intend to drown the people?” To this Al-Khijr replied, “I had already said that you will not be able to be patient with me.” Musa said, “My intellect did not work. Forgive me; this mistake will not happen again.”

Then both went ahead and met a boy. Al-Khijr killed that boy. Seeing this, Moses said, “Did you kill an innocent person? And that too not in exchange for anyone's blood. You have certainly done a horrible and an abhorrent act.” On this, Al-Khijr said, “Did I not tell you that you will certainly not be able to have patience with me.” Musa replied, “If I ever question you about anything after this, then do not keep me in your company, indeed I would have given you enough of an excuse by then.”

Once again, the journey began. They both reached a village and Musa asked for food. The villagers flatly refused to offer them hospitality. In that village, they both saw a wall which was about to collapse. Al-Khijr restored it. Seeing this, Moses said, “If you wanted, you could have taken a fee for this, with which we could have eaten food.” Al-Khijr said to Moses, “That is it! Now we will part ways; before leaving I will tell you the reality of those things about which you could not be patient.

1. The boat belonged to some poor people who worked at the river. I intended to damage it because there was an emperor ahead of them who forcibly seized every good boat. Because of the hole, that emperor would not seize their boat, and those poor people would get it fixed by spending some money.

2. About the second incident, he explained, “The boy's parents believed in Allah. We feared that this boy would oppress them by his defiance and disbelief. Therefore, we hoped that their Lord would bless them with another more virtuous and caring child than him.”

3. The story of the wall is that there are two orphan children in that village whose treasure is buried under that wall. Their father was a righteous man. The Lord desired that these two orphans should come of age and retrieve their treasure, as a mercy from the Lord.

After explaining these three incidents, Al-Khijr makes a significant statement, “Musa! This was the reality of those incidents over which you could not be patient.”