قَالَ لَهُۥ مُوسَىٰ هَلْ أَتَّبِعُكَ عَلَىٰٓ أَن تُعَلِّمَنِ مِمَّا عُلِّمْتَ رُشْدًا 66
Translations
Moses said to him, "May I follow you on [the condition] that you teach me from what you have been taught of sound judgement?"
Transliteration
Qala lahu Musa hal attabi'uka 'ala an tu'allimani mimma 'ullimta rushda
Tafsir (Explanation)
Musa (Moses) asks Al-Khidr for permission to follow him so that he may be taught some of the divine wisdom and right guidance (rushd) that Al-Khidr has been blessed with. This represents Musa's humility and eagerness to acquire knowledge from someone whom Allah has granted special understanding, despite Musa's own high station as a prophet. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir note that this demonstrates the permissibility of seeking knowledge from the knowledgeable, and that even prophets recognize the value of learning from those with special expertise granted by Allah.
Revelation Context
This ayah occurs within the narrative of Surah Al-Kahf (18:60-82), which describes the journey of Prophet Musa and his young companion Yusha' (Joshua) in search of the meeting point of two seas, where they encounter Al-Khidr, a servant of Allah with special knowledge. The broader context illustrates the nature of divine knowledge that transcends ordinary human understanding and the importance of patience and humility in seeking wisdom.
Related Hadiths
The hadith in Sahih Bukhari (Kitab al-'Ilm) emphasizes the virtue of seeking knowledge: 'Whoever travels a path seeking knowledge, Allah will ease for him a path to Paradise.' Additionally, the general hadith about the excellence of 'Ulama (scholars) relates to the principle of learning from the knowledgeable illustrated in this passage.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches us the virtue of intellectual humility and the importance of seeking knowledge from those blessed with wisdom, regardless of our own station. It reminds believers that continuous learning and remaining a student before those with greater knowledge is a path to spiritual growth and divine closeness.
Related Ayahs
ثُمَّ بَعَثْنَـٰهُمْ لِنَعْلَمَ أَىُّ ٱلْحِزْبَيْنِ أَحْصَىٰ لِمَا لَبِثُوٓا۟ أَمَدًا
Then We awakened them that We might show which of the two factions was most precise in calculating what [extent] they had remained in time.
وَأَمَّا ٱلْغُلَـٰمُ فَكَانَ أَبَوَاهُ مُؤْمِنَيْنِ فَخَشِينَآ أَن يُرْهِقَهُمَا طُغْيَـٰنًا وَكُفْرًا
And as for the boy, his parents were believers, and we feared that he would overburden them by transgression and disbelief.
وَيَسْـَٔلُونَكَ عَن ذِى ٱلْقَرْنَيْنِ ۖ قُلْ سَأَتْلُوا۟ عَلَيْكُم مِّنْهُ ذِكْرًا
And they ask you, [O Muḥammad], about Dhul-Qarnayn. Say, "I will recite to you about him a report."
وَتَحْسَبُهُمْ أَيْقَاظًا وَهُمْ رُقُودٌ ۚ وَنُقَلِّبُهُمْ ذَاتَ ٱلْيَمِينِ وَذَاتَ ٱلشِّمَالِ ۖ وَكَلْبُهُم بَـٰسِطٌ ذِرَاعَيْهِ بِٱلْوَصِيدِ ۚ لَوِ ٱطَّلَعْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ لَوَلَّيْتَ مِنْهُمْ فِرَارًا وَلَمُلِئْتَ مِنْهُمْ رُعْبًا
And you would think them awake, while they were asleep. And We turned them to the right and to the left, while their dog stretched his forelegs at the entrance. If you had looked at them, you would have turned from them in flight and been filled by them with terror.