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
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.
فَمَا ٱسْطَـٰعُوٓا۟ أَن يَظْهَرُوهُ وَمَا ٱسْتَطَـٰعُوا۟ لَهُۥ نَقْبًا
So they [i.e., Gog and Magog] were unable to pass over it, nor were they able [to effect] in it any penetration.
وَمَآ أَظُنُّ ٱلسَّاعَةَ قَآئِمَةً وَلَئِن رُّدِدتُّ إِلَىٰ رَبِّى لَأَجِدَنَّ خَيْرًا مِّنْهَا مُنقَلَبًا
And I do not think the Hour will occur. And even if I should be brought back to my Lord, I will surely find better than this as a return."
قَالَ ذَٰلِكَ مَا كُنَّا نَبْغِ ۚ فَٱرْتَدَّا عَلَىٰٓ ءَاثَارِهِمَا قَصَصًا
[Moses] said, "That is what we were seeking." So they returned, following their footprints.