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
وَإِذِ ٱعْتَزَلْتُمُوهُمْ وَمَا يَعْبُدُونَ إِلَّا ٱللَّهَ فَأْوُۥٓا۟ إِلَى ٱلْكَهْفِ يَنشُرْ لَكُمْ رَبُّكُم مِّن رَّحْمَتِهِۦ وَيُهَيِّئْ لَكُم مِّنْ أَمْرِكُم مِّرْفَقًا
[The youths said to one another], "And when you have withdrawn from them and that which they worship other than Allāh, retreat to the cave. Your Lord will spread out for you of His mercy and will prepare for you from your affair facility."
قَالَ لَهُۥ مُوسَىٰ هَلْ أَتَّبِعُكَ عَلَىٰٓ أَن تُعَلِّمَنِ مِمَّا عُلِّمْتَ رُشْدًا
Moses said to him, "May I follow you on [the condition] that you teach me from what you have been taught of sound judgement?"
وَلَبِثُوا۟ فِى كَهْفِهِمْ ثَلَـٰثَ مِا۟ئَةٍ سِنِينَ وَٱزْدَادُوا۟ تِسْعًا
And they remained in their cave for three hundred years and exceeded by nine.
وَلَقَدْ صَرَّفْنَا فِى هَـٰذَا ٱلْقُرْءَانِ لِلنَّاسِ مِن كُلِّ مَثَلٍ ۚ وَكَانَ ٱلْإِنسَـٰنُ أَكْثَرَ شَىْءٍ جَدَلًا
And We have certainly diversified in this Qur’ān for the people from every [kind of] example; but man has ever been, most of anything, [prone to] dispute.