قَالَ أَلَمْ أَقُلْ إِنَّكَ لَن تَسْتَطِيعَ مَعِىَ صَبْرًا 72
Translations
[Al-Khiḍr] said, "Did I not say that with me you would never be able to have patience?"
Transliteration
Qala alam aqul innaka lan tastatee'a ma'ee sabran
Tafsir (Explanation)
Khidr (peace be upon him) reminds Musa (peace be upon him) of his earlier warning that he would not be able to exercise patience in witnessing Khidr's actions. Ibn Kathir notes this statement reflects Khidr's wisdom in reminding Musa of the covenant they had established, serving as a gentle rebuke when Musa questioned the first of three seemingly unjust acts. Al-Qurtubi emphasizes that this ayah demonstrates the importance of fulfilling conditions agreed upon and the natural human struggle to remain patient when witnessing apparent wrongdoing without understanding the divine wisdom behind it.
Revelation Context
This ayah occurs within the narrative of Musa's journey with Khidr (Surah Al-Kahf, verses 60-82), a Meccan surah revealed to console the Prophet Muhammad during the early Meccan period. The context portrays Khidr testing Musa's commitment to patience after Musa had insisted on accompanying him to learn divine wisdom, establishing the thematic foundation for trials of faith and hidden divine purposes.
Related Hadiths
The story of Musa and Khidr is referenced in Sahih Bukhari (3401) where the Prophet Muhammad mentions that Khidr was given knowledge directly from Allah. Additionally, Sunan At-Tirmidhi contains the full narration of this encounter, emphasizing the virtue of patience and trust in divine wisdom.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches us that patience in faith requires both commitment and trust—we must honor our promises to learn and understand before rushing to judgment, and we must recognize that apparent injustices often conceal divine purposes we cannot yet comprehend.