Surah Al-Kahf, Ayah 74 (18:74)

ٱلْكَهْف

فَٱنطَلَقَا حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَا لَقِيَا غُلَٰمًا فَقَتَلَهُۥ قَالَ أَقَتَلْتَ نَفْسًا زَكِيَّةًۢ بِغَيْرِ نَفْسٍ …

Quran 18:74 is ayah 74 of Surah Al-Kahf (“The Cave”), a Meccan surah of 110 ayahs. It is in Juz 15, on page 301 of the Madani Mushaf.

18:74
فَٱنطَلَقَاحَتَّىٰٓإِذَالَقِيَاغُلَٰمًافَقَتَلَهُۥقَالَأَقَتَلْتَنَفْسًازَكِيَّةًۢبِغَيْرِنَفْسٍلَّقَدْجِئْتَشَئًْانُّكْرًا٧٤
fa-inṭalaqā ḥattā idhā laqiyā ghulāman faqatalahu qāla aqatalta nafsan zakiyyatan bighayri nafsin laqad ji'ta shayan nuk'ran

So they set out, until when they met a boy, he [i.e., al-Khiḍr] killed him. [Moses] said, "Have you killed a pure soul for other than [having killed] a soul? You have certainly done a deplorable thing."(74)

Word by word

  1. فَٱنطَلَقَاfa-inṭalaqāThen they both set out
  2. حَتَّىٰٓḥattāuntil
  3. إِذَاidhāwhen
  4. لَقِيَاlaqiyāthey met
  5. غُلَٰمًاghulāmana boy
  6. فَقَتَلَهُۥfaqatalahuthen he killed him
  7. قَالَqālaHe said
  8. أَقَتَلْتَaqataltaHave you killed
  9. نَفْسًاnafsana soul
  10. زَكِيَّةًۢzakiyyatanpure
  11. بِغَيْرِbighayrifor other than
  12. نَفْسٍnafsina soul
  13. لَّقَدْlaqadCertainly
  14. جِئْتَji'tayou have done
  15. شَئًْاshayana thing
  16. نُّكْرًاnuk'ranevil

Tafsir (commentary) of 18:74

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English · EnglishTafsir Ibn Kathir (Abridged) — Hafiz Ibn Kathir

This commentary explains ayahs 18:74–76 together.

The Story of killing the Boy

فَانطَلَقَا

(Then they both proceeded,) means, after the first incident,

حَتَّى إِذَا لَقِيَا غُلاَمًا فَقَتَلَهُ

(till they met a boy, and he (Khidr) killed him.) It has been stated previously that this boy was playing with other boys in one of the towns, and that Al-Khidr deliberately singled him out. He was the finest and most handsome of them all, and Al-Khidr killed him. When Musa, peace be upon him, saw that he denounced him even more fervently than in the first case, and said hastily:

أَقَتَلْتَ نَفْسًا زَكِيَّةً

(Have you killed an innocent person) meaning, a young person who had not yet committed any sin or done anything wrong, yet you killed him

بِغَيْرِ نَفْسٍ

(without Nafs) with no reason for killing him.

لَّقَدْ جِئْتَ شَيْئاً نُّكْراً

(Verily, you have committed a thing Nukr!) meaning, something that is clearly evil.

قَالَ أَلَمْ أَقُلْ لَّكَ إِنَّكَ لَن تَسْتَطِيعَ مَعِىَ صَبْراً

(He said: "Did I not tell you that you can have no patience with me") Once again, Al-Khidr reiterates the condition set in the first place, so Musa says to him:

إِن سَأَلْتُكَ عَن شَىْءٍ بَعْدَهَا

(If I ask you anything after this,) meaning, `if I object to anything else you do after this,'

فَلاَ تُصَاحِبْنِى قَدْ بَلَغْتَ مِن لَّدُنِّى عُذْراً

(keep me not in your company, you have received an excuse from me.) `you have accepted my apology twice.' Ibn Jarir narrated from Ibn `Abbas that Ubayy bin Ka`b said: "Whenever the Prophet mentioned anyone, he would pray for himself first. One day he said:

«رَحْمَةُ اللهِ عَلَيْنَا وَعَلَى مُوسَى لَوْ لَبِثَ مَعَ صَاحِبِهِ لَأَبْصَرَ الْعَجَبَ، وَلَكِنَّهُ قَالَ:
إِن سَأَلْتُكَ عَن شَىْءٍ بَعْدَهَا فَلاَ تُصَاحِبْنِى قَدْ بَلَغْتَ مِن لَّدُنِّى عُذْراً»

(May the mercy of Allah be upon us and upon Musa. If he had stayed with his companion he would have seen wonders, but he said, (`If I ask you anything after this, keep me not in your company, you have received an excuse from me.'))"

Read the full Surah Al-Kahf