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)
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.
- Juz 15
- Hizb 30
- Page 301
- Ruku 10
- Revealed Mecca
Word by word
- فَٱنطَلَقَاfa-inṭalaqāThen they both set out
- حَتَّىٰٓḥattāuntil
- إِذَاidhāwhen
- لَقِيَاlaqiyāthey met
- غُلَٰمًاghulāmana boy
- فَقَتَلَهُۥfaqatalahuthen he killed him
- قَالَqālaHe said
- أَقَتَلْتَaqataltaHave you killed
- نَفْسًاnafsana soul
- زَكِيَّةًۢzakiyyatanpure
- بِغَيْرِbighayrifor other than
- نَفْسٍnafsina soul
- لَّقَدْlaqadCertainly
- جِئْتَji'tayou have done
- شَئًْاshayana thing
- نُّكْرًاnuk'ranevil
Tafsir (commentary) of 18:74
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This commentary explains ayahs 18:74–76 together.
The Story of killing the Boy
(Then they both proceeded,) means, after the first incident,
(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:
(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
(without Nafs) with no reason for killing him.
(Verily, you have committed a thing Nukr!) meaning, something that is clearly evil.
(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:
(If I ask you anything after this,) meaning, `if I object to anything else you do after this,'
(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:
(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.'))"