by Dr. Shaykh Faid Mohammed Said
1. The Beginning: A Prophet Who Asks… and Knowledge Beyond the Knowledge of Prophets
The story of Mūsā and al-Khiḍr is not merely a journey.
It is a journey into the philosophy of Divine decree.
It teaches us that:
- Not every apparent evil is truly evil.
- Not every apparent good is truly good.
- Not everything you understand is wisdom.
- Not everything you fail to understand is meaningless.
The story began when Mūsā (peace be upon him) told his people that he was the most knowledgeable among them. Allah willed to teach him — and to teach us — that knowledge is not measured by quantity, but by perspective.
Allah revealed to him that there was a servant to whom He had granted a special knowledge: al-Khiḍr.
Mūsā said:
“May I follow you so that you teach me from what you have been taught of sound judgement?”
He was not asking for additional information —
he was seeking understanding of wisdom.
Al-Khiḍr replied:
“Indeed, you will never be able to remain patient with me.”
The first lesson: some trials are harder to endure than their occurrence itself. And some wisdom requires a heart — not merely a mind — to grasp it.
2. The Journey Begins: A Boat, Righteous People, and a Damage That Did Not Look Like Mercy
They boarded the boat of poor people who earned their livelihood through it. It was their survival.
Then came the first shocking act:
“So he damaged it.”
A boat damaged?
This is not wisdom — this is disaster.
Mūsā said:
“Have you damaged it to drown its people?”
The logic of earth says yes.
But the logic of heaven says something else — something impossible to grasp before it is unveiled.
Al-Khiḍr did not explain. He simply said:
“Did I not say that you would not be able to remain patient with me?”
Sometimes Allah does not immediately explain His wisdom, because even the explanation requires maturity.
3. The Boy: A Death That Appears as Injustice… and a Wisdom Seen Only by Allah
In the second scene, al-Khiḍr killed a young boy.
Mūsā exclaimed:
“Have you killed a pure soul without cause?”
This is the peak of impossibility:
How can killing be mercy?
How can loss be a blessing?
How can death be protection?
Again, al-Khiḍr reminded him:
“Did I not tell you that you would not be able to remain patient with me?”
The issue was not the event itself.
The issue was the angle from which it was seen.
4. The Collapsing Wall: Effort Without Return
They arrived at a town whose people refused hospitality. No welcome. No generosity.
Yet al-Khiḍr repaired a wall that was about to collapse.
Mūsā said:
“If you wished, you could have taken payment for it.”
Why serve those who withheld from you?
Why give to those who were miserly?
But Mūsā did not know what lay beneath the wall — nor what awaited its owners.
5. The Moment of Revelation: When the Impossible Melts in the Light of Wisdom
After three incomprehensible events, al-Khiḍr revealed the truth.
The Boat
“There was a king behind them seizing every sound boat by force.”
The king took intact boats — and left damaged ones.
What seemed destruction was protection.
What seemed evil was mercy.
Sometimes Allah breaks something in your life so that it is not taken from you.
The Boy
“We feared he would burden his parents with tyranny and disbelief, so we intended that their Lord replace him with one better in purity.”
His death was mercy for his parents.
His departure was the beginning of a greater relief.
Some losses are the very essence of giving.
The Wall
“And beneath it was a treasure belonging to two orphans.”
If the wall had collapsed prematurely, the treasure would have been exposed.
Allah preserved it until the right time.
There are things Allah is safeguarding for you. You think they are delayed — yet they have simply not reached their appointed moment.
6. The Highest Lesson: The Impossible Is Not in the Event, But in Seeing It Before It Is Unveiled
The wisdom of al-Khiḍr was not extraordinary because it was strange — but because it revealed that humans see only one dimension, while Divine decree operates in many.
Man sees the moment.
Allah writes the history.
Man sees pain.
Allah sees salvation.
Man sees the event.
Allah sees what precedes it, follows it, and surrounds it.
The greatest impossibility was not:
- Damaging the boat
- Killing the boy
- Repairing the wall
The greatest impossibility was understanding the wisdom before its unveiling.
7. Why This Story in the Series?
Because it represents the heart of the theme:
When the Solution Is the Impossible.
- It seemed impossible that damage could be salvation — yet it was.
- It seemed impossible that death could be mercy — yet it was.
- It seemed impossible that patience without reward could carry meaning — yet it did.
This story teaches the believer:
Not everything that breaks is meant to be fixed immediately.
Not everything that is repaired is meant to be explained.
Not everything you do not understand is wrong.
8. What Does This Story Say to the Modern Heart?
It says:
- If your boat is damaged, perhaps Allah has saved you from confiscation.
- If something is taken from you, perhaps you are being protected from a future you could not bear.
- If provision seems delayed, perhaps it lies beneath a wall whose time has not yet come.
- If you do not understand today, wait for tomorrow.
And above all:
Trust in Allah is more important than understanding Allah’s plan.
9. Conclusion: Mūsā and al-Khiḍr — A Journey That Never Ends
The journey ended.
The lesson did not.
There are matters you will not understand now.
There are doors that will not open until your heart matures.
There are events about which you will one day say:
“Alḥamdulillāh that I did not understand it at the time.”
This is the beauty of the series:
When the solution is the impossible,
wisdom is wider than the sight of human eyes.
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