Al-Kahf (The Cave)

71. “So they both departed; until, when they embarked upon the ship, he made a hole in it. He (Moses) said: ‘Have you made a hole therein to drown its inmates? You have indeed done a grievous thing’.”

72. “He said: ‘Did I not say that you could never bear with me patiently?’”

The Arabic term /xaraqa/ is used here, in this holy verse, with the meaning of ‘tearing something mischievously and without consideration.’

The Qur’anic word /’imr/ is applied for ‘an important and strange work, or a very indecent one’.

Both of them (Moses and the godly learned man) proceeded and went on their way until when they embarked on a ship. Khidr made a hole in the ship.

Since, on one side, Moses was a great prophet of Allah and he had to protect the lives and properties of people, and he had to enjoin right and forbid wrong; and on the other side, his conscious did not let him keep silence for such a wrong action, therefore, he neglected the promise he had with Khidr (as) and protested him.

The verse says:

“So they both departed; until, when they embarked upon the ship, he made a hole in it. He (Moses) said: ‘Have you made a hole therein to drown its inmates? You have indeed done a grievous thing’.”

At this time, that godly learned man (Khidr), with a special firmness, looked at Moses and spoke:

“He said: ‘Did I not say that you could never bear with me patiently?’”