Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh. (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

Brother Burhan assalam alaikum

I really appreciate the way you reply to the questions with wisdom and logic, May allah Taala give you ajr for this.

Brother my question to you is regarding Khidr Alahissalaam , and his journey with prophet Moosa as descrbed in Quran where he killed a boy and drowned the boat etc.

My question for you is that how come Allah who is omniscient, all knowing, has no barrier of past, present and future can tell Khidr to kill a boy on the basis of probability that he might go astray when he is grown up; when Allah knowing fully well that this child will never be a grown up- as he is obviously killed by Khidr himself.

Same is true for the boat and other example.

(There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in confidentiality.)

Answer:

Wisdom of incidents of Khidr

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is none worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 18 Surah Kahf verses 65-82:

65 So they found one of Our servants (Hadrat Khidr) on whom We had bestowed Mercy from Ourselves and whom We had taught knowledge from Our Own Presence.

66 Moses said to him: "May I follow thee on the footing that thou teach me something of the (Higher) Truth which thou hast been taught?"

67 (Hadrat Khidr) said: "Verily thou wilt not be able to have patience with me!

68 And how canst thou have patience about things about which thy understanding is not complete?"

69 Moses said: "Thou wilt find me if Allah so Wills (truly) patient: nor shall I disobey thee in aught."

70 The other said: "If then thou wouldst follow me, ask me no questions about anything until I myself speak to thee concerning it."

71 So they both proceeded: until when they were in the boat he scuttled it. Said Moses: "Hast thou scuttled it in order to drown those in it? Truly a strange thing hast thou done!"

72 He answered: "Did I not tell thee that thou canst have no patience with me?"

73 Moses said: "Rebuke me not for forgetting nor grieve me by raising difficulties in my case."

74 Then they proceeded: until when they met a young man he slew him. Moses said: "Hast thou slain an innocent person who had slain none? Truly a foul (unheard-of) thing hast thou done!"

75 He answered: "Did I not tell thee that thou canst have no patience with me?"

76 (Moses) said: "If ever I ask thee about anything after this keep me not in thy company: then wouldst thou have received (full) excuse from my side."

77 Then they proceeded: until when they came to the inhabitants of a town they asked them for food but they refused them hospitality. They found there a wall on the point of falling down but he set it up straight. (Moses) said: "If thou hadst wished surely thou couldst have exacted some recompense for it!"

78 He answered: "This is the parting between me and thee: now will I tell thee the interpretation of (those things) over which thou wast unable to hold patience.

79 As for the boat it belonged to certain men in dire want: they plied on the water: I but wished to render it unserviceable for there was after them a certain king who seized on every boat by force.

80 As for the youth his parents were people of faith and we feared that he would grieve them by obstinate rebellion and ingratitude (to Allah and man).

81 So we desired that their Lord would give them in exchange (a son) better in purity (of conduct) and closer in affection.

82 As for the wall it belonged to two youths orphans in the town; there was beneath it a buried treasure to which they were entitled: their father had been a righteous man: so thy Lord desired that they should attain their age of full strength and get out their treasure a mercy (and favor) from thy Lord. I did it not of my own accord. Such is the interpretation of (those things) over which thou wast unable to hold patience."

There is a difference of opinion amongst the scholars whether Hadrat Khidr was a human being or an Angel of Allah; but most of the scholars of repute are of the opinion that Hadrat Khidr was not a human being, but Allah sent an Angel in the form of a human being to teach or show Prophet Moosa (a.s.) the wisdom behind some of the deeds which the Lord ordains to take place on this earth.

65 So they found one of Our servants (Hadrat Khidr) on whom We had bestowed Mercy from Ourselves and whom We had taught knowledge from Our Own Presence.

66 Moses said to him: "May I follow thee on the footing that thou teach me something of the (Higher) Truth which thou hast been taught?"

67 (Hadrat Khidr) said: "Verily thou wilt not be able to have patience with me!

68 And how canst thou have patience about things about which thy understanding is not complete?"

The mission and the wisdom behind the incident which transpired at the hands of Hadrat Khidr were only to temporarily remove the screen of the ‘unseen’ so that Hadrat Moosa (a.s.) could be shown some of the Signs of Allah Subhanah.

For every incident that happened during that brief companionship of Prophet Moosa (a.s.) and Hadrat Khidr (a.s.), there was a Divine Wisdom behind the act….and the guidance in these incidents seems that one should not despair over the transitory and seeming trials one is faced with in the life of this world; for it may seem to the naked eye and mind that a loss has occurred, but in fact that temporary loss might be a precursor of the impending Mercy of Allah Subhanah.

The acts that Hadrat Khidr did during that brief period of companionship with Prophet Moosa (a.s.) is reminiscent of the deeds which the Angels of Allah do in the ‘unseen’; it is just that the screen of the ‘unseen’ was temporarily unveiled from Prophet Moosa (a.s.) so that he may learn and witness some of the wisdom behind the Decrees of Allah Subhanah.

Some scholars are even of the opinion that Hadrat Khidr was visible only to Prophet Moosa (a.s.) and they base their argument on the basis that when Hadrat Khidr scuttled the boat, or killed the child….neither was he stopped by the other people around him, nor was he tried or brought to justice by the other people in the boat in the town for his apparently unlawful acts. And Allah Alone Knows Best.

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

Burhan