Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "Moses the Messenger of Allah," and then he narrated the whole story about him. Al-Khadir said to Moses, "Did not I tell you that you can have no patience with me." (18.72). Moses then violated the agreement for the first time because of forgetfulness, then Moses promised that if he asked Al-Khadir about anything, the latter would have the right to desert him. Moses abided by that condition and on the third occasion he intentionally asked Al-Khadir and caused that condition to be applied. The three occasions referred to above are referred to by the following Verses: "Call me not to account for forgetting And be not hard upon me." (18.73) "Then they met a boy and Khadir killed him." (18.74) "Then they proceeded and found a wall which was on the verge of falling and Khadir set it up straight." (18.77)
Tafsir of Hadith: The Journey of Musa and Al-Khadir
From Sahih al-Bukhari, Book of Conditions, Hadith 2728
Context of the Narration
This hadith references the profound journey between Prophet Musa (Moses) and the righteous servant Al-Khadir as detailed in Surah Al-Kahf (Chapter 18). The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) confirms the historical reality of this encounter, establishing it as a matter of Islamic creed.
The Three Conditions and Their Violations
First Violation (Forgetfulness): When Al-Khadir damaged the boat, Musa objected out of natural human concern, forgetting their initial condition of absolute patience. This corresponds to Quran 18:71-73.
Second Violation (Involuntary Reaction): Upon witnessing the killing of the youth, Musa's prophetic instinct compelled him to question this apparent evil, violating the condition again as mentioned in Quran 18:74.
Final Separation (Intentional Questioning): When Al-Khadir rebuilt the crumbling wall without compensation, Musa intentionally questioned this action, knowing it would terminate their companionship as per Quran 18:77 and their final agreement.
Scholarly Insights
The scholars explain that Musa's journey represents the limitation of human knowledge ('ilm al-zahir) while Al-Khadir possessed divinely granted hidden knowledge ('ilm al-batin). The conditions demonstrate that complete submission to divine wisdom requires transcending apparent judgments.
Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani comments in Fath al-Bari that the three violations illustrate progressive spiritual lessons: from simple forgetfulness to emotional reaction to final intellectual acceptance of divine decree beyond human comprehension.
Legal and Spiritual Implications
This narration establishes the validity of conditions in agreements (shurut) in Islamic law, showing they remain binding even between prophets and righteous individuals.
Spiritually, it teaches Muslims to trust in Allah's wisdom even when events appear contradictory, recognizing that divine knowledge encompasses what human intellect cannot grasp.