Al-Qur'an Surah Al-Kahf Verse 82

Mufti Taqi Usmani

As for the wall, it belonged to two orphan boys in the city, and there was a treasure beneath it belonging to them, and their father was a pious man. So your Lord willed that they should reach their maturity and dig out their treasure, as a mercy from your Lord. I did not do it on my own accord. This is the reality of things about which you could not remain patient.”

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

“And as for the wall, it belonged to two orphan boys in the city, and under the wall was a treasure that belonged to them, and their father had been a righteous man. So your Lord willed that these children should come of age and retrieve their treasure, as a mercy from your Lord. I did not do it ˹all˺ on my own. This is the explanation of what you could not bear patiently.”[[ The Prophet (ﷺ) commented on the story, “I wish Moses had been more patient so we can learn more from that wise man.”]] 

Ruwwad Translation Center

As for the wall, it belonged to two orphan boys in the city, and there was a treasure under it that belonged to them. Their father was a righteous man, so your Lord willed that they should reach their maturity and retrieve their treasure, as a mercy from your Lord; I did not do it of my own accord. This is the interpretation of that which you could not bear with patience.”

A. J. Arberry

As for the wall, it belonged to two orphan lads in the city, and under it was a treasure belonging to them. Their father was a righteous man; and thy Lord desired that they should come of age and then bring forth their treasure as a mercy from thy Lord. I did it not of my own bidding. This is the interpretation of that thou couldst not bear patiently.'

Abdul Haleem

The wall belonged to two young orphans in the town and there was buried treasure beneath it belonging to them. Their father had been a righteous man, so your Lord intended them to reach maturity and then dig up their treasure as a mercy from your Lord. I did not do [these things] of my own accord: these are the explanations for those things you could not bear with patience.’

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

And as for the wall, it belonged to two orphan boys in the town and underneath it was a treasure belonging to them and their father had been righteous. So thy Lord intended that the twain should attain their maturity and bring forth for themselves their treasure as a mercy from thy Lord. And I did it not of mine own command; that is the interpretation of that wherewith thou wast not able to have patience.

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

"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 favour) 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."

Abul Ala Maududi

As for the wall, it belonged to two orphan boys in the city, and under it there was a treasure that belonged to them. Their father was a righteous man and your Lord intended that they should come of age and then bring forth their treasure as a mercy from your Lord; I did not do this of my own bidding. This is the true meaning of things with which you could not keep your patience."

Ahmed Ali

As for that wall, it belonged to two orphan boys of the city, and their treasure was buried under it. Their father was an upright man. So your Lord willed that on reaching the age of maturity they should dig out their treasure as a favour from their Lord. So, I did not do that of my own accord. This is the explanation of things you could not bear with patience."

Ahmed Raza Khan

“And in respect of the wall – it belonged to two orphan boys of the city, and beneath it was their treasure, and their father was a virtuous man; therefore your Lord willed that they should reach their maturity and remove their treasure; by the mercy of your Lord; and I have not done this at my own command; this is the interpretation of the matters you could not patiently bear.” (* Hazrat Khidr was given the knowledge of the hidden – as in all three explanations he gave).

Ali Quli Qarai

As for the wall, it belonged to two boy orphans in the city. Under it there was a treasure belonging to them. Their father had been a righteous man. So your Lord desired that they should come of age and take out their treasure—as a mercy from your Lord. I did not do that out of my own accord. This is the interpretation of that over which you could not maintain patience.’

Ali Ünal

"And as for the wall, it belonged to two orphan boys in the city, and beneath it was a treasure belonging to them. Their father had been a righteous man. So your Lord willed that they should come of age and bring forth their treasure as a mercy from your Lord. I did not do this (any of the actions that you witnessed) of my own accord. This is the meaning of all (those events) with which you were unable to have patience."

Amatul Rahman Omar

`As for the wall it belonged to two orphan boys of the town and under this (wall there) was a treasure belonging to them and their father had been a righteous man. So your Lord desired that they should attain their (age of) full strength and then take out their treasure; a mercy from your Lord, and I did not do it of my own accord, (whatever I did was the will of the Lord). This is the significance of that which you were not able to bear with patience.´

English Literal

And as for the wall, so it was (belonging) to two boys , two orphans in the city/town, and under it was a treasure/buried treasure for them (B), and their (B)`s father was correct/righteous, so your Lord wanted/willed that they (B) reach their (B)`s maturity/strength, and they (B) bring out their (B)`s treasure/buried treasure, mercy from your Lord, and I did not make/do it from my matter/affair, that (is) explanation/interpretation (of) what you were not able (to have) patience on it.

Faridul Haque

"And in respect of the wall - it belonged to two orphan boys of the city, and beneath it was their treasure, and their father was a virtuous man; therefore your Lord willed that they should reach their maturity and remove their treasure; by the mercy of your Lord; and I have not done this at my own command; this is the interpretation of the matters you could not patiently bear." (* Hazrat Khidr was given the knowledge of the hidden - as in all three explanations he gave).

Hamid S. Aziz

So we desired that their Lord would give them in exchange a better one than him in purity, and nearer in filial affection.

Hilali & Khan

"And as for the wall, it belonged to two orphan boys in the town; and there was under it a treasure belonging to them; and their father was a righteous man, and your Lord intended that they should attain their age of full strength and take out their treasure as a mercy from your Lord. And I did it not of my own accord. That is the interpretation of those (things) over which you could not hold patience."

Maulana Mohammad Ali

So We intended that their Lord might give them in his place one better in purity and nearer to mercy.

Mohammad Habib Shakir

And as for the wall, it belonged to two orphan boys in the city, and there was beneath it a treasure belonging to them, and their father was a righteous man; so your Lord desired that they should attain their maturity and take out their treasure, a mercy from your Lord, and I did not do it of my own accord. This is the significance of that with which you could not have patience.

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

And as for the wall, it belonged to two orphan boys in the city, and there was beneath it a treasure belonging to them, and their father had been righteous, and thy Lord intended that they should come to their full strength and should bring forth their treasure as a mercy from their Lord; and I did it not upon my own command. Such is the interpretation of that wherewith thou couldst not bear.

Muhammad Sarwar

"The tumbling wall belonged to two orphans in the town whose father was a righteous person. Underneath the wall there was a treasure that belonged to them. Your Lord wanted the orphans to find the treasure through the mercy of your Lord when they mature. I did not repair the wall out of my own desire. These were the explanations of my deeds about which you could not remain patient."

Qaribullah & Darwish

As for the wall, it belonged to two orphan boys in the city. Beneath it was (buried) a treasure which belonged to them. Their father had been a righteous person and your Lord willed that when they reach manhood to bring out their treasure as a mercy from your Lord. What I did was not done by my own command. That is the interpretation of what you could not bear with patience'

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

"And as for the wall, it belonged to two orphan boys in the town; and there was under it a treasure belonging to them; and their father was a righteous man, and your Lord intended that they should attain their age of full strength and take out their treasure as a mercy from your Lord. And I did them not of my own accord. That is the interpretation of those (things) over which you could not be patient.

Wahiduddin Khan

"The wall belonged to two young orphans in the town whose father had been a righteous man, and a treasure of theirs lay underneath it. So your Lord wanted them to come of age and then to dig up their treasure as a mercy from Him. I did not do [it] of my own accord. That is the explanation of the things about which you were not able to restrain yourself."

Talal Itani

And as for the wall, it belonged to two orphaned boys in the town. Beneath it was a treasure that belonged to them. Their father was a righteous man. Your Lord wanted them to reach their maturity, and then extract their treasure—as a mercy from your Lord. I did not do it of my own accord. This is the interpretation of what you were unable to endure.”

Tafsir jalalayn

And as for the wall, it belonged to two orphan boys [who lived] in the city, and beneath it there was a treasure, a buried trove of gold and silver, belonging to them. Their father had been a righteous man, and so because of his righteousness they were protected both in [terms of] their souls and their possessions, and your Lord desired that they should come of age, that is, [He desired for them] the attainment of maturity, and extract their treasure as a mercy from your Lord (rahmatan min rabbik is a direct object denoting reason, operated by [the verb] arda, `He desired'). And I did not do it, namely, what has been mentioned of [his] making a hole in the ship, the slaying of the boy and the repair of the wall, of my own accord, that is, [out of] my own choosing; nay, it was because of a command in the form of an inspiration from God. This is the interpretation of that over which you could not maintain patience' (one may say ist`a or istat`a to mean `he had the capacity for [something]'; in this instance and the previous one both forms [of the verb] have been used. Moreover, there is a variety of expression in the use of fa-aradtu, `I desired', fa-aradn, `We desired', and fa-arda rabbuk, `Your Lord desired').

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

Interpretation of why the Wall was repaired for no Charge

Allah says,

وَأَمَّا الْجِدَارُ فَكَانَ لِغُلَأمَيْنِ يَتِيمَيْنِ فِي الْمَدِينَةِ وَكَانَ تَحْتَهُ كَنزٌ لَّهُمَا

"And as for the wall, it belonged to two orphan boys in the town; and there was under it a treasure belonging to them;

In this Ayah there is a proof that the word Qaryah (village) may be used to refer to a city (Madinah), because Allah first says,
حَتَّى إِذَا أَتَيَا أَهْلَ قَرْيَةٍ
(till when they came to the people of a town (Qaryah)) (18;77), but here He says;
فَكَانَ لِغُلَمَيْنِ يَتِيمَيْنِ فِي الْمَدِينَةِ
(it belonged to two orphan boys in the town (Al-Madinah);

This is like the Ayat;

وَكَأَيِّن مِّن قَرْيَةٍ هِىَ أَشَدُّ قُوَّةً مِّن قَرْيَتِكَ الَّتِى أَخْرَجَتْكَ

And many a town (Qaryah), stronger than your town which has driven you out We have destroyed. (47;13)

and;

وَقَالُواْ لَوْلَا نُزِّلَ هَـذَا الْقُرْءَانُ عَلَى رَجُلٍ مِّنَ الْقَرْيَتَيْنِ عَظِيمٍ

And they say;"Why is not this Qur'an sent down to some great man of the two towns (Al-Qaryatayn)," (43;31)

meaning Makkah and At-Ta'if.

The meaning of the Ayahis;

"I repaired this wall because it belonged to two orphan boys in the city, and underneath it was some treasure belonging to them."

Ikrimah, Qatadah and others said,

"Underneath it there was some wealth that was buried for them."

This meaning is apparent from the context of the Ayah, and is the view chosen by Ibn Jarir (may Allah have mercy on him).

وَكَانَ أَبُوهُمَا صَالِحًا

their father was a righteous man,

indicates that a righteous person's offspring will be taken care of, and that the blessing of his worship will extend to them in this world and in the Hereafter. This will occur through his intercession for them, as well as their status being raised to the highest levels of Paradise, so that he may find joy in them. This was stated in the Qur'an and reported in the Sunnah.

Sa`id bin Jubayr narrated from Ibn Abbas;

"They were taken care of because their father was a righteous man, although it is not stated that they themselves were righteous."

فَأَرَادَ رَبُّكَ أَنْ يَبْلُغَا أَشُدَّهُمَا وَيَسْتَخْرِجَا كَنزَهُمَا

your Lord intended that they should attain their age of full strength and take out their treasure.

Here will is attributed to Allah, the Exalted, because no one else is able to bring them to the age of full strength and puberty except Allah.

In contrast, He said about the boy;
فَأَرَدْنَا أَن يُبْدِلَهُمَا رَبُّهُمَا خَيْرًا مِّنْهُ زَكَاةً
(So we intended that their Lord should exchange him for them for one better in righteousness (18;81)) and concerning the ship;
فَأَرَدتُّ أَنْ أَعِيبَهَا
(So I wished to make a defective damage in it, (18;79)).

And Allah knows best.
Was Al-Khidr a Prophet

Khidr tells,

رَحْمَةً مِّن رَّبِّكَ وَمَا فَعَلْتُهُ عَنْ أَمْرِي

as a mercy from your Lord. And I did them not of my own accord.

Meaning, `These three things that I did, come from the mercy of Allah for those we have mentioned, the crew of the ship, the parents of the boy and the two sons of the righteous man; I was only commanded to do these things that were enjoined upon me.'

This is proof and evidence in support of those who say that Al-Khidr, peace be upon him, was a Prophet, along with the Ayah which we have already quoted;

فَوَجَدَا عَبْدًا مِّنْ عِبَادِنَأ ءَاتَيْنَاهُ رَحْمَةً مِّنْ عِندِنَا وَعَلَّمْنَاهُ مِن لَّدُنَّا عِلْمًا

Then they found one of Our servants, on whom We had bestowed mercy from Us, and whom We had taught knowledge from Us. (18;65)
Why he was called Al-Khidr

Imam Ahmad recorded that Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, said that the Prophet said concerning Al-Khidr;

إِنَّمَا سُمِّيَ خَضِرًا لاَِنَّهُ جَلَسَ عَلَى فَرْوَةٍ بَيْضَاءَ فَإِذَا هِيَ تَهْتَزُّ مِنْ تَحْتِهِ خَضْرَاء

He was called Al-Khidr because he sat on a barren Farwah that turned white, then it turned green (Khadra') beneath him.

Imam Ahmad also recorded this from Abdur-Razzaq.

It was also recorded in Sahih Al-Bukhari from Hammam from Abu Hurayrah that the Messenger of Allah said,

إِنَّمَا سُمِّي الْخَضِرَ لاَِنَّهُ جَلَسَ عَلَى فَرْوَةٍ فَإِذَا هِيَ تَهْتَزُّ مِنْ تَحْتِهِ خَضْرَاء

He was called Al-Khidr because he sat on a barren Farwah and it turned green (Khadra') beneath him.

The meaning of Farwah here is a patch of withered vegetation.

This was the view of Abdur-Razzaq.

It was also said that it means the face of the earth.

Then Khidr said to Musa,

ذَلِكَ تَأْوِيلُ مَا لَمْ تَسْطِع عَّلَيْهِ صَبْرًا



That is the interpretation of those (things) over which you could not be patient.

meaning, `this is the explanation of the things which you could not put up with or be patient with until I took the initiative of explaining them to you.'

When he explained them and made them clear and solved the confusion, he used a milder form of the verb,
تَسْطِع
(you could).

When the matter was still confusing and very difficult, a more intensive form was used,
سَأُنَبِّيُكَ بِتَأْوِيلِ مَا لَمْ تَسْتَطِع عَّلَيْهِ صَبْرًا
(I will tell you the interpretation of (those) things over which you were unable to be patient with). (18;78)

The intensity of the verbal form used reflects the intensity of the confusion felt. This is like the Ayah;

فَمَا اسْطَـعُواْ أَن يَظْهَرُوهُ

So they (Ya`juj and Ma`juj) were not able to scale it, (18;97) which means ascending to its highest point,

وَمَا اسْتَطَـعُواْ لَهُ نَقْبًا

nor are they able to dig through it (18;97) which is more difficult than the former.

The intensity of the verbal form used reflects the difficulty of the action, which has to do with the subtleties of meaning. And Allah knows best.

If one were to ask, what happened to the boy-servant of Musa who appears at the beginning of the story but then is not mentioned?

The answer is that the objective of the story is what happened between Musa and Al-Khidr.

Musa's boy-servant was with him, following him. It is clearly mentioned in the Sahih Hadiths referred to above that he was Yusha` bin Nun, who was the one who became the leader of the Children of Israel after Musa, peace be upon him