18:80 Al-Kahf (The Cave)

{ وَأَمَّا الْغُلَامُ ْ} الذي قتلته { فَكَانَ أَبَوَاهُ مُؤْمِنَيْنِ فَخَشِينَا أَنْ يُرْهِقَهُمَا طُغْيَانًا وَكُفْرًا ْ} وكان ذلك الغلام قد قدر عليه أنه لو بلغ لأرهق أبويه طغيانا وكفرا، أي: لحملهما على الطغيان والكفر، إما لأجل محبتهما إياه، أو للحاجة إليه أو يحدهما على ذلك، أي: فقتلته، لاطلاعي على ذلك، سلامة لدين أبويه المؤمنين، وأي فائدة أعظم من هذه الفائدة الجليلة؟\" وهو وإن كان فيه إساءة إليهما، وقطع لذريتهما، فإن الله تعالى سيعطيهما من الذرية، ما هو خير منه

وقد تقدم أن هذا الغلام كان اسمه حيثور وفي هذا الحديث عن ابن عباس عن أبي بن كعب عن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم قال" الغلام الذي قتله الخضر طبع يوم طبع كافرًا "رواه ابن جرير من حديث ابن إسحاق عن سعيد عن ابن عباس به ولهذا قال " فكان أبواه مؤمنين فخشينا أن يرهقهما طغيانا وكفرا " أي يحملهما حبه على متابعته على الكفر قال قتادة: قد فرح به أبواه حين ولد وحزنا عليه حين قتل ولو بقي لكان فيه هلاكهما فليرضى امرؤ بقضاء الله فإن قضاء الله للمؤمن فما يكره خير له من قضائه فيما يحب وصح في الحديث " لا يقضي الله لمؤمن قضاء إلا كان خيرًا له "وقال تعالى " وعسى أن تكرهوا شيئا وهو خير لكم ".

Interpretation of why the Boy was killed

Ibn `Abbas narrated from Ubayy bin Ka`b that the Prophet said:

«الْغُلَامُ الَّذِي قَتَلَهُ الْخَضِرُ طُبِعَ يَوْمَ طُبِعَ كَافِرًا»

(The boy Al-Khidr killed was destined to be a disbeliever from the day he was created.) It was recorded by Ibn Jarir from Ibn `Abbas. He said:

فَكَانَ أَبَوَاهُ مُؤْمِنَيْنِ فَخَشِينَآ أَن يُرْهِقَهُمَا طُغْيَـناً وَكُفْراً

(his parents were believers, and we feared he would oppress them by rebellion and disbelief) Their love for him might make them follow him in disbelief. Qatadah said, "His parents rejoiced when he was born and grieved for him when he was killed. If he had stayed alive, he would have been the cause of their doom. So let a man be content with the decree of Allah, for the decree of Allah for the believer, if he dislikes it, is better for him than if He were to decree something that he likes for him." An authentic Hadith says;

«لَا يَقْضِي اللهُ لِلْمُؤْمِنِ مِنْ قَضَاءٍ إِلَّا كَانَ خَيْرًا لَه»

(Allah does not decree anything for the believer except it is good for him.) And Allah says:

وَعَسَى أَن تَكْرَهُواْ شَيْئًا وَهُوَ خَيْرٌ لَّكُمْ

(and it may be that you dislike a thing which is good for you.) 2:216.

فَأَرَدْنَآ أَن يُبْدِلَهُمَا رَبُّهُمَا خَيْراً مِّنْهُ زَكَـوةً وَأَقْرَبَ رُحْماً

(So we intended that their Lord should exchange him for them for one better in righteousness and nearer to mercy. ) A child who was better than this one, a child for whom they would feel more compassion. This was the view of Ibn Jurayj.

And as for the boy his parents were believers and We feared lest he should overwhelm them with insolence and disbelief — for he is as described by the hadīth of Muslim ‘He was incorrigibly disposed to disbelief and had he lived longer this disposition of his would have oppressed them because of their love for him they would have followed him in such a path of disbelief’.

The opening sentence of verse 80: وَأَمَّا الْغُلَامُ (As for the boy) means the boy who was killed by al-Khadir (علیہ السلام) . The reality behind it, as stated by him, was that the boy was cut out for infidelity and rebellion against parents. But, his parents were pious people. Al-Khadir (علیہ السلام) said that they apprehended that, once this boy grew up, he would harass his parents and cause them pain. And when he took to infidelity as a young man, he would not only become a live trial for the parents but would also endanger the very faith of his parents because of their love for him.