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Surah Al-Kahf · Meccan

18:77 Al-Kahf (The Cave)

فَٱنطَلَقَا حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَآ أَتَيَآ أَهۡلَ قَرۡيَةٍ ٱسۡتَطۡعَمَآ أَهۡلَهَا فَأَبَوۡاْ أَن يُضَيِّفُوهُمَا فَوَجَدَا فِيهَا جِدَارࣰ ا يُرِيدُ أَن يَنقَضَّ فَأَقَامَهُۥۖ قَالَ لَوۡ شِئۡتَ لَتَّخَذۡتَ عَلَيۡهِ أَجۡرࣰ ا

Yusuf Ali

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

Pickthall

So they twain journeyed on till, when they came unto the folk of a certain township, they asked its folk for food, but they refused to make them guests. And they found therein a wall upon the point of falling into ruin, and he repaired it. (Moses) said: If thou hadst wished, thou couldst have taken payment for it

Mubarakpuri (King Fahd Complex)

Then they both proceeded till when they came to the people of a town, they asked them for food, but they refused to entertain them. Then they found therein a wall about to collapse and he set it up straight. (Musa) said: "If you had wished, surely you could have taken wages for it

Juz
16
Page
302
Ruku
261

Tafsirs (commentaries)

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Tafsir Ibn Kathir (abridged)

Hafiz Ibn Kathir (abridged)

The Story of repairing the Wall Allah tells us that

فَانطَلَقَا

(they both proceeded) after the first two instances,

حَتَّى إِذَآ أَتَيَآ أَهْلَ قَرْيَةٍ

(till when they came to the people of a town,) Ibn Jarir narrated from Ibn Sirin that this was Al-Aylah. According to the Hadith;

«حَتَّى إِذَا أَتَيَا أَهْلَ قَرْيَةٍ لِئَامًا»

(When they came there, the people of the town were mean.) i.e., miserly

اسْتَطْعَمَآ أَهْلَهَا فَأَبَوْاْ أَن يُضَيِّفُوهُمَا فَوَجَدَا فِيهَا جِدَاراً يُرِيدُ أَن يَنقَضَّ

(they asked them for food, but they refused to entertain them. Then they found therein a wall about to collapse and he (Khidr) set it up straight.) means, he fixed it so it was standing upright properly. We have already seen in the Hadith quoted above that he set it up with his own hands, supporting it until it was standing straight again, which is something extraordinary. At this point Musa said to him:

لَوْ شِئْتَ لاَتَّخَذْتَ عَلَيْهِ أَجْراً

(If you had wished, surely you could have taken wages for it!) meaning, because they did not entertain us as guests, you should not have worked for them for free.

قَالَ هَـذَا فِرَاقُ بَيْنِى وَبَيْنِكَ

(He said: "This is the parting between you and I) meaning, because you said after the boy was killed that if you asked me anything after that, you would not accompany me any further. So this is the parting of the ways between me and you.

سَأُنَبِّئُكَ بِتَأْوِيلِ

(I will tell you the interpretation) meaning explanation,

مَا لَمْ تَسْطِـع عَّلَيْهِ صَبْراً

(of (those) things over which you were not able to be patient.)

Source: Ibn Kathir abridged via spa5k/tafsir_api · reference

Sources

Arabic text: Tanzil project (tanzil.net) — Uthmani Hafs edition. Translations: Yusuf Ali and Pickthall (public domain) and Mubarakpuri (King Fahd Quran Printing Complex). For audio recitation sources and data-handling details, see the privacy policy .