ভূমিকা

He (Moses) said: ‘Have you made a hole therein to drown its inmates? You have indeed done a grievous thing’.” 72. “He said: ‘Did I not say that you could never bear with me patiently?’” The Arabic term /xaraqa/ is used here, in this holy verse, with the meaning of ‘tearing something mischievously and without consideration.’ The Qur’anic word /’imr/ is applied for ‘an important and strange work, or a very indecent one’.

Both of them (Moses and the godly learned man) proceeded and went on their way until when they embarked on a ship. Khidr made a hole in the ship. Since, on one side, Moses was a great prophet of Allah and he had to protect the lives and properties of people, and he had to enjoin right and forbid wrong; and on the other side, his conscious did not let him keep silence for such a wrong action, therefore, he neglected the promise he had with Khidr (as) and protested him.

The verse says: “So they twain departed; until, when they embarked upon the ship, he made a hole in it. He (Moses) said: ‘Have you made a hole therein to drown its inmates?

“He said: ‘Do not take me to task that I forgot, and be not hard upon me for my affair’.” 74. “So they twain departed; until, when they met a lad, he (Khidr) slew him. He (Moses) said: ‘Slew you an innocent person who had slain none? You have indeed done a horrible thing’.” The Arabic term /’irhaq/ from the root /rahiqa/ means both ‘to encompass forcefully’, and ‘to impose a difficult task on any one’.