Lu'lu' wal-Marjan

Hazrat Ubayy bin Ka'b (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: (One day) Musa (peace be upon him) stood and delivered a sermon among the Children of Israel. He was asked, "Who among the people has the most knowledge?" He replied, "I do." Because of this, Allah became displeased with him for not attributing knowledge to Allah. Then Allah revealed to him that "One of My servants is at the junction of the rivers (where the seas of Persia and Rome meet); he is more knowledgeable than you." Musa (peace be upon him) said, "O Lord! How can I meet him?" He was instructed, "Put a fish in a basket, and wherever you lose that fish, you will find that servant there." So Musa (peace be upon him) set out, taking his servant Yusha bin Nun with him, and they placed a fish in the basket. When they reached a rock, both of them rested their heads on it and fell asleep. The fish slipped out of the basket and made its way into the river, making its own path. This was very astonishing for Musa (peace be upon him) and his companion. Then both of them continued walking for the rest of the night and day. When morning came, Musa (peace be upon him) said to his servant, "Bring us our breakfast; we have suffered much fatigue in this journey." And Musa (peace be upon him) had not felt tired except after passing the place where they were commanded to go. Then his servant said, "Did you see when we rested by the rock? I forgot to mention the fish." (Upon hearing this) Musa (peace be upon him) said, "That is the place we were seeking." So they retraced their steps, and when they reached the rock, they saw a man covered with a cloth (present there). Musa (peace be upon him) greeted him with salam. Khidr (peace be upon him) said, "Where is salam in your land?" Then Musa (peace be upon him) said, "I am Musa." Khidr said, "Musa of the Children of Israel?" He replied, "Yes!" Then he said, "May I accompany you so that you may teach me some of the guidance which Allah has specially taught you?" Khidr (peace be upon him) said, "You will not be able to have patience with me. O Musa! Allah has given me knowledge which you do not know, and He has given you knowledge which I do not know." (Upon this) Musa (peace be upon him) said, "If Allah wills, you will find me patient, and I will not disobey you in any matter." Then both of them walked along the shore of the sea; they had no boat. A boat passed by them, and they asked its people to take them aboard. The people recognized Khidr (peace be upon him) and took them on board without any fare. Meanwhile, a bird came and sat on the edge of the boat, then dipped its beak once or twice into the sea. (Seeing this) Khidr (peace be upon him) said, "O Musa! My knowledge and your knowledge, compared to Allah's knowledge, is no more than what this bird has taken from the sea." Then Khidr (peace be upon him) removed a plank from the boat. Musa (peace be upon him) said, "These people took us on board without charging us, and you have damaged their boat so that they may drown?" Khidr (peace be upon him) said, "Did I not say that you would not be able to have patience with me?" (Upon this) Musa (peace be upon him) replied, "Do not hold me accountable for my forgetfulness." Musa (peace be upon him) had made this first objection out of forgetfulness. Then both of them continued (after disembarking from the boat). A boy was playing with other children; Khidr (peace be upon him) took hold of his head from above and separated it with his hand. Musa (peace be upon him) exclaimed, "You have killed an innocent child without any just cause (this is outrageous)!" Khidr (peace be upon him) said, "Did I not tell you that you would not be able to have patience with me?" Ibn Uyaynah says that in this statement there is more emphasis than before (because in the previous statement the word 'lak' was not used, but here it is added, which shows emphasis). Then both of them continued walking until they came to a village. They asked its people for food, but they refused to host them. There they saw a wall in the village about to collapse. Khidr (peace be upon him) straightened it with a gesture of his hand. Musa (peace be upon him) said, "If you wished, you could have taken wages for this work from the villagers." Khidr (peace be upon him) said, "(Now) this is the parting between me and you." The beloved Prophet, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), says: "May Allah have mercy on Musa! We wished that Musa had been patient for a little longer, so that more events of the two could have been narrated."