Sayyiduna Abu Sa'id al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates from Sayyiduna Umar bin al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "My brother Musa (peace be upon him) said: 'O my Lord! Show me the man whom You showed me in the boat.' So Allah Almighty revealed to him: 'O Musa! You will soon see him.' Then only a little while had passed when al-Khidr (peace be upon him) came to him; he was sweet-smelling and his clothes were very white and beautiful. He said: 'Peace be upon you, O Musa bin Imran! Your Lord sends you greetings of peace and the mercy of Allah.' Musa (peace be upon him) said: 'He is al-Salam (Peace), from Him is peace and to Him peace returns; and all praise is for Allah, the Lord of the worlds, whose blessings I cannot count, and I have no power to thank Him except with His help.'
Then Musa (peace be upon him) said: 'I wish that you give me a piece of advice through which Allah will benefit me after you.' Al-Khidr (peace be upon him) said: 'O seeker of knowledge! Indeed, the one who speaks becomes weary less than the one who listens, so when you speak to people, do not weary those who sit with you. And know that your heart is a vessel, so look at what you fill this vessel of yours with. Turn away from the world and cast it behind you, for it is neither a home for you nor a place of settlement for you in it; it has been made only a provision of necessity for the servants, so that they may gather from it provision for the Hereafter. O Musa! Accustom yourself to patience and you will find wisdom; clothe your heart with God-consciousness (taqwa) and you will attain knowledge; and make yourself content with patience and you will be saved from sin. O Musa! If you want knowledge, devote yourself to it, for knowledge comes only to the one who frees himself and devotes himself to it. Do not be one who talks much and speaks idly, for excessive speech is a fault in the scholars and exposes the vices of the foolish; rather, adopt moderation, for that is a sign of divine success and soundness. Turn away from the ignorant and be forbearing with the foolish, for that is the excellence of the wise and the adornment of the scholars.
When an ignorant person reviles you, ignore him by keeping silent, and keep away from him with prudence, for what remains of his ignorance and abuse against you will be far more and greater.
O Ibn Imran! Do you not see that you have been given only a little of knowledge? Indeed, rushing ahead without thought and going astray result from forcing one's way in and from affectation. O Ibn Imran! Never open a door that you do not know how to close, and never close a door that you do not know how to open. O Ibn Imran! How can a person be a worshipper whose greed for the world does not end and whose desire for it does not cease? And how can a person be an ascetic who belittles his condition and blames Allah for His decree? Can a person refrain from desires whose whims have overpowered him? And can knowledge benefit him while ignorance has surrounded him? For his journey is towards the Hereafter, yet he is facing towards the world. O Musa! Whatever you learn, learn it so that you may act upon it; do not learn it merely so that it may be talked about, otherwise its burden will be upon you and its light will remain for others. O Musa bin Imran! Make asceticism and God-consciousness your garment, and make knowledge and remembrance (dhikr) your speech, and do good deeds abundantly, for sins also come from you; and keep your heart trembling with the fear of Allah, for that pleases your Lord; and do good, for you will inevitably also be doing other than it. If you remember, you have been admonished.'" Then al-Khidr (peace be upon him) went away, and Musa (peace be upon him) was left sad and grieved.
Hadith Referenceالمعجم الأوسط / باب الميم / 6908
Hadith Gradingمحدثین:موضوع، فيه زكريا بن يحيى الوقار
Hadith Takhrij«قال الهيثمي: فيه زكريا بن يحيى الوقار قال ابن عدي كان يضع الحديث «مجمع الزوائد ومنبع الفوائد، ج 1، ص 131»» «قال أبو حاتم الرازي: هذا حديث باطل كذب «علل الحديث، ج 5، ص 100»» «قال إبراهيم بن عبد الله بن الجنيد الختلي: موضوع «علل الحديث، ج 5، ص 100»» «قال الهيثمي: فيه زكريا بن يحيى الوقار وقد ضعفه غير واحد وذكره ابن حبان في الثقات وذكر أنه أخطأ في وصله والصواب فيه عن سفيان الثوري أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم قال وبقية رجاله وثقوا «مجمع الزوائد ومنبع الفوائد، ج 10، ص 233»»