سُوْرَةُ الْكَهْفِ
Surah Al-Kahf (18) — Ayah 60
وَإِذْ قَالَ مُوسَىٰ لِفَتَىٰهُ لَآ أَبْرَحُ حَتَّىٰٓ أَبْلُغَ مَجْمَعَ ٱلْبَحْرَيْنِ أَوْ أَمْضِىَ حُقُبًا ﴿60﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
And (remember) when Mûsâ (Moses) said to his boy-servant: "I will not give up (travelling) until I reach the junction of the two seas or (until) I spend years and years in travelling."
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
وَإِذْ
wa-idh
And when
قَالَ
qāla
said
مُوسَىٰ
mūsā
Musa
لِفَتَىٰهُ
lifatāhu
to his boy
لَآ
lā
Not
أَبْرَحُ
abraḥu
I will cease
حَتَّىٰٓ
ḥattā
until
أَبْلُغَ
ablugha
I reach
مَجْمَعَ
majmaʿa
the junction
ٱلْبَحْرَيْنِ
l-baḥrayni
(of) the two seas
أَوْ
aw
or
أَمْضِىَ
amḍiya
I continue
حُقُبًۭا
ḥuquban
(for) a long period
Tafsir Ahsan al-Bayan — Hafiz Salahuddin Yusuf
Tafsir Ahsan al-Bayan is a well-known Quran commentary by Hafiz Salahuddin Yusuf, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. This tafsir explains the meanings of the Quran in accordance with the methodology of the Salaf (early righteous generations), relying on authentic sources and straightforward language. Due to its reliability and adherence to sound Islamic scholarship, the Saudi government publishes and distributes this tafsir among the Hujjaj (pilgrims) visiting the Haramain. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
60. 1 By "the young man" is meant Hazrat Yusha bin Nun (عليه السلام), who became the successor of Musa (عليه السلام) after his death.
60. 2 The exact location of this place has not been determined by any definite source; however, it is conjectured that it refers to the southern route of the Sinai desert where the Gulf of Aqaba and the Gulf of Suez both meet and merge into the Red Sea. Other locations mentioned by the commentators do not at all fit the description of "Majma‘ al-Bahrayn" (the place where the two seas meet).
60. 3 "Huqb" has one meaning of seventy or eighty years, and another meaning of an indefinite period. Here, the latter meaning is intended, i.e., "I will keep walking and continue the journey until I reach Majma‘ al-Bahrayn (where the two seas meet), no matter how long it takes." Musa (عليه السلام) needed to undertake this journey because, on one occasion, in response to a questioner, he said that at that time there was no one more knowledgeable than him. Allah did not like this statement of his, and through revelation informed him that "We have a servant (Khidr) who is more knowledgeable than you." Musa (عليه السلام) asked, "O Allah, how can I meet him?" Allah said, "Where the two seas meet, there Our servant will be." He also said, "Take a fish with you; wherever the fish leaves your basket (zanbil) and disappears, know that this is the place." (Bukhari, Surah Kahf) Thus, according to this command, he took a fish and began the journey.
60. 2 The exact location of this place has not been determined by any definite source; however, it is conjectured that it refers to the southern route of the Sinai desert where the Gulf of Aqaba and the Gulf of Suez both meet and merge into the Red Sea. Other locations mentioned by the commentators do not at all fit the description of "Majma‘ al-Bahrayn" (the place where the two seas meet).
60. 3 "Huqb" has one meaning of seventy or eighty years, and another meaning of an indefinite period. Here, the latter meaning is intended, i.e., "I will keep walking and continue the journey until I reach Majma‘ al-Bahrayn (where the two seas meet), no matter how long it takes." Musa (عليه السلام) needed to undertake this journey because, on one occasion, in response to a questioner, he said that at that time there was no one more knowledgeable than him. Allah did not like this statement of his, and through revelation informed him that "We have a servant (Khidr) who is more knowledgeable than you." Musa (عليه السلام) asked, "O Allah, how can I meet him?" Allah said, "Where the two seas meet, there Our servant will be." He also said, "Take a fish with you; wherever the fish leaves your basket (zanbil) and disappears, know that this is the place." (Bukhari, Surah Kahf) Thus, according to this command, he took a fish and began the journey.
