سُوْرَةُ الْكَهْفِ
Surah Al-Kahf (18) — Ayah 77
فَٱنطَلَقَا حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَآ أَتَيَآ أَهْلَ قَرْيَةٍ ٱسْتَطْعَمَآ أَهْلَهَا فَأَبَوْا۟ أَن يُضَيِّفُوهُمَا فَوَجَدَا فِيهَا جِدَارًا يُرِيدُ أَن يَنقَضَّ فَأَقَامَهُۥ ۖ قَالَ لَوْ شِئْتَ لَتَّخَذْتَ عَلَيْهِ أَجْرًا ﴿77﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
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 (Khidr) set it up straight. [Mûsâ (Moses)] said: If you had wished, surely, you could have taken wages for it!"
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
فَٱنطَلَقَا
fa-inṭalaqā
So they set out
حَتَّىٰٓ
ḥattā
until
إِذَآ
idhā
when
أَتَيَآ
atayā
they came
أَهْلَ
ahla
(to the) people
قَرْيَةٍ
qaryatin
(of) a town
ٱسْتَطْعَمَآ
is'taṭʿamā
they asked for food
أَهْلَهَا
ahlahā
(from) its people
فَأَبَوْا۟
fa-abaw
but they refused
أَن
an
to
يُضَيِّفُوهُمَا
yuḍayyifūhumā
offer them hospitality
فَوَجَدَا
fawajadā
Then they found
فِيهَا
fīhā
in it
جِدَارًۭا
jidāran
a wall
يُرِيدُ
yurīdu
(that) want(ed)
أَن
an
to
يَنقَضَّ
yanqaḍḍa
collapse
فَأَقَامَهُۥ ۖ
fa-aqāmahu
so he set it straight
قَالَ
qāla
He said
لَوْ
law
If
شِئْتَ
shi'ta
you wished
لَتَّخَذْتَ
lattakhadhta
surely you (could) have taken
عَلَيْهِ
ʿalayhi
for it
أَجْرًۭا
ajran
a payment
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran — Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran (Facilitation of the Quran) is a comprehensive Quran commentary by Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. Known for his eloquent and accessible writing style, Kilani authored this tafsir with a focus on clarity — making Quranic meanings understandable to the common reader. The tafsir provides detailed historical context for verses related to battles and expeditions, and firmly refutes modernist ideologies using strong scriptural evidence. It is widely regarded as an invaluable resource for understanding the Quran and countering deviant interpretations. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
77. So they both went on, until they came to the people of a town. They asked its people for food, but they refused to offer them hospitality. Then they found a wall there that was about to collapse, so (Khidr) repaired it. Musa said, "If you wished, you could have taken a wage for this." [65]
[65]
The Rudeness of the Townspeople and Why a Favor Was Done to Them
That is, the rudeness of the townspeople was such that when we, as travelers, asked them for food, they did not even feed us. And as for your favor upon such people, it was to the extent that you repaired and straightened a wall for them, a wall under which they were afraid to pass lest it fall upon them. Even though it was your right to take wages for this work, especially from such rude people, you should not have forgone this payment, and with that payment, we could have satisfied our hunger.
[65]
The Rudeness of the Townspeople and Why a Favor Was Done to Them
That is, the rudeness of the townspeople was such that when we, as travelers, asked them for food, they did not even feed us. And as for your favor upon such people, it was to the extent that you repaired and straightened a wall for them, a wall under which they were afraid to pass lest it fall upon them. Even though it was your right to take wages for this work, especially from such rude people, you should not have forgone this payment, and with that payment, we could have satisfied our hunger.
