I said to Ibn ʿAbbas, "Nauf Al-Bukah claims that Moses, the companion of Al-Khadir was not Moses (the prophet) of the children of Israel, but some other Moses." Ibn ʿAbbas said, "Allah's enemy (i.e. Nauf) has told a lie. Ubai bin Kaʿb told us that the Prophet ﷺ said, 'Once Moses stood up and addressed Bani Israel. He was asked who was the most learned man amongst the people. He said, 'I.' Allah admonished him as he did not attribute absolute knowledge to Him (Allah). So, Allah said to him, 'Yes, at the junction of the two seas there is a Slave of Mine who is more learned than you.' Moses said, 'O my Lord! How can I meet him?' Allah said, 'Take a fish and put it in a large basket and you will find him at the place where you will lose the fish.' Moses took a fish and put it in a basket and proceeded along with his (servant) boy, Yushaʿ bin Noon, till they reached the rock where they laid their heads (i.e. lay down). Moses slept, and the fish, moving out of the basket, fell into the sea. It took its way into the sea (straight) as in a tunnel. Allah stopped the flow of water over the fish and it became like an arch (the Prophet ﷺ pointed out this arch with his hands). They travelled the rest of the night, and the next day Moses said to his boy (servant), 'Give us our food, for indeed, we have suffered much fatigue in this journey of ours.' Moses did not feel tired till he crossed that place which Allah had ordered him to seek after. His boy (servant) said to him, 'Do you know that when we were sitting near that rock, I forgot the fish, and none but Satan caused me to forget to tell (you) about it, and it took its course into the sea in an amazing way?.' So there was a path for the fish and that astonished them. Moses said, 'That was what we were seeking after.' So, both of them retraced their footsteps till they reached the rock. There they saw a man Lying covered with a garment. Moses greeted him and he replied saying, 'How do people greet each other in your land?' Moses said, 'I am Moses.' The man asked, 'Moses of Bani Israel?' Moses said, 'Yes, I have come to you so that you may teach me from those things which Allah has taught you.' He said, 'O Moses! I have some of the Knowledge of Allah which Allah has taught me, and which you do not know, while you have some of the Knowledge of Allah which Allah has taught you and which I do not know.' Moses asked, 'May I follow you?' He said, 'But you will not be able to remain patient with me for how can you be patient about things which you will not be able to understand?' (Moses said, 'You will find me, if Allah so will, truly patient, and I will not disobey you in aught.') So, both of them set out walking along the sea-shore, a boat passed by them and they asked the crew of the boat to take them on board. The crew recognized Al-Khadir and so they took them on board without fare. When they were on board the boat, a sparrow came and stood on the edge of the boat and dipped its beak once or twice into the sea. Al-Khadir said to Moses, 'O Moses! My knowledge and your knowledge have not decreased Allah's Knowledge except as much as this sparrow has decreased the water of the sea with its beak.' Then suddenly Al-Khadir took an adze and plucked a plank, and Moses did not notice it till he had plucked a plank with the adze. Moses said to him, 'What have you done? They took us on board charging us nothing; yet you I have intentionally made a hole in their boat so as to drown its passengers. Verily, you have done a dreadful thing.' Al-Khadir replied, 'Did I not tell you that you would not be able to remain patient with me?' Moses replied, 'Do not blame me for what I have forgotten, and do not be hard upon me for my fault.' So the first excuse of Moses was that he had forgotten. When they had left the sea, they passed by a boy playing with other boys. Al-Khadir took hold of the boys head and plucked it with his hand like this. (Sufyan, the sub narrator pointed with his fingertips as if he was plucking some fruit.) Moses said to him, "Have you killed an innocent person who has not killed any person? You have really done a horrible thing." Al-Khadir said, "Did I not tell you that you could not remain patient with me?' Moses said "If I ask you about anything after this, don't accompany me. You have received an excuse from me.' Then both of them went on till they came to some people of a village, and they asked its inhabitant for wood but they refused to entertain them as guests. Then they saw therein a wall which was just going to collapse (and Al Khadir repaired it just by touching it with his hands). (Sufyan, the sub-narrator, pointed with his hands, illustrating how Al-Khadir passed his hands over the wall upwards.) Moses said, "These are the people whom we have called on, but they neither gave us food, nor entertained us as guests, yet you have repaired their wall. If you had wished, you could have taken wages for it." Al-Khadir said, "This is the parting between you and me, and I shall tell you the explanation of those things on which you could not remain patient." The Prophet ﷺ added, "We wished that Moses could have remained patient by virtue of which Allah might have told us more about their story. (Sufyan the sub-narrator said that the Prophet ﷺ said, "May Allah bestow His Mercy on Moses! If he had remained patient, we would have been told further about their case.") (Using translation from Bukhārī 3401)   

أَنَّهُ سَمِعَ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ يَقُولُ رَحْمَةُ اللهِ عَلَيْنَا وَعَلَى مُوسَى لَوْلَا أَنَّهُ عَجِلَ وَاسْتَحْيَا وَأَخَذَتْهُ ذَمَامَةٌ مِنْ صَاحِبِهِ فَقَالَ {إِنْ سَأَلْتُكَ عَنْ شَيْءٍ بَعْدَهَا فَلَا تُصَاحِبْنِي} [الكهف 76] لَرَأَى مِنْ صَاحِبِهِ عَجَبًا قَالَ وَكَانَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ إِذَا ذَكَرَ نَبِيًّا مِنَ الْأَنْبِيَاءِ بَدَأَ بِنَفْسِهِ فَقَالَ رَحْمَةُ اللهِ عَلَيْنَا وَعَلَى أَخِي صَالِحٍ رَحْمَةُ اللهِ عَلَيْنَا وَعَلَى أَخِي عَادٍ ثُمَّ قَالَ إِنَّ مُوسَى ﷺ بَيْنَمَا هُوَ يَخْطُبُ قَوْمَهُ ذَاتَ يَوْمٍ إِذْ قَالَ لَهُمْ مَا فِي الْأَرْضِ أَعْلَمُ مِنِّي فَأَوْحَى اللهُ إِلَيْهِ أَنَّ فِي الْأَرْضِ مَنْ هُوَ أَعْلَمُ مِنْكَ وَآيَةُ ذَلِكَ أَنْ تُزَوَّدَ حُوتًا مَالِحًا فَإِذَا فَقَدْتَهُ فَهُوَ حَيْثُ فَقَدْتَهُ فَانْطَلَقَ هُوَ وَفَتَاهُ حَتَّى بَلَغَ الْمَكَانَ الَّذِي أُمِرُوا بِهِ فَلَمَّا انْتَهَوْا إِلَى الصَّخْرَةِ انْطَلَقَ مُوسَى ﷺ يَطْلُبُ وَوَضَعَ فَتَاهُ الْحُوتَ عَلَى الصَّخْرَةِ فَاضْطَرَبَ فَاتَّخَذَ سَبِيلَهُ فِي الْبَحْرِ سَرَبًا فَقَالَ فَتَاهُ إِذَا جَاءَ نَبِيُّ اللهِ ﷺ حَدَّثْتُهُ فَأَنْسَاهُ الشَّيْطَانُ فَانْطَلَقَا فَأَصَابَهُمَا مَا يُصِيبُ الْمُسَافِرَ مِنَ النَّصَبِ وَالْكَلَالِ وَلَمْ يَكُنْ يُصِيبُهُ مَا يُصِيبُ الْمُسَافِرَ مِنَ النَّصَبِ وَالْكَلَالِ حَتَّى جَازَ مَا أُمِرَ بِهِ قَالَ مُوسَى لِفَتَاهُ آتِنَا غَدَاءَنَا لَقَدْ لَقِينَا مِنْ سَفَرِنَا هَذَا نَصَبًا فَقَالَ لَهُ فَتَاهُ يَا نَبِيَّ اللهِ أَرَأَيْتَ إِذْ أَوَيْنَا إِلَى الصَّخْرَةِ فَإِنِّي نَسِيتُ الْحُوتَ أَنْ أُحَدِّثَكَ وَمَا أَنْسَانِيهُ إِلَّا الشَّيْطَانُ أَنْ أَذْكُرَهُ وَاتَّخَذَ سَبِيلَهُ فِي الْبَحْرِ عَجَبًا قَالَ ذَلِكَ مَا كُنَّا نَبْغِي فَرَجَعَا عَلَى آثَارِهِمَا قَصَصًا يَقُصَّانِ الْأَثَرَ حَتَّى انْتَهَيَا إِلَى الصَّخْرَةِ فَأَطَافَ بِهَا مُوسَى فَإِذَا هُوَ مُتَسَجٍّ ثَوْبًا فَسَلَّمَ فَرَفَعَ رَأْسَهُ فَقَالَ مَنْ أَنْتَ؟ فَقَالَ مُوسَى قَالَ مَنْ مُوسَى؟ قَالَ مُوسَى بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ قَالَ فَمَا لَكَ؟ قَالَ أُخْبِرْتُ أَنَّ عِنْدَكَ عِلْمًا فَأَرَدْتُ أَنْ أَصْحَبَكَ [361] قَالَ إِنَّكَ لَنْ تَسْتَطِيعَ مَعِيَ صَبْرًا قَالَ سَتَجِدُنِي إِنْ شَاءَ اللهُ صَابِرًا وَلَا أَعْصِي لَكَ أَمْرًا قَالَ كَيْفَ تَصْبِرُ عَلَى مَا لَمْ تُحِطْ بِهِ خُبْرًا؟ قَالَ قَدْ أُمِرْتُ أَنْ أَفْعَلَهُ سَتَجِدُنِي إِنْ شَاءَ اللهُ صَابِرًا قَالَ فَإِنِ اتَّبَعْتَنِي فَلَا تَسْأَلْنِي عَنْ شَيْءٍ حَتَّى أُحْدِثَ لَكَ مِنْهُ ذِكْرًا فَانْطَلَقَا حَتَّى إِذَا رَكِبَا فِي السَّفِينَةِ فَخَرَجَ مَنْ كَانَ فِيهَا وَتَخَلَّفَ لِيَخْرِقَهَا فَقَالَ لَهُ مُوسَى أَتَخْرِقُهَا لِتُغْرِقَ أَهْلَهَا لَقَدْ جِئْتَ شَيْئًا إِمْرًا قَالَ أَلَمْ أَقُلْ إِنَّكَ لَنْ تَسْتَطِيعَ مَعِيَ صَبْرًا؟ قَالَ لَا تُؤَاخِذْنِي بِمَا نَسِيتُ وَلَا تُرْهِقْنِي مِنْ أَمْرِي عُسْرًا فَانْطَلَقَا حَتَّى إِذَا أَتَوْا عَلَى غِلْمَانٍ يَلْعَبُونَ عَلَى سَاحِلِ الْبَحْرِ فِيهِمْ غُلَامٌ لَيْسَ فِي الْغِلْمَانِ أَحْسَنُ وَلَا أَنْظَفُ مِنْهُ فَقَتَلَهُ فَنَفَرَ مُوسَى ﷺ عِنْدَ ذَلِكَ وَقَالَ قَتَلْتَ نَفْسًا زَكِيَّةً بِغَيْرِ نَفْسٍ لَقَدْ جِئْتَ شَيْئًا نُكْرًا قَالَ أَلَمْ أَقُلْ لَكَ إِنَّكَ لَنْ تَسْتَطِيعَ مَعِيَ صَبْرًا؟ قَالَ فَأَخَذَتْهُ ذَمَامَةٌ مِنْ صَاحِبِهِ وَاسْتَحْيَا وَقَالَ إِنْ سَأَلْتُكَ عَنْ شَيْءٍ بَعْدَهَا فَلَا تُصَاحِبْنِي قَدْ بَلَغْتَ مِنْ لَدُنِّي عُذْرًا فَانْطَلَقَا حَتَّى إِذَا أَتَيَا أَهْلَ قَرْيَةٍ لِئَامٍ وَقَدْ أَصَابَ مُوسَى جَهْدٌ فَلَمْ يُضَيِّفُوهُمَا فَوَجَدَا فِيهَا جِدَارًا يُرِيدُ أَنْ يَنْقَضَّ فَأَقَامَهُ فَقَالَ لَهُ مُوسَى مِمَّا نَزَلَ بِهِ مِنَ الْجَهْدِ لَوْ شِئْتَ لَاتَّخَذْتَ عَلَيْهِ أَجْرًا قَالَ هَذَا فِرَاقُ بَيْنِي وَبَيْنِكَ فَأَخَذَ مُوسَى بِطَرَفِ ثَوْبِهِ فَقَالَ حَدِّثْنِي فَقَالَ أَمَّا السَّفِينَةُ فَكَانَتْ لِمَسَاكِينَ يَعْمَلُونَ فِي الْبَحْرِ وَكَانَ وَرَاءَهُمْ مَلِكٌ يَأْخُذُ كُلَّ سَفِينَةٍ غَصْبًا فَإِذَا مَرَّ عَلَيْهَا فَرَآهَا مُنْخَرِقَةً تَرَكَهَا وَرَقَّعَهَا أَهْلُهَا بِقِطْعَةِ خَشَبَةٍ فَانْتَفَعُوا بِهَا وَأَمَّا الْغُلَامُ فَكَانَ يَوْمَ طُبِعَ طُبِعَ كَافِرًا وَكَانَ قَدْ أُلْقِيَ عَلَيْهِ مَحَبَّةٌ مِنْ أَبَوَيْهِ وَلَوْ عَصَيَاهُ شَيْئًا لَأَرْهَقَهُمَا طُغْيَانًا وَكُفْرًا فَأَرَدْنَا أَنْ يُبَدِلَهُمَا رَبُّهُمَا خَيْرًا مِنْهُ زَكَاةً وَأَقْرَبَ رُحْمًا فَوَقَعَ أَبُوهُ عَلَى أُمِّهِ فَوَلَدَتْ خَيْرًا مِنْهُ زَكَاةً وَأَقْرَبَ رُحْمًا وَأَمَّا الْدَّارُ فَكَانَ لِغُلَامَيْنِ يَتِيمَيْنِ فِي الْمَدِينَةِ وَكَانَ تَحْتَهُ كَنْزٌ لَهُمَا وَكَانَ أَبُوهُمَا صَالِحًا فَأَرَادَ رَبُّكَ أَنْ يَبْلُغَا أَشَدُّهَمَا وَيَسْتَخْرِجَا كَنْزَهُمَا رَحْمَةً مِنْ رَبِّكَ وَمَا فَعَلْتُهُ عَنْ أَمْرِي ذَلِكَ تَأْوِيلُ مَا لَمْ تَسْطِعْ عَلَيْهِ صَبْرًا