Verse 79 to verse 110 by Shaykh Salah Bukhatir :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfaeYZNy7aQ
....in time of trials and tribulations, apparent 'reality' may be deceptive... humility, sincerity, knowledge, wisdom, patience and 'redza' would be a premium...
[.....an important lesson in humility even for prophet Moses on the issue of the 'big picture' from al-Khidr.. ..]
THE NEXT STORY TO BE TOLD is that of Moses and an unnamed pious elder, identified by the Prophet's hadith as al-Khidr. The moral of this story, in my view, reinforces the popular wisdom expressed in sayings such as 'a blessing in disguise' and ' where ignorance is bliss, it is folly to be wise' We act on what we consider to be right and beneficial, but we are often presented with contrary results which are sometimes disappointing or even tragic. What are we to do?
The Qur'an teaches us to accept God's will a expressed in the following verse: "....but it may happen that ye hate a thing which is good for you, and it may happen that ye love a thing which is bad for you. Allah knoweth, ye know not "(216). But does this mean we should lose faith in our actions and our judgement and allow ourselves to be consumed in cynicism? The answer is , of course, no. We are required to plan to the best of our ability, use all possible means of success, take all precaution against failure, and leave the rest to God. This does not mean that we allow ourselves to act against God's laws or contrary to decent human behavior and common sense. the case of Moses and al-Khidr is, of course, a special one, because both men were receiving separate revelations from God and were trying to discharge their separate responsibilities within the context of their shared experience.
After Muhammad, there was to be no further revelation, and no one can, therefore, claim to have access to divine direction, other than the Qur'an, or be 'charged' with a divine mission. No longer can anyone justify wrongdoing of any kind. Moses' experience was also designed to impress certain personal principles upon him. He had once denied that anyone else had more knowledge than he, and as a result God decided to take him through this episode to show him the error of his thinking.
The story begins by highlighting two moral qualities required of a leader: confident determination and stamina. The second Caliph, 'Umar al-Khattab, complained of two types of people: a weak pious man and a treacherous powerful one. Leaders need to have strong personalities but to be God-fearing as well; weak leaders are ineffective, no matter how pious they may be.
It befitted Moses, as a leading prophet of God, to be in possession of both these qualities essential for leadership. " Moses said unto his servant: ' I will not give up until I reach the point where the two rivers meet, though I march on for ages ' " (60). He would not rest until he caught up with al-Khidr, no matter how long his journey might last. They met, and Moses very humbly asked: " '.. May I follow thee, to the end that thou mayst teach me right conduct of that which thou hast been taught?' "(66). Al-Khidr replied curtly: " 'Lo! thou canst not bear with me. (67) How canst thou bear with that whereof thou canst not compass any knowledge?' " (68). Moses promised to be patient and obedient, but his patience ran out when he saw the man making a hole in a boat belonging to a group of innocent fishermen, which meant that they would not survive their voyage. He protested vigorously, but the pious man unravelled the mystery, saying: " 'As for the ship, it belonged to poor people working on the river, and I wished to mar it, for there was a king behind them who is taking every ship by force " (79). Damaging the boat therefore would have deterred the pirate king from seizing it, thereby ensuring that the fisherman did not lose their boat to him.
However, Moses' objections grew still stronger when he saw al-Khidr doing even stranger things which did not seem right or fair to him. As the story unfolds, however, we begin to see the reasons and wisdom behind al-Khidr's mysterious behavior. The boat was made defective in order to save it, and its passengers from the pirate king. A young man al[Khidr killed was wicked and intended to kill his parents. By killing him al-Khidr saved them.
However, al-Khidr makes it clear to Moses that: " '...I did it not upon my own command. Such is the interpretation of that wherewith thou couldst not bear ' " (82). Al Khidr's behavior was inspired by God Almighty, or else it would have been totally unacceptable. Only God knows in advance the outcome of every action and al-Khidr was merely acting on His instruction.
As regards comparisons between Moses and al-Khidr, it must be made clear that Moses, along with Noah, Abraham, Jesus and Muhammad, is one of the most senior and leading prophets of God. Al-Khidr's priveleged knowledge does not afford him a status higher than Moses. A patient on his sick bed can have a better sight or hearing than his visitors, but does nor make him a healthier man.
'A Thematic Commentary On The Qur'an'
Shaykh Muhammad al-Ghazali
[ 1917 - 1996 ]
Commentary by Shaykh Dr Yasir Qadhi :
part 16 : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVd_rFVsWQg
[ the big picture : innallah ha ya' lamu wa antum la ta' lamun ,' allah knows, you knoweth not.' ]
part 17 : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCRKMUg5frE
[ power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely ]
part 18 : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3ot5Y60ayw
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