'In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful' His saying, exalted and glorious is He: "And as for the boy, his parents were believers, so we feared that he would oppress them by transgression and disbelief." "So we intended that their Lord should replace him with one better than him in purity and closer to mercy." "And as for the wall, it belonged to two orphan boys in the city, and beneath it was a treasure for them. Their father was righteous, so your Lord intended that they should reach maturity and extract their treasure as a mercy from your Lord. And I did not do it of my own accord. That is the interpretation of what you were not able to be patient about." The previous statement regarding the boy and the disagreement about his maturity or immaturity has been mentioned. In the hadith, it is stated that this boy was created on the day he was created as a disbeliever. This supports the apparent meaning that he was not of age. It is possible that there is a report about him while he is of age. It is said that the name of the boy is Jaysoor with a ر, and it is said Jaysoon with a ن. All of this is unverified. Ubayy ibn Ka'b read: "And he was a disbeliever, and his parents were believers," and Abu Sa'id al-Khudri read: "And his parents were believers," thus making it "was" which pertains to the matter and the affair. His saying: "So we feared" is said to be in reference to al-Khidr. This is a clarification, and the pronoun, in my opinion, refers to al-Khidr and his righteous companions who were concerned about the matter and spoke about it. It is said that it is in reference to Allah, the Exalted, and al-Khidr expressed it. Al-Tabari said: Its meaning is: So we knew, and others said: So we disliked. The judge Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said: The more apparent meaning to me in directing this interpretation - even if the wording contradicts it - is that it is a metaphor. That is, based on the assumption of the creatures and the addressees, if they knew his condition, they would have feared for the parents the oppression. Ibn Mas'ud read: "So your Lord feared," and this is clear in the metaphor. This is similar to what occurs in the Qur'an regarding Allah, the Exalted, from "perhaps" and "maybe," for all that is in this is of expectation, anticipation, fear, and apprehension, and it is according to you, O addressees. And "to oppress them" means to urge them and burden them severely, and the meaning is that he would lead them into following him. The majority read: "that He should replace them" with a فتح الباء and a شَدّ الدالّ, and Ibn Muhaisn, al-Hasan, and Asim read: "that He should replace them" with a سُكُونِ الباء and a تخفيف الدالّ. And "the purity" is the nobility of character, dignity, and tranquility that is encompassed in goodness, and "the mercy" is the compassion, and it is intended - according to one group - that He would have mercy on them, and it is said: that they would have mercy on him. And from this is the saying of Ru'ba ibn al-Ajaj: O One who sends down mercy upon Idris, and sends down curses upon Iblis.

Ibn 'Amir read: "Ruhman" with a dammah on the ha, and the others read: "Ruhma" with a sukoon on it. There is a difference regarding Abu 'Amr. Ibn 'Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, read: "Their Lord is more pure than him and closer in mercy." It was narrated from Ibn Jurayj that they exchanged a Muslim boy. It was narrated from Ibn Jurayj that they exchanged a female servant. Al-Naqqash reported that she gave birth to seventy prophets, and Al-Mahdawi mentioned this from Ibn 'Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, but it is unlikely. The multitude of prophets is only known among the Children of Israel, and this woman was not among them. It was narrated from Ibn Jurayj that the boy's mother was pregnant with a Muslim boy on the day he was killed.

And His saying, the Exalted: ﴿And as for the wall, it belonged to two boys﴾. These two boys are small, as indicated by their description as orphans. The Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, said: "There is no orphanhood after reaching maturity." This is the apparent meaning, and it may be possible that they remained orphans after reaching maturity, meaning they were orphans in the sense of compassion towards them. People differed regarding the treasure. Qatadah and 'Ikrimah said it was a large amount of wealth. Ibn 'Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, said it was a sign in buried scrolls. 'Umar, the freedman of Ghufrah, said it was a tablet of gold on which was written: "How strange it is for the one certain of provision to toil, and how strange it is for the one certain of reckoning to be heedless, and how strange it is for the one certain of death to rejoice," and something similar to this was narrated that has the same meaning.

And His saying, the Exalted: ﴿And their father was righteous﴾, the apparent wording and the preceding context indicate that he is their immediate father. It is said that the father is the seventh, and it is said the tenth, so they were preserved in it even if they were not mentioned as righteous. In the hadith: "Indeed, Allah, the Exalted, preserves the righteous man in his offspring."

It has come in the reports about al-Khidr, peace be upon him, in the first story, "So I intended to damage it" [Al-Kahf: 79], and in the second, "So We intended that they should exchange them" [Al-Kahf: 82], and in the third, "So your Lord intended that they should reach maturity" [Al-Kahf: 82]. He was unique in the first instance regarding intention because it is a word of blame. Thus, he was careful not to ascribe the intention in it except to himself, just as Ibrahim, peace be upon him, was careful in his saying, "And when I am ill, it is He who heals me" [Ash-Shu'ara: 80]. He ascribed the action before and after to Allah, the Exalted, and ascribed the illness to himself, as it is a meaning of deficiency and affliction. This tendency is often found in the eloquence of the Qur'an. Do you not see the precedence of the action of humans in His saying, the Exalted, "So when they deviated, Allah caused their hearts to deviate" [As-Saff: 5], and the precedence of the action of Allah, the Blessed and Exalted, in His saying, "Then He turned to them so that they might repent" [At-Tawbah: 118]? Al-Khidr said in the second instance, "So We intended" because it was a hope that he and his righteous companions had narrated. He spoke in it regarding the fear for the parents and wished for their replacement. He ascribed the intention in the third instance to Allah, the Exalted, because it was in a matter that is new in a long period of absence from the unseen. Thus, it was appropriate to single out this place by mentioning Allah, the Exalted, even though al-Khidr also intended that which Allah, the Exalted, informed him that He intended. This is an explanation of the eloquence of this expression according to our limited understanding, and Allah knows best.

And "the strongest" refers to the perfection of character and intellect. People have differed regarding the extent of that in years. It has been said: thirty-five, and it has been said: thirty-six, and it has been said: forty, and it has been said other than this, which has weakness. Al-Khidr's saying, "And I did not do it by my command," implies that al-Khidr is a prophet. People have differed about him; some say he is a prophet, while others say he is a righteous servant and not a prophet. Likewise, the majority of people agree that al-Khidr has died, while a group says he is alive because he drank from the spring of life, and he remains on earth, and that he performs pilgrimage to the House and other than this. The commentator has elaborated on this meaning and mentioned many things in his book from Ali ibn Abi Talib, may Allah be pleased with him, and others, all of which do not stand on solid ground. If al-Khidr, peace be upon him, were alive and performing pilgrimage, he would have had a presence in the religion of Islam. Allah is the All-Knowing of the details of things; there is no Lord other than Him. Among what confirms the death of al-Khidr now is the saying of the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him: "Do you see this night of yours? Indeed, there will remain no one from those who are on the surface of the earth today."

And His saying, "That is the interpretation" means the outcome. A group has read, "You will not be able to," and the majority has read, "You will not be able to." Abu Hatim said: This is how we read; we follow the mushaf.

And Al-Tabari derived from the connection of this story by his saying, glorified and exalted is He: "And your Lord is the Forgiving, the Lord of Mercy. If He were to hold them accountable for what they earned, He would hasten for them the punishment. But for them is an appointment from which they will find no escape" [Al-Kahf: 58]. That this story is brought as an example for the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, regarding his people. That is, do not be concerned with Allah's granting them, and the bestowal of blessings upon them in their apparent form. For indeed, the inner realities are leading to their retribution. And matters like this are possible, but with some difficulty. So reflect upon it.