Tafsir for verses: 18:71, 18:72
فَٱنطَلَقَا حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَا رَكِبَا فِي ٱلسَّفِينَةِ خَرَقَهَاۖ قَالَ أَخَرَقۡتَهَا لِتُغۡرِقَ أَهۡلَهَا لَقَدۡ جِئۡتَ شَيۡـًٔا إِمۡرٗا ٧١ ﴿71 قَالَ أَلَمۡ أَقُلۡ إِنَّكَ لَن تَسۡتَطِيعَ مَعِيَ صَبۡرٗا ٧٢ ﴿72
71So, they both moved ahead, until when they boarded a boat, he sliced it (by removing one of its planks). He (Mūsā) said, “Did you slice it to drown its people? In fact, you have done a terrible act.” 72He said, “Did I not say that you can never bear with me patiently?”
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Commentary

So they set out on the shore of the sea seeking the ship. When they boarded, its people said: 'They are from the thieves,' and they commanded them to leave. The owner of the ship said: 'I see the faces of the prophets.' It was said: They recognized al-Khidr, so they took them on without payment. When they were in the depths of the sea, al-Khidr took an axe and damaged the ship by removing two planks from its side that was next to the water. Then Musa began to cover the breach with his clothes and said: 'Did you damage it to drown its people?' And it was read: 'to drown,' with emphasis. And to drown its people.

From 'drowned' and 'its people' is raised: 'You have come with something great,' from 'the matter' (al-amr): if it is great. He said:

'A great calamity has befallen me. Indeed, the people have encountered from me a great evil... A great calamity has befallen me.'

The 'nukr' is the denied. The 'dahiyah' is the disliked event from the hardships of time. The 'dahiyah' is an exaggeration of its severity. The 'id' is the denial of all denial. The 'amr' is the great thing. It is said: 'The matter' (al-amr) - with a kasrah - is great, describing himself with the severity of the harm to the enemies.

And it is permissible that the speech is of the kind of abstraction.

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