STORY OF THE WEEK! TITLE: Khidr and Moses. Who is Khidr? Majority of Islamic scholars are of the opinion that Khidr was a Prophet. The Quran refers to him as one of GOD’s servants who was granted knowledge, comprehension and mercy. The Quran says; “Then they found one from among OUR servants to whom WE had granted mercy from US and whom WE had taught knowledge from Ourselves.”[Quran 18: 65] It is from the traditions of Prophet Muhammad(BPGUH) that we learn that the wise, knowledgeable man who instructs Moses is in fact Khidr. As Muslims we believe that God has only informed us of the names of some of the Prophets. We believe that all nations throughout time were sent someone to warn them of the punishment that awaited those who disobeyed GOD, and to guide them to the correct way to worship. Therefore it is certainly within the realms of possibility and perfectly acceptable to have the opinion that Khidr was one of the Prophets. The name Khidr is taken to mean “the green one” associated with the Arabic word for green, Al-Akhdar. He is also known as Kothar wa Khasis in the Christian old tradition, the Green Night/Light in the Hindu and other tradition. Moses is also known to be one of the Noble Messengers/Prophet known in the Quran as Muusaa and Moses in English. The meeting of Moses and Khidr took over when Moses was asked by one of his companions as narrated by Ibn Kathir that Moses was once asked, “O Messenger of GOD, is there another man on earth more learned than you?” Moses replied, “No!” believing that since GOD had allowed him to perform miracles and had given him the Torah, he must surely be the most learned man alive. This however was not the case thus when Moses learned of Khidr’s existence he set out to find him. Moses quest is to seek the man with more knowledge then he himself has. He sets out with a boy, possibly Joshua, the pious man who leads the Children of Israel after Moses’ death. GOD had instructed them to carry a live fish in a container, and said that where the fish disappeared they would find the man they were seeking. While Moses was taking a nap his companion saw the fish wriggle away and slip into the water, however he forgot to inform Prophet Moses until much later when they had already moved further on up the road. When Prophet Moses realized he had moved beyond the destined point, he hastily retraced his steps to the place where the fish had entered the water. He did not scold his companion nor lament about having gone off course, or wasting time and effort. What had happened had happened; it was the will of GOD. Prophet Moses’ behaviour is that of a person satisfied with GOD’s decree. Once he learned that he had stepped away from the correct path he took the necessary action to return to the right way. Upon returning to the place where the fish escaped Moses found the man he had been searching for, Khidr. GOD chose to educate Prophet Moses through three events that would take place during the journey of Moses with Khidr. Khidr was hesitant to travel with Moses because he believed Moses would not have the patience to see the events through and learn from them. However Moses was able to convince Khidr that he was anxious to learn and they set off together. In the first event Khidr and Moses board a ship, whereupon Khidr bores a hole in the ship making it defective and unable to sail. Moses is horrified and labels his actions as evil. Khidr then reminds Moses that he had agreed to have patience and not ask questions. Moses reaffirmed his promise and they continued on, Quran tells us that when they passed by a young boy Khidr killed him. Moses was horrified, and forgot his promise. Khidr reminded him once again and they continued on. At last they came to a town and asked the people to feed them for they were hungry after the long journey. The people refused and instead of confronting the people or leaving the town Khidr rebuilt a wall that was collapsing. Moses could not understand why he didn’t ask for payment. Khidr then informed Moses that this was the end of their journey together but he would explain the reasons why he acted the way he did in all three situations. Khidr had caused minor damage to the ship to protect it from greater harm. There was a King coming behind them seizing all sea worthy vessels. Instead of losing their boat, livelihood and possibly their lives the fishermen now had only to repair the damage. As for taking the young boys life, he was destined to grow up and over burden his parents with his sins and actions of disbelief, therefore GOD intended to replace him with a pious good child. In the final event Khidr rebuilt the wall even though the town’s people were unfriendly because GOD had instructed him to do so. Beneath the wall lay a treasure that belonged to two orphan boys. GOD wanted it to remain hidden until they were grown men and could take their treasure without fear of harassment or thievery for their father was a righteous man. You can also read the summarized story in Quran 18:66-82. LESSONS: 1. Never take yourself high due to your achievements, someone somewhere is much more higher than you but hidden himself. 2. The Will of GOD never fails. What youre promised will surely be gain at the right time. 3. Patience: Moses promised to be patient but he wasnt, if he was he could go feature with Khidr and learn more. Please always be patient for GOD is with those who are patient. 4. GOD have His Purposes of doing things whether good or bad. We normally take the good things He have done as normal activities and take the bad ones as something else. We are told to believe in the decree whether good or bad for GOD Knows the reason why every thing always have to happen. But GOD Knows best.
Posted on: Sun, 19 Oct 2014 06:10:03 +0000
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