Beyond Human Perception
By: Bashir Ahmad Dar
After reading Surah Al-Kahf from the Holy Quran, I truly understood what Dr. Allama Iqbal meant in his famous couplet from the poem Khadir-e-Rah:
“Kashti-e-Miskeen-o-Jaan-e-Paak-o-Deewar-e-Yateem
Ilm-e-Musa (A.S.) bhi hai tere samne hairat farosh”
This couplet references three key incidents in the Quranic story of Prophet Musa (A.S.) and Khidr (A.S.), which highlight the limits of human understanding in the face of divine wisdom.
Summary of the Story: One day, a man from Bani Israel asked Prophet Musa (A.S.), “Who is the most knowledgeable among the people?” Believing himself to be the Prophet and hence the most knowledgeable, Musa (A.S.) replied, “I am.” To teach him humility and show that no one holds complete knowledge, Allah commanded him to journey to the place where the two seas meet, where he would find a servant of Allah more knowledgeable than himself.
Musa (A.S.) obeyed and eventually met the servant—widely understood in Hadith literature to be Hazrat Khidr (A.S.). Musa (A.S.) requested to accompany him and learn from him, but Khidr (A.S.) warned that Musa would not be able to remain patient with what he saw. Musa promised to remain silent and patient, asking no questions unless Khidr(AS) himself explained.
Their mysterious journey began with three puzzling events:
- The Damaged Boat: They boarded a boat belonging to poor fishermen. To Musa’s shock, Khidr damaged it by making a hole in it.
- The Killed Boy: Later, Khidr killed a young boy they encountered.
- The Rebuilt Wall: In a town where they were refused hospitality, Khidr repaired a crumbling wall without asking for any compensation.
Each time, Musa (A.S.) questioned Khidr, unable to restrain his sense of justice and confusion. After the third incident, Khidr declared that it was time to part ways. However, before doing so, he explained the divine wisdom behind his actions:
The boat belonged to poor people. A tyrant king was seizing all functional boats. By damaging it slightly, Khidr ensured it would be spared and the owners could repair it later.
The boy was destined to bring grief to his believing parents due to his rebellious nature. Allah intended to replace him with a better child.
The wall concealed a treasure belonging to two orphan boys. Their righteous father had left it for them, and the wall’s restoration ensured it would remain hidden until they matured.
Khidr emphasized that he had done none of these things of his own accord, but rather by Allah’s command.
As rightly said by Maulana Maududi,”Those who judge events based only on their apparent form make serious errors in their conclusions, for they fail to see the divine wisdom behind them.”
This story reminds us that human knowledge is limited, and what may seem unjust or senseless may, in fact, be part of a deeper divine plan.
(The author is a teacher by profession)
