The Story of killing the Boy
﴿ فَٱنطَلَقَا ﴾
(Then they both proceeded,) means, after the first incident,
﴿ حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَا لَقِيَا غُلَـٰمً۬ا فَقَتَلَهُ ۥ ﴾
(till they met a boy, and he (Khidr) killed him.) It has been stated previously that this boy was playing with other boys in one of the towns, and that Al-Khidr deliberately singled him out. He was the finest and most handsome of them all, and Al-Khidr killed him. When Musa, peace be upon him, saw that he denounced him even more fervently than in the first case, and said hastily:
﴿ أَقَتَلۡتَ نَفۡسً۬ا زَكِيَّةَۢ ﴾
(Have you killed an innocent person) meaning, a young person who had not yet committed any sin or done anything wrong, yet you killed him
﴿ بِغَيۡرِ نَفۡسٍ۬ ﴾
(without Nafs) with no reason for killing him.
﴿ لَّقَدۡ جِئۡتَ شَيۡـًٔ۬ا نُّكۡرً۬ا ﴾
(Verily, you have committed a thing Nukr!) meaning, something that is clearly evil.
﴿ قَالَ أَلَمۡ أَقُل لَّكَ إِنَّكَ لَن تَسۡتَطِيعَ مَعِىَ صَبۡرً۬ا ﴾
(He said: "Did I not tell you that you can have no patience with me'') Once again, Al-Khidr reiterates the condition set in the first place, so Musa says to him:
﴿ إِن سَأَلۡتُكَ عَن شَىۡءِۭ بَعۡدَهَا ﴾
(If I ask you anything after this,) meaning, `if I object to anything else you do after this,'
﴿ فَلَا تُصَـٰحِبۡنِىۖ قَدۡ بَلَغۡتَ مِن لَّدُنِّى عُذۡرً۬ا ﴾
(keep me not in your company, you have received an excuse from me.) `you have accepted my apology twice.' Ibn Jarir narrated from Ibn `Abbas that Ubayy bin Ka`b said: "Whenever the Prophet mentioned anyone, he would pray for himself first. One day he said:
« رَحْمَةُ اللهِ عَلَيْنَا وَعَلَى مُوسَى لَوْ لَبِثَ مَعَ صَاحِبِهِ لَأَبْصَرَ الْعَجَبَ، وَلَكِنَّهُ قَالَ:﴿ إِن سَأَلۡتُكَ عَن شَىۡءِۭ بَعۡدَهَا فَلَا تُصَـٰحِبۡنِىۖ قَدۡ بَلَغۡتَ مِن لَّدُنِّى عُذۡرً۬ا ﴾
(May the mercy of Allah be upon us and upon Musa. If he had stayed with his companion he would have seen wonders, but he said, (`If I ask you anything after this, keep me not in your company, you have received an excuse from me.'))''
﴿ فَٱنطَلَقَا حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَآ أَتَيَآ أَهۡلَ قَرۡيَةٍ ٱسۡتَطۡعَمَآ أَهۡلَهَا فَأَبَوۡاْ أَن يُضَيِّفُوهُمَا فَوَجَدَا فِيہَا جِدَارً۬ا يُرِيدُ أَن يَنقَضَّ فَأَقَامَهُ ۥۖ قَالَ لَوۡ شِئۡتَ لَتَّخَذۡتَ عَلَيۡهِ أَجۡرً۬ا • قَالَ هَـٰذَا فِرَاقُ بَيۡنِى وَبَيۡنِكَۚ سَأُنَبِّئُكَ بِتَأۡوِيلِ مَا لَمۡ تَسۡتَطِع عَّلَيۡهِ صَبۡرًا ﴾
(77. Then they both proceeded till when they came to the people of a town, they asked them for food, but they refused to entertain them. Then they found therein a wall about to collapse and he set it up straight. (Musa) said: "If you had wished, surely you could have taken wages for it!'') (78. He said: "This is the parting between you and I, I will tell you the interpretation of (those) things over which you were not able to be patient.'')