قالَ سَتَجِدُني إِن شاءَ اللَّهُ صابِرًا وَلا أَعصي لَكَ أَمرًا
He said: ‘You will find me, God willing, to be patient, and I will not disobey you in any matter.’
EXPOSITION
Moses (a) is not dissuaded by Khiḍr’s (a) warning, but shows his determination in following him, saying that despite what Khiḍr (a) thinks, he shall see that he is a patient man. He did not say this to boast or be proud, but to show his determination.
Moses (a) was of course a patient man, yet he was humble enough to admit that this was only because of God’s grace. This act is also a sign of submission to God and the understanding that nothing happens except by His will and leave. This is why he conditioned his statement by saying God willing. This is the tradition of all great men. When Prophet Ishmael (a) was asked to be a sacrifice for God, he too replied, If Allah wishes, you will find me to be patient (37:102). The final statement, and I will not disobey you in any matter also speaks of the great humility shown by Moses (a).
Saying God willing of course calls to mind what was discussed in verses 23-24 and 39. Saying this would also prevent him from becoming a liar if he acted contrary to what he promised (see the discussion on verse 5).
When we consider it carefully, this verse once again speaks volumes about the main theme of the surah. There are famously two types of ignorance. The first is the ignorance where one is aware of their unawareness (jahl basīṭ). The second and more devious of these is jahl murakkab, the compound ignorance of one who is ignorant of their own ignorance.
Earlier we rejected the narrations that claimed Moses (a) proudly claimed to the Children of Israel that he was the most knowledgeable of God’s creation and this is why God then sent him to meet Khiḍr (a). We said attributing such hubris to a prophet is unseemly. However, the objective of the travels with Khiḍr (a) certainly was to teach him the limits of knowledge.
Moses (a) here claims that as far as he knows himself he is a patient man and that Khiḍr (a) will come to see that as well. However, as we know, he fails to uphold his promise, because they were predicated on what he knew (or rather thought he knew) at the time. He naturally did not expect what was going to happen. He knew Khiḍr (a) was a man of God, and did not expect him to act contrary to what he believed to be righteousness. In this sense, the ignorance of Moses (a) was of the compound variety, and this is why Khiḍr (a) told him, And how can you have patience about something you are not in the know of (verse 68).
Considering this in the light of the surah’s main theme, we realise that mankind lacks the knowledge and awareness of the reality of things the way God knows them with His all-encompassing knowledge. If they understood that, they would understand Him and the world they live in better. There is a reason why the most vocal critics of God are the ones who know Him the least.
REVIEW OF TAFSĪR LITERATURE
Abū Bakr ibn al-ʿArabī says that Moses (a) mentioned the istithnāʾ of God willing only for his being patient, and did not say that about not disobeying Khiḍr (a). He says that in fact Moses (a) did not disobey, he did not stop Khiḍr (a) from destroying the ship or killing the boy. There is no convincing reason however to consider that the istithnāʾ of God willing is not intended for both statements that Moses (a) made.
[1] Tabrisi, 6/746; Mizan, 13/343.
[2] Ahkam, 3/1245-1246. See also Qurtubi, 11/17; Muhit, 7/206.