قالَ لا تُؤاخِذني بِما نَسيتُ وَلا تُرهِقني مِن أَمري عُسرًا
He said: ‘Do not take me to task for my forgetting, and do not be hard upon me.’
EXEGESIS
Nasītu (my forgetting) is the first person perfect verb from nisyān, meaning to forget, which was discussed under verse 61.
Lā turhiq is the negative imperative from the verb rahiqa which means to overcome or cover someone or something by force, like in the verse, and they shall be overcast (tarhaquhum) by abasement (10:27). The literal translation for the final statement would be: ‘Do not be overly forceful in imposing difficulty upon me regarding my task.’
EXPOSITION
Moses (a) apologises for forgetting that he had agreed to the conditions stipulated by Khiḍr (a). He mentions that he forgot, because the one who forgets should not be held to task for what they forgot, hence he pleads with Khiḍr (a), and do not be hard upon me.
Moses (a) promised to be patient and not ask, yet he did so anyway. Obviously, his forgetfulness was due to the enormity of the situation, not due to Satan as was the case with his servant. The atrociousness of the act in his eyes and its catastrophic consequences overwhelmed him to the extent that he could not think about anything else, including his promise.
INSIGHTS FROM HADITH
- Some reports have claimed that miraculously water did not enter the ship, even though it had a hole.
- In a report from Ibn Abbas, the Prophet is reported to have said: ‘The first was due to forgetfulness, the second was due to fate (qadar). Had Moses been patient, God would have related to us more than He related.’
Note: We are not sure how long a time Moses (a) accompanied Khiḍr (a) and whether he witnessed other actions besides the three mentioned in the Quran; hence, it is entirely possible that they journeyed for an extended period of time together.
[1] Raghib, p. 367.
[2] Tabrisi, 6/747.
[3] Zamakhshari, 2/735; Furqan, 18/154.
[4] Tibyan, 7/74.
[5] Ibn Asakir, 61/155; Baghawi, 6/184.