Overall meaning : Allah, Glorified be He, recounts the story of Moses and Al-Khadhir, peace be upon them, saying: Tell them, Muhammad, of the time when Moses said to his servant, Joshua (Yashu’) ibn Nun, ‘I will continue journeying to seek out the righteous servant, of whose great knowledge Allah has informed me, until I reach the junction of the two seas and find him there; if I do not find him there, I will have to press on for a long time until I track him down so he may teach me the sort of knowledge I do not possess. When they arrived at the meeting point of the two seas, they forgot the fish which they had taken with them, and which was a sign given by Allah of finding Al-Khadhir in the place in which they lost it. The fish was raised back to life and burrowed its way into the sea. After they had journeyed farther on, beyond the junction of the two seas where they had forgotten the fish, Moses said to his servant, ‘Bring us our meal; this journey has truly worn us out.’ ‘Would you believe it?’ his servant replied. ‘Do you remember when we rested by the rock? That was where I forgot to tell you about the amazing story of the fish—and none but Satan made me forget to tell you about it: Miraculously, the fish came back to life and took its course through the sea.’
‘This is exactly what we have been seeking,’ Moses said, ‘for that is the sign Allah has given me to know the place where I am to meet the righteous man.’ So they returned, retracing their footsteps, until they reached the rock where they had lost the fish. There they found one of Our servants (Al-Khadhir), to whom We had vouchsafed Our mercy and whom We had endowed with vast, beneficial knowledge. Moses said to him, ‘May I follow you on condition that you teach me some of the right guidance Allah has taught you?’ Al-Khadhir said, ‘You will not be able to bear following and accompanying me, Moses; for how can you bear seeing me doing things that are beyond your knowledge, that Allah has taught me?!’ Moses said, ‘If Allah wills, you will find me patient, bearing anything I see you doing, and I will in no way disobey your orders.’ Al-Khadhir said, ‘Well, then, if you are to accompany me, do not ask me about anything you disapprove of until I myself reveal its purpose and clarify it for you.’