قالَ فَإِنِ اتَّبَعتَني فَلا تَسأَلني عَن شَيءٍ حَتّىٰ أُحدِثَ لَكَ مِنهُ ذِكرًا

He said, "Then if you follow me, do not ask me about anything until I make to you about it mention."

فَانطَلَقا حَتّىٰ إِذا رَكِبا فِي السَّفينَةِ خَرَقَها ۖ قالَ أَخَرَقتَها لِتُغرِقَ أَهلَها لَقَد جِئتَ شَيئًا إِمرًا

So they set out, until when they had embarked on the ship, al-Khidh r tore it open. [Moses] said, "Have you torn it open to drown its people? You have certainly done a grave thing."

قالَ أَلَم أَقُل إِنَّكَ لَن تَستَطيعَ مَعِيَ صَبرًا

[Al-Khidh r] said, "Did I not say that with me you would never be able to have patience?"

قالَ لا تُؤاخِذني بِما نَسيتُ وَلا تُرهِقني مِن أَمري عُسرًا

[Moses] said, "Do not blame me for what I forgot and do not cover me in my matter with difficulty."

فَانطَلَقا حَتّىٰ إِذا لَقِيا غُلامًا فَقَتَلَهُ قالَ أَقَتَلتَ نَفسًا زَكِيَّةً بِغَيرِ نَفسٍ لَقَد جِئتَ شَيئًا نُكرًا

So they set out, until when they met a boy, al-Khidh r killed him. [Moses] said, "Have you killed a pure soul for other than [having killed] a soul? You have certainly done a deplorable thing."

قالَ إِن سَأَلتُكَ عَن شَيءٍ بَعدَها فَلا تُصاحِبني ۖ قَد بَلَغتَ مِن لَدُنّي عُذرًا

[Moses] said, "If I should ask you about anything after this, then do not keep me as a companion. You have obtained from me an excuse."

فَانطَلَقا حَتّىٰ إِذا أَتَيا أَهلَ قَريَةٍ استَطعَما أَهلَها فَأَبَوا أَن يُضَيِّفوهُما فَوَجَدا فيها جِدارًا يُريدُ أَن يَنقَضَّ فَأَقامَهُ ۖ قالَ لَو شِئتَ لَاتَّخَذتَ عَلَيهِ أَجرًا

So they set out, until when they came to the people of a town, they asked its people for food, but they refused to offer them hospitality. And they found therein a wall about to collapse, so al-Khidh r restored it. [Moses] said, "If you wished, you could have taken for it a payment."

قالَ هـٰذا فِراقُ بَيني وَبَينِكَ ۚ سَأُنَبِّئُكَ بِتَأويلِ ما لَم تَستَطِع عَلَيهِ صَبرًا

[Al-Khidh r] said, "This is parting between me and you. I will inform you of the interpretation of that about which you could not have patience.

أَمَّا السَّفينَةُ فَكانَت لِمَساكينَ يَعمَلونَ فِي البَحرِ فَأَرَدتُ أَن أَعيبَها وَكانَ وَراءَهُم مَلِكٌ يَأخُذُ كُلَّ سَفينَةٍ غَصبًا

As for the ship, it belonged to poor people working at sea. So I intended to cause defect in it as there was after them a king who seized every [good] ship by force.

وَأَمَّا الغُلامُ فَكانَ أَبَواهُ مُؤمِنَينِ فَخَشينا أَن يُرهِقَهُما طُغيانًا وَكُفرًا

And as for the boy, his parents were believers, and we feared that he would overburden them by transgression and disbelief.