4Then they both proceeded,} means, after the first incident,

4 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:

iHavc you killed an innocent person?}

meaning, a young person who had not yet committed any sin or done anything wrong, yet you killed him

^ without Nafs} with no reason for killing him.

4 Verily, you have committed a thing Nukr!} meaning, something that is clearly evil.

4He 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:

4lf I ask you anything after this,} meaning, ‘if I object to anything else you do after this,’

ikeep 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 Prophqt Sg mentioned anyone, he would pray for himself first. One day he said:

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, i‘If 1 ask you anything after this, keep me not in your company, you have received an excuse from me.'}*” 111