Verse 18:78 in Context

Translator Abdel Haleem

74 فَٱنطَلَقَا حَتَّىٰۤ إِذَا لَقِیَا غُلَـٰمࣰا فَقَتَلَهُۥ قَالَ أَقَتَلۡتَ نَفۡسࣰا زَكِیَّةَۢ بِغَیۡرِ نَفۡسࣲ لَّقَدۡ جِئۡتَ شَیۡءࣰا نُّكۡرࣰا ۝٧٤ fa-inṭalaqā ḥattā idhā laqiyā ghulāman faqatalahu qāla aqatalta nafsan zakiyyatan bighayri nafsin laqad ji'ta shayan nuk'ra And so they travelled on. Then, when they met a young boy and the man killed him, Moses said, ‘How could you kill an innocent person? He has not killed anyone! What a terrible thing to do!’ 75 ۞ قَالَ أَلَمۡ أَقُل لَّكَ إِنَّكَ لَن تَسۡتَطِیعَ مَعِیَ صَبۡرࣰا ۝٧٥ qāla alam aqul laka innaka lan tastaṭīʿa maʿiya ṣabra He replied, ‘Did I not tell you that you would never be able to bear with me patiently?’ 76 قَالَ إِن سَأَلۡتُكَ عَن شَیۡءِۭ بَعۡدَهَا فَلَا تُصَـٰحِبۡنِیۖ قَدۡ بَلَغۡتَ مِن لَّدُنِّی عُذۡرࣰا ۝٧٦ qāla in sa-altuka ʿan shayin baʿdahā falā tuṣāḥib'nī qad balaghta min ladunnī ʿudh'ra Moses said, ‘From now on, if I query anything you do, banish me from your company- you have put up with enough from me.’ 77 فَٱنطَلَقَا حَتَّىٰۤ إِذَاۤ أَتَیَاۤ أَهۡلَ قَرۡیَةٍ ٱسۡتَطۡعَمَاۤ أَهۡلَهَا فَأَبَوۡا۟ أَن یُضَیِّفُوهُمَا فَوَجَدَا فِیهَا جِدَارࣰا یُرِیدُ أَن یَنقَضَّ فَأَقَامَهُۥۖ قَالَ لَوۡ شِئۡتَ لَتَّخَذۡتَ عَلَیۡهِ أَجۡرࣰا ۝٧٧ fa-inṭalaqā ḥattā idhā atayā ahla qaryatin is'taṭʿamā ahlahā fa-abaw an yuḍayyifūhumā fawajadā fīhā jidāran yurīdu an yanqaḍḍa fa-aqāmahu qāla law shi'ta lattakhadhta ʿalayhi ajra And so they travelled on. Then, when they came to a town and asked the inhabitants for food but were refused hospitality, they saw a wall there that was on the point of falling down and the man repaired it. Moses said, ‘But if you had wished you could have taken payment for doing that.’

78 قَالَ هَـٰذَا فِرَاقُ بَیۡنِی وَبَیۡنِكَۚ سَأُنَبِّئُكَ بِتَأۡوِیلِ مَا لَمۡ تَسۡتَطِع عَّلَیۡهِ صَبۡرًا ۝٧٨ qāla hādhā firāqu baynī wabaynika sa-unabbi-uka bitawīli mā lam tastaṭiʿ ʿalayhi ṣabra He said, ‘This is where you and I part company. I will tell you the meaning of the things you could not bear with patiently

79 أَمَّا ٱلسَّفِینَةُ فَكَانَتۡ لِمَسَـٰكِینَ یَعۡمَلُونَ فِی ٱلۡبَحۡرِ فَأَرَدتُّ أَنۡ أَعِیبَهَا وَكَانَ وَرَاۤءَهُم مَّلِكࣱ یَأۡخُذُ كُلَّ سَفِینَةٍ غَصۡبࣰا ۝٧٩ ammā l-safīnatu fakānat limasākīna yaʿmalūna fī l-baḥri fa-aradttu an aʿībahā wakāna warāahum malikun yakhudhu kulla safīnatin ghaṣba the boat belonged to some needy people who made their living from the sea and I damaged it because I knew that coming after them was a king who was seizing every [serviceable] boat by force 80 وَأَمَّا ٱلۡغُلَـٰمُ فَكَانَ أَبَوَاهُ مُؤۡمِنَیۡنِ فَخَشِینَاۤ أَن یُرۡهِقَهُمَا طُغۡیَـٰنࣰا وَكُفۡرࣰا ۝٨٠ wa-ammā l-ghulāmu fakāna abawāhu mu'minayni fakhashīnā an yur'hiqahumā ṭugh'yānan wakuf'ra The young boy had parents who were people of faith, and so, fearing he would trouble them through wickedness and disbelief 81 فَأَرَدۡنَاۤ أَن یُبۡدِلَهُمَا رَبُّهُمَا خَیۡرࣰا مِّنۡهُ زَكَوٰةࣰ وَأَقۡرَبَ رُحۡمࣰا ۝٨١ fa-aradnā an yub'dilahumā rabbuhumā khayran min'hu zakatan wa-aqraba ruḥ'ma we wished that their Lord should give them another child- purer and more compassionate- in his place 82 وَأَمَّا ٱلۡجِدَارُ فَكَانَ لِغُلَـٰمَیۡنِ یَتِیمَیۡنِ فِی ٱلۡمَدِینَةِ وَكَانَ تَحۡتَهُۥ كَنزࣱ لَّهُمَا وَكَانَ أَبُوهُمَا صَـٰلِحࣰا فَأَرَادَ رَبُّكَ أَن یَبۡلُغَاۤ أَشُدَّهُمَا وَیَسۡتَخۡرِجَا كَنزَهُمَا رَحۡمَةࣰ مِّن رَّبِّكَۚ وَمَا فَعَلۡتُهُۥ عَنۡ أَمۡرِیۚ ذَ ٰلِكَ تَأۡوِیلُ مَا لَمۡ تَسۡطِع عَّلَیۡهِ صَبۡرࣰا ۝٨٢ wa-ammā l-jidāru fakāna lighulāmayni yatīmayni fī l-madīnati wakāna taḥtahu kanzun lahumā wakāna abūhumā ṣāliḥan fa-arāda rabbuka an yablughā ashuddahumā wayastakhrijā kanzahumā raḥmatan min rabbika wamā faʿaltuhu ʿan amrī dhālika tawīlu mā lam tasṭiʿ ʿalayhi ṣabra The wall belonged to two young orphans in the town and there was buried treasure beneath it belonging to them. Their father had been a righteous man, so your Lord intended them to reach maturity and then dig up their treasure as a mercy from your Lord. I did not do [these things] of my own accord: these are the explanations for those things you could not bear with patience.’