It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that there was a discussion between Hur bin Qais Fazari and him regarding who was that companion of Musa (peace be upon him) whom he had asked about the way to meet. Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: He was Khidr (peace be upon him). Meanwhile, Sayyiduna Ubayy bin Ka'b (may Allah be pleased with him) passed by. Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas called him and said: My friend and I are discussing this topic, that who was that companion of Musa (peace be upon him) whom he had asked about the way to meet. Did you hear from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) that he mentioned this matter? He said: Yes, I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) saying: Musa (peace be upon him) was sitting among a group of Bani Israel, when a man stood up and said: O Musa! Do you know anyone who is more knowledgeable than you? He said: No. So Allah Almighty revealed to him that Khidr is (more knowledgeable). Musa (peace be upon him) asked about the way to meet him. In response, Allah Almighty made the fish a sign for them and it was said to them: When you lose the fish, return. Then the same incident happened to both of them, which Allah Almighty has mentioned in His Book, that between them and...

Saeed bin Jubair says: I said to Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them): Nauf Shami thinks that the Musa who met Khidr was not the Musa of Bani Israel. He said: Allah’s enemy Nauf has lied. Sayyiduna Ubayy bin Ka’b (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated to me that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Indeed, Musa (peace be upon him) stood among Bani Israel to address them. The people asked him: Who is the most knowledgeable among the people? He said: I am. Thereupon Allah revealed to him that there is a servant of Mine who has more knowledge than you. He said: O my Lord! Then show him to me. He was told: Take a fish and put it in a basket; where you lose it, there you will find him. So he took a fish and put it in a basket, and he and his companion started walking towards the shore, until they reached a rock. Musa (peace be upon him) slept there. The fish moved in the basket and jumped into the sea. Allah stopped the water at the place where the fish entered (and thus it looked like a cave). When the water became agitated, Musa (peace be upon him) woke up (and after going further, said to his young companion): Bring our food, we have certainly suffered fatigue from this journey of ours. Musa (peace be upon him) felt tired after passing the place which Allah had commanded. The young man replied: Did you see? When we were resting at the rock, I forgot the fish there; in fact, Satan made me forget. So they returned, tracing their footsteps. They began to search for their footprints, and the fish had made its way into the river in a unique manner. And that was because Allah stopped the flow of water, and the place looked like an arch. This was a unique thing for the fish and a strange thing for Musa (peace be upon him). Anyway, both of them finally reached that rock. Upon reaching the required place, they saw a man who was covered with a cloth. Musa (peace be upon him) greeted him with salam. He replied: How has salam come to your land? He said: I am Musa. Khidr (peace be upon him) said: Musa of Bani Israel? He said: Yes. I wish to follow you so that you may teach me some of the good knowledge you have been given. Khidr (peace be upon him) said: O Musa! Indeed, I have been given such knowledge from Allah that you do not know, and you have been given such knowledge from Him that I do not know. Then both of them walked along the shore (and Khidr, peace be upon him, put a condition on Musa, peace be upon him, that he should not ask about anything). A boat passed by; they recognized Khidr (peace be upon him), so they took him on board without any fare, but this surprised them. Then Khidr (peace be upon him) looked at the boat and took an axe to break one of its planks. Musa (peace be upon him) said: These people took us on board without any fare, and now you want to break the boat and drown all the passengers? He said: Did I not tell you that you would not be able to have patience with me? Musa (peace be upon him) said: Indeed, I forgot. Then a bird came and filled its beak from the sea. Khidr (peace be upon him), seeing this, said: O Musa! My knowledge and your knowledge have diminished Allah’s knowledge no more than this bird has diminished the sea. Then both of them went on until they came to the people of a village and asked them for food, but they flatly refused to host them. Khidr (peace be upon him) saw a boy there, caught him, and killed him. Musa (peace be upon him) said: Have you killed a pure soul for no soul in return? Indeed, you have done a terrible thing. He said: Did I not tell you that you would not be able to have patience with me? Amr, in his narration, said: This was a more severe matter than the first. Then both of them went on. When Khidr (peace be upon him) saw a wall about to collapse, he set it straight. Sufyan, the narrator, described this by raising his hand, then placing his palms together, and then raising them from the inside of his palms. Musa (peace be upon him) said: If you wished, you could have taken a wage for it. He said: This is the separation between me and you. Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them) said: The first time, Musa (peace be upon him) forgot. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: May Allah have mercy on Musa (peace be upon him). If only he had been patient, so that he could have narrated more of his affairs to us.