SENSING INJUSTICE

By: Ayesha Nasir, Hamilton, Ontario

Whenever I read the name "Moses" in the Quran, I find myself intrigued about what is to come. I read the passages with a lot of curiosity because I learn so much from his experiences each time I read about him.

The story in the Quran which details the interaction of Prophet Moses, Musa, (AS) and a man blessed with some Divine knowledge, Khidr (AS), has recently become one of my favourite stories. It reflects the sense of right and wrong present in all of us which comes only from Allah (SWT), and it provides insight into Musa (AS)’s sense of justice and his determination to do the right thing.

We know through the story told in Surah Kahf, that Musa (AS) sets out to meet Khidr (AS) at a junction between two seas (Qur’an 18:60) to learn that the special knowledge that he had as a prophet was only a fraction of what God had given to someone else from Allah. Musa (AS) is very keen on finding this man that Allah (SWT) has given special knowledge to. In Musa (AS)’s example we see the passion and determination that any student of knowledge should have

Students of knowledge know, like Musa (AS) did, that the journey to knowledge can take a long time (Qur’an 18:60). Hunger and weariness overcomes him and his companion but in the end it all comes together as this event brings them to the man they were seeking.

When they finally found the man, one of the first things Musa (AS) did was to seek Khidr (AS)’s permission to be his student.

Musa (AS) said to him, “May I follow you so that you can teach me some of that which you have been taught of sound judgment?” (Qur’an 18:66)

Here, it is important to acknowledge that Musa (AS) is clear that the true wisdom did not belong to Khidr (AS) inherently. Rather, he too has been taught from the One true Source: Allah SWT.

In the Quran, Allah (SWT) said that when Khidr (AS) meets Musa (AS), he believes the latter will not have the patience to be the former’s student. He asked Musa (AS): “How could you be patient in matters beyond your knowledge?” (Qur’an 18:68)

This is a kind of foreshadowing into what will follow. As we know, the patience being talked about here is not an ordinary one. Musa (AS) and his companion have made a long and arduous journey and understand what patience usually means. But what Khidr (AS) is hinting at, seems to be beyond the capacity of a prophet of God.

“And they found a servant from among Our servants [i.e., al-Khiḍr] to whom We had given mercy from Us and had taught him from Us a [certain] knowledge.” 18:65

“O Musa! I have knowledge from Allah that you don’t have that, he taught me. And you have some knowledge from Allah that he taught, which I don’t have.” (Part of a long Hadith-Sahih al-Bukhari 3401)

A determined Musa (AS) insists that Khidr (AS) will find his patience satisfactory and that he will not pose a challenge to what Khidr (AS) does or demands of him. All of us who have read the story know what follows. Musa (AS) is, as Khidr (AS) said, not able to keep the terms of their agreement and wants answers to why Khidr (AS) did what he did. Musa (AS) insists that making a hole in a ship to drown its people is a cruel and wrong act. He forgets his rules of engagement discussed before the lessons even began with Khidr (AS) entirely and when he was reminded of it, he said: “He (Musa) said, “Do not hold me responsible for what I forgot, and do not make my course too difficult for me.”” (Qur’an 18:73)

Musa (AS) does not apologise for his shock and reaction. He expresses what is natural and finds strength in himself to keep going and witnessing these gruesome acts. Next, when Khidr (AS) kills a boy; Musa (AS) calls it a heinous act and asks: “Did you kill an innocent soul while he did not kill anyone?” (Qur’an 18:74)

Khidr (AS) once again reminds Musa (AS) of the agreed terms and conditions. To which the latter says: “If I ask you about something after this, do not keep me in your company. You have had enough excuses from me.” (Qur’an 18:76)

Musa (AS) knows it is not right for a man of God to act the way Khidr (AS) did. He wants to know the rationale behind Khidr (AS)’s actions, because he realises there is no way a person of God could do this on their own.

In the third and final part of Musa (a.s.)’s journey with Khidr (AS), he was stunned to find that Khidr (AS) mends a damaged wall in a city where during their journey, people were hostile and inhospitable to them. He said to Khidr (AS) that he could have charged the city money for his labour. At this, Khidr (AS) said it is time for them to part the journey and as the end note, he proceeds to tell Musa the reasons of his actions He explained the significance of each action, as well as clarified that each action was a direct command from Allah (SWT).

I truly love Musa (AS)’s questioning of the injustices he perceived and witnessed.

I love that, despite Musa (AS) running out of patience and taking it upon himself to recommend what he deemed to be right and just, using the knowledge and judgement given to him by God. I also love that he acknowledged his strength or lack of it, that keeping up with Khidr (AS)’s tasks (also given by God) was quite difficult. Some of us try to be like Khidr (AS), without recognising that Khidr (AS) only did what he did because of the knowledge God gave him.

Musa (AS) in this story has taught me alot and I think we've got to be more like Musa (AS) we should seek teachers whom we respect and acknowledge as givers of knowledge we don’t possess, but at the same time hold them to the standards of care, wisdom and justice that our faith teaches us. Recognize the limits to our knowledge. Be vigilant. Speak up. Seek clarity. Remain curious. Believe there are right answers, even if we'll have to wait for them. Be aware of our own limitations; as If we break a promise, apologize for doing so.

Understand that patience isn't easy and being overconfident about our capacity, knowledge or strength isn’t a wise choice and can backfire badly. Trust God.

Photo by Ingo Ellerbusch on Unsplash