Surah Al-Kahf, Ayah 77
Quran 18:77 · The Cave · Makki · Para 16 · Page 302
فَانْطَلَقَا ۥ حَتّٰۤی اِذَاۤ اَتَیَاۤ اَهْلَ قَرْیَةِ سْتَطْعَمَاۤ اَهْلَهَا فَاَبَوْا اَنْ یُّضَیِّفُوْهُمَا فَوَجَدَا فِیْهَا جِدَارًا یُّرِیْدُ اَنْ یَّنْقَضَّ فَاَقَامَهٗ ؕ قَالَ لَوْ شِئْتَ لَتَّخَذْتَ عَلَیْهِ اَجْرًا ۟
Transliteration
Fantalaqa hattaitha ataya ahla qaryatin istatAAamaahlaha faabaw an yudayyifoohuma fawajadafeeha jidaran yureedu an yanqadda faaqamahuqala law shi/ta lattakhathta AAalayhi ajra
Saheeh International
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 he [i.e., al-Khiḍr] restored it. [Moses] said, "If you wished, you could have taken for it a payment."
Al-Mukhtasar fi Tafsir
They then walked until they came to the people of a village from whom they asked for food, but the people of the village refused to feed them and fulfil the right of hospitality towards them. Then they found a wall in the village which was tilting, and about to fall and break. So Khidr fixed it until it was straight, so Moses (peace be upon him) said to Khidr: “If you wanted to take a wage for fixing it, you could have, as we need it after they have refused to host us”.
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (abridged) on 18:77–18:78
Then they both proceeded till when they came to the people of a town, they asked them for food, but they refused to entertain them. Then they found therein a wall about to collapse and he set it up straight. (Musa) said: "If you had wished, surely you could have taken wages for it! (77)He said: "This is the parting between you and I, I will tell you the interpretation of (those) things over which you were not able to be patient. (78)
The Story of repairing the Wall
Allah tells us that
فَانطَلَقَا
(they both proceeded) after the first two instances,
حَتَّىٰ إِذَا أَتَيَا أَهْلَ قَرْيَةٍ
(till when they came to the people of a town,) Ibn Jarir narrated from Ibn Sirin that this was Al-Aylah. According to the Hadith;
حَتَّى إِذَا أَتَيَا أَهْلَ قَرْيَةٍ لِئَامًا
(When they came there, the people of the town were mean.) i.e., miserly
اسْتَطْعَمَا أَهْلَهَا فَأَبَوْا أَن يُضَيِّفُوهُمَا فَوَجَدَا فِيهَا جِدَارًا يُرِيدُ أَن يَنقَضَّ
(they asked them for food, but they refused to entertain them. Then they found therein a wall about to collapse and he (Khidr) set it up straight.) means, he fixed it so it was standing upright properly. We have already seen in the Hadith quoted above that he set it up with his own hands, supporting it until it was standing straight again, which is something extraordinary. At this point Musa said to him:
لَوْ شِئْتَ لَاتَّخَذْتَ عَلَيْهِ أَجْرًا
(If you had wished, surely you could have taken wages for it!) meaning, because they did not entertain us as guests, you should not have worked for them for free.
قَالَ هَٰذَا فِرَاقُ بَيْنِي وَبَيْنِكَ
(He said: "This is the parting between you and I) meaning, because you said after the boy was killed that if you asked me anything after that, you would not accompany me any further. So this is the parting of the ways between me and you.
سَأُنَبِّئُكَ بِتَأْوِيلِ
(I will tell you the interpretation) meaning explanation,
مَا لَمْ تَسْتَطِع عَّلَيْهِ صَبْرًا
(of (those) things over which you were not able to be patient.)