Moses and Zul-Qarnain

⁶⁰ Moses said to his servant:

Moses

I will not give up until I reach the junction of the 2 rivers, even if it takes me years.

⁶¹ Then, when they reached the junction between them, they forgot about their fish. It found its way into the river, slipping away.

⁶² When they went further, he said to his servant:

Moses

Bring us our lunch. We are so exhausted from our travel.

Servant

⁶³ I forgot about the fish when we rested by the rock. The devil made me forget it. And so it found its way to the river, amazingly.

Moses

⁶⁴ This is what we were seeking.

And so they turned back retracing their steps.

⁶⁵ Then they came upon a servant of Ours, whom We had blessed with mercy from Us, and had taught him knowledge from Our Own.

⁶⁶ Moses said to him:

Moses

May I follow you, so that you may teach me some of the guidance you were taught?

Muslim

⁶⁷ You will not be able to endure with me. ⁶⁸ How will you endure what you have no knowledge of?”

Moses

⁶⁹ I will:

• be patient
• not disobey you in any order of yours

Muslim

⁷⁰ If you follow me, do not ask me about anything, until I myself make mention of it to you.

⁷¹ So they set out. Until, when they had boarded the boat, he holed it.

Moses

Did you hole it, to drown its passengers? You have done something awful.

Muslim

⁷² I told you that you will not be able to endure with me

Moses

⁷³ Do not rebuke me for forgetting, and do not make my course difficult for me.

⁷⁴ Then they set out. Until, when they encountered a boy, he killed him.

Moses

Did you kill a pure soul, who killed no one? You have done something terrible.

Muslim

⁷⁵ I told you that you will not be able to endure with me.

Moses

⁷⁶ If I ask you about anything after this, then do not keep company with me. You have received excuses from me.

⁷⁷ So they set out. Until, when they reached the people of a town, they asked them for food, but they refused to offer them hospitality.

There they found a wall about to collapse, and he repaired it.

Moses

You could have obtained a payment for it.

Muslim

⁷⁸ This is the parting between you and me. I will tell you the interpretation of what you were unable to endure.

⁷⁹ The boat belonged to paupers working at sea. I wanted to damage it because there was a king coming after them seizing every boat by force.

⁸⁰ The boy’s parents were believers. We feared he would overwhelm them with oppression and disbelief.

⁸¹ So we wanted their Lord to replace him with someone better in purity, and closer to mercy.

⁸² The wall belonged to 2 orphaned boys in the town.

Beneath it was a treasure that belonged to them.

Their father was a righteous man. Your Lord wanted them to reach their maturity, and then extract their treasure—as a mercy from your Lord.

I did not do it of my own accord. This is the interpretation of what you were unable to endure.

Zul-Qarnain

^83-84 We established Zul-Qarnain on earth and gave him all kinds of means.

⁸⁵ He pursued a certain course until, when he reached the setting of the sun, he found it setting in a murky spring, and found a people in its vicinity.

We said:

Anunnaki

O Zul-Qarnain, you may either inflict a penalty, or else treat them kindly.

Zul-Qarnain

⁸⁷ As for him who does wrong, we will penalize him, then he will be returned to his Lord, and He will punish him with an unheard-of torment. But as for him who believes and acts righteously, he will have the finest reward, and We will speak to him of Our command with ease.

^89-91 Then he pursued a course.

Until, when he reached the rising of the sun, he found it rising on a people for whom We had provided no shelter from it.

⁹² Then he pursued a course.

Until, when he reached the point separating the two barriers, he found beside them a people who could barely understand what is said.

People

⁹⁴ O Zul-Qarnain, the Gog and Magog are spreading chaos in the land. Can we pay you, to build between us and them a wall?

Zul-Qarnain

⁹⁵ What my Lord has empowered me with is better. But assist me with strength, and I will build between you and them a dam. ⁹⁶ Bring me blocks of iron.

When he had leveled up between the 2 cliffs, he said:

Zul-Qarnain

Blow

This turned it into a fire.

Zul-Qarnain

Bring me tar to pour over it.

⁹⁷ They were unable to climb it, and could not penetrate it.

Zul-Qarnain

⁹⁸ This is a mercy from my Lord. But when the promise of my Lord comes true, He will turn it into rubble, and the promise of my Lord is always true.

99. On that Day, We will leave them surging upon one another. the Trumpet will be blown, and We will gather them together.

100. On that Day, We will present the disbelievers to Hell, all displayed.

101. Those whose eyes were screened to My message, and were unable to hear.

102. Do those who disbelieve think that they can take My servants for masters instead of Me?

We have prepared Hell for the hospitality of the faithless.

103. Say, “Shall We inform you of the greatest losers in their works?”

104. “Those whose efforts in this world are misguided, while they assume that they are doing well.”

105. It is they who rejected the communications of their Lord, and the encounter with Him. So their works are in vain. And on the Day of Resurrection, We will consider them of no weight.

106. That is their requital—Hell—on account of their disbelief, and their taking My revelations and My messengers in mockery.

107. As for those who believe and do righteous deeds, they will have the Gardens of Paradise for hospitality.

108. Abiding therein forever, without desiring any change therefrom.

109. Say, “If the ocean were ink for the words of my Lord, the ocean would run out, before the words of my Lord run out,” even if We were to bring the like of it in addition to it.

110. Say, “I am only a human being like you, being inspired that your god is One God. Whoever hopes to meet his Lord, let him work righteousness, and never associate any- one with the service of his Lord.”