The two went on their way, till they reached the seashore. When they disembarked from the boat that had ferried them across, the sage made a hole in it – whereupon Moses exclaimed, ‘Have you made a hole in it in order to drown the people who may be traveling in it? Indeed, you have done a grievous thing!’
Moses and Khidr cross the sea together, without Moses’ servant. They leave behind the body and the physical world for a while so that reason and conscience may have an uninterrupted conversation with intuition and innate, supra-rational understanding of the cosmic order.
Then Khidr does something outrageous in the material world – he drills a hole in the boat, thereby damaging someone else’s property and posing a potential danger to others who might seek to make the same journey. The soul of the boat is its buoyancy, its purpose service to humanity. Khidr has destroyed that soul and made it impossible for the boat’s purpose to be served. In spite of his agreement with Khidr, Moses speaks from his conscience, addressing the issue of the imminent threat to the lives of other human beings whom he does not know, who are not even present, who may never even arrive at that place (though they might very reasonably be anticipated to do so). He cannot help himself – it is a compellingly reasonable and credible speculation that some harm will come to innocent people as a result of Khidr’s actions. Moses’ conscience is stronger than his commitment to silence. Were he fail to speak out, he would be failing to exercise a capacity that issued from Allah prior to his encounter with Khidr – the capacity of moral discernment. Moses is driven to exercise that capacity.
And Moses responds with grief, grief flowing from both the sea of intellect and the sea of emotion. Khidr’s act is intellectually grievous in that it is a violation of the fundamental principles of humane personal interaction that Moses carried down from the mountain prior to their encounter – "Thou shalt not kill; thou shalt not steal". It is emotionally grievous in that Khidr’s violation causes Moses distress – enough distress to compel him to speak out, enough distress to overwhelm Moses’ intention to be patient and to say nothing to the one he looks upon as his teacher and guide.
If Moses’ is being tested on his ability to remain silent in the face of the apparently wanton destruction of property and potential endangerment of other human beings, or his ability to suppress the expression of his most fundamental beliefs and emotions, Moses cannot help but fail.
But if Moses is being tested on his capacity for moral discernment, for his ability to exercise meaningful, timely and responsible concern for immediate and anticipated human needs, and for the honest expression of his thoughts and feelings, then Moses has passed the test.
He replied, ‘Didn’t I tell you that you will never be able to have patience with me?’
Even a being that lives in the dream-world can gloat a little! At least he doesn’t say, "You failed." Again, Khidr’s statement is unequivocal – no matter how hard one tries, mere humans (even prophets) cannot ever pretend to a full understanding of the will of Allah – no matter how closely one walks with Khidr. Furthermore, the human impulse to respond to the events of life will always precede the capacity to understand divine purpose. These impulses are informed by Moses’ experience and knowledge of moral law, which shape his conscience. Eventually, esoteric understanding will be imparted to him – but in retrospect, not in advance.
Moses said, ‘Do not take me to task for having forgotten myself, and do not be hard on me on account of what I have done!’
Moses appeals to Khidr’s recognition of his human limitations, of the inevitability of forgetting both one’s source and one’s ultimate goals. He appeals to Khidr to exercise the same mercy toward him that he, Moses, seeks to extend to other human beings. Moses’ cry in response to an act that posed a serious potential danger to unknown and unknowing people was a sign of his humanity, his compassion, and his ability to extend that compassion into his vision of the future.
If Moses is being tested on his capacity to express rahman and advocate for the social expression of rahman, Moses has passed the test.