In the name of God, the Merciful, the Beneficent
Moses said to his servant: "I shall journey on until I reach the point where the two seas meet, though I may march for ages." But when they reached the junction between the two seas, they forgot their fish, and it took its way into the sea and disappeared from sight.
And after they had marched on for some distance, Moses said to his servant: "Bring us our midday meal; we are indeed worn out by this our journey." Said (the servant): "Do you recall when we betook ourselves to that rock for rest. There I forgot the fish — and none but Satan made me thus forget to mention it! — and it took its way into the sea. How strange! (Moses) said: "That is (the place) we are seeking!" So they turned back, retracing their footsteps, and found one of Our servants, on whom We had bestowed Our mercy and whom We had endowed with knowledge of Our own. (The Cave, "Al-Kahf," 18: 60-65)
This passage of the Surah begins relating an episode in the life of Prophet Moses which is not told or hinted at anywhere else in the Qur’an. The Surah does not give any details of the place where this episode takes place other than saying, "the place where the two seas meet." Nor does it define the period in Moses’ lifetime when its events took place. Thus, we do not know whether the events about to be related took place when Moses was still in Egypt, before he led the Israelites on their way to Palestine, or after they had left it.
If the latter, was it before he led them into the holy land, or when they stopped, refusing to enter it because they did not wish to confront its powerful inhabitants? Was it after they had begun their forty years of wandering in the land, going to and fro, in total loss?
The event involves a goodly servant of God whom Moses meets and accompanies for a period of time. But the Surah does not give us any details of the identity of this person. It does not mention his name or status. Was he a prophet or a messenger, or a scholar, or a person favored by God for his strong faith and complete dedication to the service of God’s cause?
There are many reports attributed to Ibn Abbas and others concerning the details of this story. One of them is related by Al-Bukhari who quotes Saeed ibn Jubair, a scholar from the generation that followed the Prophet’s companions as saying: "I said to Abdullah ibn Abbas that Nauf Al-Bakkali claims that the person who accompanied Al-Khader (that is the name often given to the other man in this story) is not Moses, God’s messenger to the Children of Israel. He claims that he was a different person also named Moses. Ibn Abbas replied: "That is a lie told by this enemy of God. Ubai ibn Kaab has said to us that he heard God’s messenger saying: Moses was making a speech to the Children of Israel when he was asked which person has been endowed with most knowledge. He replied that he himself was that person. God took issue with him for not having attributed knowledge to Him, so He sent him a message saying that there was at the point where the two seas meet a person who has been given greater knowledge than him. Moses asked his Lord to tell him how he could meet this man. God told him to take a whole fish with him, keeping it in a container. Wherever he loses his fish, he will find that person."
There are also several reports suggesting areas where "the two seas meet," but we feel that all these are unacceptable. We, on our part, prefer to limit ourselves to the Qur’anic text without going into any further details. This will help us to live "in the shade of the Qur’an." We believe that the way the story is told in the Qur’an, without defining the time or place and without mentioning names, has a definite purpose. Therefore we will look at the Qur’anic text and study it without additions.
"Moses said to his servant: ‘I shall journey on until I reach the point where the two seas meet, though I may march for ages’." Most probably, and God knows best, the place described here as the "point where the two seas meet" refers to the Mediterranean and the Red Sea, and their meeting place is the area where the bitter lakes and the Timsah Lake are found along the Suez Canal. It may also be a reference to the meeting point of the Gulf of Suez and the Gulf of Aqaba at the northern end of the Red Sea.
This whole area witnessed the history of the Children of Israel after they had left Egypt. Anyway, the Qur’an only refers to it in passing without defining it further. We will leave this point without adding anything further.
We understand from the story that Moses had a definite purpose behind his journey. He declares that he will travel as far as the meeting point of the two seas, no matter how troublesome the journey may prove, or how long it takes. He expresses his determination by the words quoted in the Qur’an: "though I may march for ages." There are differences as to the exact meaning of the Arabic word which is given in the translation as "ages." Some scholars mention that each such "age" denotes one year, while others say it denotes 80 years. Whichever meaning it may have, the expression denotes a resolve rather than any duration of time.
"But when they reached the junction between the two seas, they forgot their fish, and it took its way into the sea and disappeared from sight. And after they had marched on for some distance, Moses said to his servant: ‘Bring us our mid-day meal; we are indeed worn out by this our journey.’ Said (the servant): ‘Do you recall when we betook ourselves to that rock for rest. There I forgot the fish — and none but Satan made me thus forget to mention it! — and it took its way into the sea. How strange’!"
Most probably, the fish was cooked. Its raising back to life and its moving straight into the sea was a sign given by God to Moses, so that he would know the place where he was to meet the man. This is indicated by the amazement expressed by the servant when he saw the fish swimming in the sea. Had the fish only dropped into the sea and settled at the bottom, there would be nothing strange in the matter. What makes this interpretation more plausible is that the whole trip was full of surprises, and this was only one of them.
Moses realized that he had gone beyond the place where he was to meet the man, which was by the rock where he and his servant had stayed for a little rest. Hence, he traced his way back to it and there they met the man: "(Moses) said: ‘That is (the place) we are seeking!’ So they turned back, retracing their footsteps, and found one of Our servants, on whom We had bestowed Our mercy and whom We had endowed with knowledge of Our own."
It also seems that this meeting was to remain Moses’ secret, given to him by his Lord. His servant did not know anything about it until they met the man. Hence, the following scenes in the story speak only about Moses and the pious man endowed with knowledge.