The Possibility of the Fish Coming Back to Life

The verse in question does not explicitly state that the fish came back to life and swam in the sea, although this is not an implausible reading. Moreover, the Qur’an does not say that the fish fell into the sea like a heavy object, but rather states: “it took its way into the sea in a strange manner.” This expression, considering the verb “took” (ittakhadha), does not negate the possibility that the fish came back to life, jumped into the sea, and moved like other fish. Therefore, if a reliable tradition indicates that the fish came back to life and fell into the sea, this would not contradict the Qur’an.

The teacher, ʿAllāmah Ṭabāṭabāʾī, after citing others who have said “in the two subsequent verses that describe Moses’s companion’s response: ‘Have you seen when we took refuge at the rock…’”(51) where mention is made of the fish coming back to life,” writes that these verses do not explicitly state that the fish came back to life. Rather, from the apparent meaning of the phrases “they forgot their fish”(52) and “indeed I forgot the fish”(53) in the words of his companion, it appears that they had placed the fish on a rock by the sea, and then it fell into the sea; or the sea drew it in through its tide or something similar, and it mysteriously sank into the depths of the sea and disappeared. Some traditions confirm this meaning, as they indicate that the “loss of the fish” was the sign for meeting Khiḍr, not its “coming back to life.”(54) Some evidence may be found in the traditional narratives.

The phrase “it took its way into the sea in a strange manner” means the fish took a particular path; it was as if the water opened up to receive it.