Forgetting to Report the Story of the Fish to Moses

After Moses and his companion passed through the junction of the two seas, he said to his companion, “Bring us our food, for we have encountered fatigue from this journey.” Joshua remembered the story of the fish and said to Moses: “Do you remember when we took refuge at the rock? There I forgot to tell you about the fish falling into the water, how it amazingly fell into the water and made its way to the sea, and Satan was the cause of my forgetfulness: ‘He said: Did you see when we took refuge at the rock? Indeed I forgot the fish—and none but Satan made me forget to mention it—and it took its way into the sea amazingly.’”

Therefore, Moses’s companion forgot to give the report, not the fish itself, and the phrase “Indeed I forgot the fish” (fa-innī nasītu l-ḥūt) means “I forgot to tell you about the matter of the fish”.(67) The reason for this interpretation is the phrase “and none but Satan made me forget to mention it” (wa-mā ansānīhu illā l-shayṭānu an adhkurahu), because “to mention it” (an adhkurahu) is a substitute for the pronoun in “made me forget it” (ansānīhu), and its implied meaning is “none but Satan made me forget to mention the fish.” He had not forgotten the fish itself, but rather he forgot to tell Moses about the event he had witnessed.(68)

It should be noted that the phrase “and none but Satan made me forget to mention it” is a parenthetical phrase between the coordinating and coordinated elements that explains the cause of forgetfulness and serves as a kind of apology(69), so that he would receive less objection and reproach. Therefore, the phrase “and it took its way into the sea amazingly” is coordinated with the phrase “Indeed I forgot the fish”(70), and the word “amazingly” (ʿajaban) is an adjective for an omitted verbal noun, meaning “it took its way into the sea in an amazing manner.” The amazement could be due to the fish coming back to life and throwing itself into the sea.(71)