Moses’s Etiquette and Humility Before Khiḍr in Seeking Knowledge

According to some exegetes, these verses indicate that Moses observed many forms of etiquette and courtesy before Khiḍr while learning from him. They have noted twelve instances of this, of which two examples are mentioned here:

1. Moses did not say “teach me everything you know,” but rather said “teach me some of what God has taught you,” since the word “from” (min) in “mimmā” indicates a portion, and this shows the perfect etiquette and humility of a student before their teacher.(170)

2. Moses did not say “mimmā taʿlam” or “mimmā ʿalimta” but rather said “mimmā ʿullimta” meaning “from what you have been taught.” Some people speak in an Islamic way but think like Qārūn; for instance, they say “I myself studied for years and struggled until I became learned,” which is the same as Qārūn’s statement when he said “I have only been given it because of knowledge I have”: “He said, ‘I was only given it because of knowledge I possess.’”(171) In seeking knowledge, one should not say to the teacher “teach me what you know,” but rather should request “teach me from what you have been taught” (mimmā ʿullimta). Of course, it is possible that the special nature of the teacher in this case (God Almighty) and the characteristic of the knowledge (being divine) led to such a polite expression, and in this case, the phrase “mimmā ʿullimta” may refer to the verse “And We had taught him knowledge from Our presence”(172); meaning, teach me from that divine knowledge and wisdom that comes from God.

Other instances of the student’s observance of etiquette towards the teacher have been mentioned in various exegetical works of both Sunni and Shi’i scholars, which can be consulted.(173)