Explanation of the Wall Rebuilding Event

In explaining the incident of rebuilding the wall, al-Khiḍr responds to Moses’ question about the city whose people had refused to host them, saying that the wall they rebuilt belonged to two orphan boys in that city and beneath it was a treasure hidden for them. Their father had been a righteous man, so your Lord willed out of His mercy that the treasure remain hidden until they reached maturity and could distinguish between right and wrong and were capable of preserving wealth. Then they would retrieve it and benefit from it. Therefore, the rebuilding of the wall was not done of his own accord, but rather like the other two actions, it was by God’s command. This is the explanation (taʾwīl) (origin and cause) of the events about which you could not be patient: “And as for the wall, it belonged to two orphan boys in the city, and beneath it was a treasure belonging to them, and their father had been righteous, so your Lord intended that they reach maturity and extract their treasure, as a mercy from your Lord. And I did not do it of my own accord. That is the explanation of that about which you could not have patience.”