Surat Al-Kahf, 71-82 (Ilm Al-Ladun)

Excerpt from Mr. Adnan Oktar’s live interview on Kocaeli TV TV, August 27th, 2010

They continued until they boarded a boat and he scuppered it. Then Moses said, ‘Did you scupper it so that its owners would be drowned? This is truly a dreadful thing that you have done!’

He said, ‘Did I not say that you would not be able to bear with me?’
Moses said, ‘Do not take me to task because I forgot. Do not demand of me something which is too difficult.’
So they went on until they met a youngster whom he killed. Moses  said, ‘Have you killed a boy who has done no wrong, without it being in retaliation for someone else? This is truly an appalling thing that you have done!’
He said, ‘Did I not tell you  that you would not be able to bear with me?’
Moses said, ‘If I ask you about anything after this, then you should no longer keep me company. I will have given you excuse enough.’

So they went on until they reached the inhabitants of a town. They asked them for food but they refused them hospitality. They found there a wall about to fall down and he built it up. Moses said, ‘If you had wanted, you could have taken a wage for doing that.’
He said, ‘This is where you and I part company. I will let you know the explanation of those things about which you were not able to restrain yourself.

As for the boat, it belonged to some poor people who worked on the sea. I wanted to damage it because a king was coming behind them, commandeering every boat.

As for the boy, his parents were muminun and we feared that he would darken their days with excessive insolence and kufr.
We wanted their Lord to give them in exchange a purer son than him, one more compassionate.

As for the wall, it belonged to two young orphans in the town and there was a treasure underneath it, belonging to them. Their father was one of the salihun and your Lord wanted them to come of age and then to unearth their treasure as a mercy from Him. I did not do it of my own volition. That is the explanation of the things about which you were not able to restrain yourself.’

ADNAN OKTAR: This is a verse describing the global dominion of Islam. This occurred to me when the global dominion of Islam was mentioned. While deliberating on the secret knowledge (ilm al-ladun), Prophet Moses (pbuh) actually experienced the things he objected to, in his conversation with Hazrat Khidr (pbuh). See that there are three different matters, and he encountered all three himself. These are set out in the Qur'an.

For example, may Allah forbid, the Prophet Moses (pbuh) accidentally killed someone. I mean, while trying to defend someone he threw a punch at a man. The Prophet Moses (pbuh) was very strong and well-built, he could not imagine the impact that his strength would have. As soon as he struck the man, he died there right away. He fell down and died. This is a terrible thing, an awful sorrow, for a Muslim, of course. Allah saved you from a great sadness, says in the Qur'an. And he was terribly saddened by this. A Muslim never grieves, of course, but he felt a great sorrow. And that was in his destiny. Allah killed that man, and Azrael (pbuh)(Angel of Death) killed him. But it was not Azrael (Angel of Death) who took his soul, because Allah killed him. But Allah gave him the impression it was he [Prophet Moses (pbuh)] who killed him. However in truth, Allah took his soul. And he slew him upon a great wisdom.

Hazrat Khidr (pbuh) also killed a youngster, a young person. Prophet Moses (pbuh) asked why he killed him without any retaliation. Hazrat Khidr (pbuh) could say that he also killed one, right? He could have asked why he also had killed. Why did he kill? Because that was Allah's command and that is why he killed him. Why did Hazrat Khidr (pbuh) kill? Because that was Allah's command and that is why he killed him. Since, Hazrat Khidr (pbuh) says he did not act of his own accord. He said that this youngster would be a cruel person in the future, he would attack his parents, attack their faith and religion, that he would be a bad person. In order to prevent him to be even worse, he says he is killing him now, I mean that is may be to prevent him going to the Hell.  But he did not set that wisdom out to begin with. Only later he explained. But the Prophet Moses (pbuh) was unable to make the connection in that, however Hazrat Khidr (pbuh) had hinted at that as well.

For instance, Prophet Moses (pbuh) asked why he scuttled the boat. He [Hazrat Khidr (pbuh)] holed it so that it ran aground. Hazrat Khidr (pbuh) later explained that boat belonged to some poor people and that there was a cruel king commandeering everyone's properties. In order to prevent it going to the other side and to prevent it to go to that cruel king, that is because he seize sound boats, I made it especially faulty, and when it is faulty the king will not seize it and the properties of those poor people would be left in their hands, so that they can repair it and use it afterwards.  But Hazrat Khidr (pbuh) said he prevented king's seizing the boat at that time. But initially the Prophet Moses (pbuh) said he did this for no reason at all. He said Hazrat Khidr (pbuh) had done a dreadful thing to innocent people. Whereas he experienced exactly the same thing. His mother put him on a tiny raft and let the waters carry him away. A child would normally die. If you put a new-born baby on a tiny raft and let the river carry it off, there is a 99% probability it will die, and a 1% is left of it to survive. Did his mother do that deliberately so he would die? No. She wanted him to be saved in some way. She hoped that Allah would save him. Because Allah revealed that in her heart, He revealed that her baby would be saved. And since Allah revealed that information in her heart, she sent him off. And he was eventually saved. In that instance there is the aim of saving, and here is another intention of saving. Isn't it? In both it is the same, but one boat is large and the other small. But the purpose in both is to rescue people. That is what Hazrat Khidr (pbuh) was hinting at, but the Prophet Moses (pbuh) failed to realize it.

Then he arrived at a town, as you know. A wall that was about to fall down. That is a reference to the Masjid of Prophet Solomon (pbuh), whose walls did fall down. It will be rebuilt in the time of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh). It is also a reference to Hagia Sophia [in Istanbul], insha'Allah. The wisdom here is very similar as well, because he [Prophet Moses (pbuh)] said "why didn't you take a wage when you repaired that wall. Hazrat Khidr (pbuh) was also a master stonemason. Why did he not ask for a fee, because he did it for Allah's approval. There was treasure under the wall belonging to two young orphans and he was in consideration of the future. He said he wanted the wall to be strong so the orphans could take their treasure out from under it later. He is saying that they will find their treasure, the two orphans. This statement also refers to the Prophet Jesus (pbuh) and Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh). It is a sign that hidden treasures will be found, the sacred relics. There are many secret aspects of the Qur'an, if one thinks deeply. 

Now, if one asked the Prophet Moses (pbuh); he headed to a place and found two women there. He saw them. And there were shepherds there, but these women were keeping away from the shepherds. They wanted to take their animals to drink, but they could not because the shepherds were there. He took the animals, and the women trusted him seeing his character. That means that people will trust immaculate, good, high-quality Muslims and will not keep away from them. A Muslim woman can approach a Muslim who fears Allah. But a Muslim woman will keep her distance from someone whom she is convinced has no fear of Allah. He took those animals and watered them, and asked for no recompense. He watered those animals, and even put himself at risk and then took those back. He did this for no fee, only for Allah's approval. Did Hazrat Khidr (pbuh) ask him why he had done this in return of no fee? He did not question why he did not ask for any return. But he [Prophet Moses (pbuh)] asked Hazrat Khidr (pbuh) why he rebuilt the wall for free. The reason why he rebuilt the wall for no return is the same as why he watered the animals for no return. In fact, Hazrat Khidr (pbuh) was also hinting at that. But the Prophet Moses (pbuh) failed to realize it, too. That is because he was a master of visible knowledge, while Hazrat Khidr (pbuh) was a master of secret knowledge. But he thus provided him with brief information of the depths of secret knowledge, that is ilm al-ladun. But had he continued he could have shown him the profundities of secret knowledge and ilm al-ladun much further.

In fact the Lord and sole applier of secret knowledge is Allah. And Allah applies that knowledge in a wide-encompassing way throughout this world, but people are unaware of it. On subjects such as Paradise and Hell, and why people go to Hell, and on the matter of destiny Allah employs this knowledge intensively. That is the ilm al-ladun but people fail to realize it. Their failure to recognize it is not that great a problem, but failure to have faith is a terrible problem. If they learned about the secret knowledge, they would immediately see the truth.

We can see the depth of secret knowledge in this story, in the meeting of the Prophet Moses (pbuh) and Hazrat Khidr (pbuh). As you know, their fish "quickly burrowed its way into the sea." (Surah Al-Kahf, 61) The fish then went on its way. In other words, the age of fish [Pisces] comes to an end. And the age of bucket [Aquarius] begins. He says, "Good news for me, I've found a boy!" and he "let his bucket down." (Surah Joseph, 19) Allah would not give such a detail; in other words, He would only say they took the child out of the well. But instead He says, he "let his bucket down." Allah could have said they just lowered something down, but He says a bucket. The word bucket is a deliberately chosen one, of course. Then He reveals of the glad tidings of a boy. That means that a child born in the age of bucket [Aquarius] will make Islam prevail the world. Where do we see this from? In the Gospel we also see that. There are two statements, detailed accounts about this in the Gospel that I have already explained. In the Gospel, there is a call to follow that person and to obey him. There is a call to follow this person who is from the age of the Aquarius.