The gracious one, full of compassion, is thy Lord! if he would have chastised them for their demerits he would have hastened their chastisement.  But they have a time fixed for the accomplishment of our menaces:  and beside God they shall find no refuge.

And those cities did we destroy when they became impious; and of their coming destruction we gave them warning.

Remember when Moses said to his servant, “I will not stop till I reach the confluence of the two seas,15 or for years will I journey on.”

But when they reached their confluence, they forgot their fish, and it took its way in the sea at will.

And when they had passed on, said Moses to his servant, “Bring us our morning meal; for now have we incurred weariness from this journey.”

He said, “What thinkest thou?  When we repaired to the rock for rest I forgot the fish; and none but Satan made me forget it, so as not to mention it; and it hath taken its way in the sea in a wondrous sort.”

He said, “It is this we were in quest of."16 And they both went back retracing their footsteps.

Then found they one of our servants to whom we had vouchsafed our mercy, and whom we had instructed with our knowledge.

And Moses said to him, “Shall I follow thee that thou teach me, for guidance, of that which thou too hast been taught?”

He said, “Verily, thou canst not have patience with me;

How canst thou be patient in matters whose meaning thou comprehendest not?”

He said, “Thou shalt find me patient if God please, nor will I disobey thy bidding.”

He said, “Then, if thou follow me, ask me not of aught until I have given thee an account thereof.”

So they both went on, till they embarked in a ship, and he-the unknown-staved it in.  “What!” said Moses, “hast thou staved it in that thou mayest drown its crew? a strange thing now hast thou done!”

He said, “Did I not tell thee that thou couldst not have patience with me?”

He said, “Chide me not that I forgat, nor lay on me a hard command.”

Then went they on till they met a youth, and he slew him.  Said Moses, “Hast thou slain him who is free from guilt of blood?  Now hast thou wrought a grievous thing!”

He said, “Did I not tell thee that thou couldst not have patience with me?”

Moses said, “If after this I ask thee aught, then let me be thy comrade no longer; but now hast thou my excuse.”

They went on till they came to the people of a city.  Of this people they asked food, but they refused them for guests.  And they found in it a wall that was about to fall, and he set it upright.  Said Moses, “If thou hadst wished, for this thou mightest have obtained pay.”

He said, “This is the parting point between me and thee.  But I will first tell thee the meaning of that which thou couldst not await with patience.

“As to the vessel, it belonged to poor men who toiled upon the sea, and I was minded to damage it, for in their rear was a king who seized every ship by force.