All we know and experience are peculiar to life on earth and we are in cognisance of laws and principles only applicable to our physical world. But that is not all knowledge. Our current knowledge is not sufficient to understand the intricacies of human life and the events in after life. Musa (or Moses) represent human knowledge and God wanted him to realise that knowledge of the unseen is superior knowledge and unavailable to human. Yet, knowledge of the Unseen can amply explain and justify human experiences. Eventually, Musa met the man who would offer him a glimpse of the Unseen Knowledge. The man according to prophetic traditions is called Khidhir (literarily ‘Green’).
The story found in Qur'an 18 verses 65 to 82 goes thus: Musa “...found one of Our servants on whom We had bestowed Mercy from Ourselves and whom We had taught knowledge from Our own presence. Moses said to him: ‘May I follow you so that you can teach me something of the (Higher) Truth which you have been taught?’ The other (Khidhir) said: ‘Verily you will not be able to have patience with me! And how can you have patience on issues about which your understanding is not complete?’ Moses said: ‘You will find me (truly) patient, if Allah so will: and I will not disobey you in anyway.’ The other (Khidhir) said: ‘If then you would follow me ask me no questions about anything until I myself speak to you concerning it.’
“So they both proceeded. They went on a boat and (when they neared their destination, (Khidhir) damaged the boat. Musa said: ‘Did you damaged (the boat) to drown us? Truly a strange thing you have done!" He answered: "Did I not tell you that you can’t have patience with me?" Musa said: "Do not rebuke me for forgetting nor grieve me by raising difficulties in my case." Then they continued their journey until when they met a young man. He (Khidhir) killed him. Musa said: "Have you killed an innocent person who is not guilty of any murder? This is truly a foul (unheard-of) thing you have done!" He answered: "Did I not tell you that you can’t have patience with me?" (Musa) said: "If ever I ask you about anything after this keep me not in your company. Then you would have all the excuse you needed to get rid of me." Thereafter, they continued their journey until when they came to the inhabitants of a town they asked them for food but the people (of this town) refused them hospitality. They found there a wall on the point of falling down but he (Khidhir) mended the wall and made it firm and straight. Musa said: "(How could you do this for a people who were hostile to us.) If you had wished, surely you could have exacted some wages for your effort!" He (Khidhir) answered: "This is where we go our different ways (because of your impatience). I will now tell you the interpretation of those things which you were unable to hold patience.
“As for the boat it belonged to certain poor men who plied on the water: I (did them a favour so I) rendered it (temporarily) unserviceable because coming behind them is a certain king who seized on every (nice) boat by force. As for the youth, his parents have firm faith in God and we feared that he would grieve them by obstinate rebellion and ingratitude (to Allah and the people and he would cause them to lose their faith). So we desired that their Lord would give them in exchange another son who is better in purity (of conduct) and closer in affection. As for the wall, it belonged to two orphan youths in the town. Beneath the wall is a buried treasure to which they were entitled (and if the treasure is exposed the evil people of the town will take it away from the orphans). Their father had been a righteous man: so thy Lord desired that they should attain their age of full strength and get out their treasure - a mercy (and favor) from their Lord. I did it not of my own accord. Such is the interpretation of (those things) over which you were unable to hold patience.
“The lesson contained in this story is this: You should have full faith in the wisdom of what is happening in the Divine Factory in accordance with the will of Allah. As the reality is hidden from you, you are at a loss to understand the wisdom of what is happening, and sometimes if it appears that things are going against you, you cry out, "How and why has this happened?" The fact is that if the curtain be removed from the "unseen", you would yourselves come to know that what is happening here is for the best. Even if sometimes it appears that something is going against you, you will see that in the end it also produces some good results for you.” (Maududi’s Surah Introduction to Surah Khaf - Qur'an 18).
Yusuf Ali in his commentaries on the story noted that: “(1) Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians. Even so that wisdom did not comprehend everything, even as the whole stock of the knowledge of the present day, in the sciences and the arts, and in literature, (if it could be supposed to be gathered in one individual), does not include all knowledge. Divine knowledge, as far as man is concerned, is unlimited. Even after Moses received his divine mission, his knowledge was not so perfect that it could not receive further additions. (2) Constant effort is necessary to keep our knowledge square with the march of time, and such effort Moses is shown to be making. (3) The mysterious man he meets... is the type of that knowledge which is ever in contact with life as it is actually lived. (4) There are paradoxes in life; apparent loss may be real gain; apparent cruelty may be real mercy; returning good for evil may really be justice and not generosity. Allah's wisdom transcends all human calculation.”
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