Could the phrase "Allah withheld the water's flow from the fish (whale)," which appears in the commentary on the Hadith of Musa and Al-Khidr in Sahih Al-Bukhari, be explained in detail?
Source: FtawySummary from Ftawy's records · added here Sep 2, 2026
The meaning of "Allah held back the flow of water from the whale" is that the water did not flow over the whale's path and did not erase its trace, making it like a niche or a tunnel (a carved opening in the ground). Thus, the whale's passage in the sea remained, visible. This occurred after the whale became agitated in the water, and the water did not close over it.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
Read the full answer on Ftawyhttps://ftawy.com/en/questions/161971
Where this answer came from
- Source platform
- Ftawy
- Original fatwa ID
- 161971
- Added here
- . This is when the answer was added to El Fatwa, not the fatwa's date.
- Text
- Summary from Ftawy's records, reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
- Read the full ruling
- Read the full answer on Ftawy