ASHRAFIYA

Hazrat Hakeemul Ummat Mawlana Ashraf Ali Thanawi ra has mentioned the following lessons that can be learned from the story of Sayyidina Musa as and Sayyidina Khizir as:

1. Desirability of travel for a student (to pursue his learning).
2. To have respect (adab) when dealing with scholars and shuyuk.
3. To abandon criticism of scholars and shuyuk
4. To find an excuse for their apparently unclear actions, dealings and speech.
5. To fulfill the pact (ahed) made with them.
6. To apologize for any thing committed against them.
7. To keep provision for the way while traveling. It is not against tawakul (reliance on
Allah SWT)to do so.
8. To ascribe forgetfulness and other disliked things to Shaytan. It is from adab not to
attribute them to Allah SWT.
9. For a scholar to refuse teaching a subject to a student whom he thinks incapable of
understanding it.
10. To give preference to Allah SWT’s command in every thing.
11. For a guide to put some essential criteria to be fulfilled, for his followers.
12. To condone forgetfulness.
13. Three attempts to be sufficient enough to be counted as repetition.
14. Boat ride to be permissible.
15. The ruling to be on the evident matters. Until one comes to know the real.
16. To ask for food to be permissible, in case of absolute necessity.
17. Not to give up chivalry. Even if it is for those who do not desrve it.
18. To take money for worldly tasks done.
19. The condition for being in need to persist even if tools for earning or possession of
insufficient funds exist.
20. To be angry is impermissible (haram).
21. Hiding wealth by burying it in the ground (for protection) to be permissible

And many more lessons can be learned.

Hazrat Thanawi ra adds; this incident proves that the best way for islah (reformation) is through physical demonstration (actions) not merely by (admonition via) speech.

Masail us sulook, pages 328-9