A Free Ride and a Bird's Beak

They began this journey. Al-Khaḍir was taking Mūsā to a wonderland. It started with al-Khaḍir and Mūsā crossing the sea. Al-Khaḍir wanted to travel to the other side of the sea, so he was looking for transport, for a ship. He found the ship and asked them to take them to the other side. It turned out that the sailors, the owners of the ship, knew al-Khaḍir, and they offered him a free ride: we are going to carry you for free. They did not do it because they knew Mūsā; they did it because they knew al-Khaḍir. So this was a favour done to whom? To al-Khaḍir specifically; they knew al-Khaḍir. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) mentions that in the hadith: they carried them without any payment. Why? Because they knew al-Khaḍir.

The first thing that happened when they were on the ship: Mūsā and al-Khaḍir were sitting together on the deck, and a bird landed on the deck, and then that bird dipped its beak into the sea to drink. Al-Khaḍir said to Mūsā: did you see that bird? Mūsā said: yes. Al-Khaḍir said: my knowledge plus your knowledge, compared to the knowledge of Allah, is like what that bird has taken from the sea. That one drop that the bird took from the sea is like my knowledge plus your knowledge.

You said that you are the most knowledgeable person on the face of the earth; Allah told you that there is someone who has more knowledge than you. Together — me and you together — the combined knowledge of the two most knowledgeable people on earth, compared to the knowledge of Allah, is less than what that bird took from the sea. That is the knowledge of Allah (swt): the ocean of the knowledge of Allah. That is the first lesson al-Khaḍir gave Mūsā: our knowledge is nothing compared to the knowledge of Allah.