So they set out, until when they came to the people of a town, they asked its people for food, but they refused to offer them hospitality. And they found therein a wall about to collapse, so he [i.e., al-Khiḍr] restored it. [Moses] said, "If you wished, you could have taken for it a payment."
يُضَيِّفُوهُمَاoffer them hospitalityyuḍayyifūhumā
فَوَجَدَاThen they foundfawajadā
فِيهَاin itfīhā
جِدَارٗاa walljidāran
يُرِيدُ(that) want(ed)yurīdu
أَنtoan
يَنقَضَّcollapseyanqaḍḍa
فَأَقَامَهُۥۖso he set it straightfa-aqāmahu
قَالَHe saidqāla
لَوۡIflaw
شِئۡتَyou wishedshi'ta
لَتَّخَذۡتَsurely you (could) have takenlattakhadhta
عَلَيۡهِfor itʿalayhi
أَجۡرٗاa paymentajran
Tafsir
They then walked until they came to the people of a village from whom they asked for food, but the people of the village refused to feed them and fulfil the right of hospitality towards them. Then they found a wall in the village which was tilting, and about to fall and break. So Khidr fixed it until it was straight, so Moses (peace be upon him) said to Khidr: “If you wanted to take a wage for fixing it, you could have, as we need it after they have refused to host us”.