[He] said, 'That is what we were seeking' [Al-Kahf: 64], meaning: that is the place where I was commanded to find al-Khadir.

'So they retraced their steps, following their traces' [Al-Kahf: 64], meaning: they returned until they came to the rock.

Muhammad said: The meaning is: they returned along the path they had traveled, tracking the signs one by one.

He said: Then they followed the trail into the sea. Wherever the fish passed, it began striking with its tail to the right and left in the sea, and everything the fish struck with its tail became dry, forming something like a path in the sea. Thus, they followed its trail until, upon emerging onto an island, they found al-Khadir at