Quran Universe
18:79

أَمَّا ٱلسَّفِينَةُ فَكَانَتۡ لِمَسَٰكِينَ يَعۡمَلُونَ فِي ٱلۡبَحۡرِ فَأَرَدتُّ أَنۡ أَعِيبَهَا وَكَانَ وَرَآءَهُم مَّلِكٞ يَأۡخُذُ كُلَّ سَفِينَةٍ غَصۡبٗا

Amma alssafeenatu fakanat limasakeena yaAAmaloona fee albahri faaradtu an aAAeebaha wakana waraahum malikun yakhuthu kulla safeenatin ghasban

As for the ship, it belonged to poor people working at sea. So I intended to cause defect in it as there was after them a king who seized every [good] ship by force.

Word by word
  1. أَمَّاAs for
  2. ٱلسَّفِينَةُthe ship
  3. فَكَانَتۡit was
  4. لِمَسَٰكِينَof (the) poor people
  5. يَعۡمَلُونَworking
  6. فِيin
  7. ٱلۡبَحۡرِthe sea
  8. فَأَرَدتُّSo I intended
  9. أَنۡthat
  10. أَعِيبَهَاI cause defect (in) it
  11. وَكَانَ(as there) was
  12. وَرَآءَهُمafter them
  13. مَّلِكٞa king
  14. يَأۡخُذُwho seized
  15. كُلَّevery
  16. سَفِينَةٍship
  17. غَصۡبٗا(by) force
Al-Kahf · 18:79Makkah

A damaged boat was the one the king did not take.

The first hidden reason

What was really happening
poor ownerstheir only living
a king aheadseizing every sound boat
so
a small defectthe boat was left alone
The damage
a losswhat Musa saw
a protectionwhat Allah showed

Allah showed Al-Khidr the hidden reasons. A king who was one of the oppressors seized every good boat by force. Making it look faulty meant its poor owners who had nothing else could benefit from it. It was also said they were orphans.

You did not get the bigger flat, the flashier job, the car you wanted. Years later you see what that bigger thing would have cost you. A small dent can keep the whole boat safe.

Every setback is just a loss.

Some damage is protection I cannot see yet.

Try this

Recall one past disappointment that later turned out to protect you, and thank Allah for it.

Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir

"As for the boat, it belonged to poor people working in the sea. So I wished to make a defective damage in it, as there was a king behind them who seized every boat by force. (79)

Interpretations of why the Ship was damaged

This is an explanation of what Musa found so hard to understand, and the appearence of which he condemed. Allah showed Al-Khidr the hidden reasons, so he said, "I damaged the ship to make it faulty, because they used to pass by a king who was one of the oppressors, who

يَأْخُذُ كُلَّ سَفِينَةٍ

(seized every boat), i.e., every good, sound boat

غَصْبًا

(by force.) 'So I wanted to prevent him from taking this boat by making it appear faulty, so that its poor owners who had nothing else could benefit from it.' It was also said that they were orphans.