Tafsir of Al-Qasas 28:12

"And We had forbidden all wet nurses for him" means We prevented him from that. The term "forbidden" (tahrim) is used metaphorically for prevention (man'), for whoever is forbidden from something has been prevented from it. It is not valid to intend a legal prohibition (tahrim shar'i), because an infant is not among those subject to religious obligation (taklif), and there is no evidence for any specific exception.

"Wet nurses" (al-maradi') is the plural of murdi', with a damma on the mim and a kasra on the dad; it is the woman who breastfeeds. The omission of the ta (ta marbuta) is either because it is specific to women, or because it is in the sense of a "nursing person" (shakhs murdi'). It may also be the plural of marda', with a fatha on the mim, considering it a masdar mimi (a noun acting as a verbal noun) meaning "nursing" (al-rida'), pluralized due to the multiplicity of its instances; or it may be a noun of place, meaning "the place of nursing," which is the breast.

"From before" means from before [Musa's sister] tracked him, or saw him, or his arrival to the one he was with, or "from before that," meaning from the beginning of his affair. The apparent stance of Abu Hayyan is his preference for the latter.

"And she said, 'Shall I guide you...'" means: Do you want me to guide you? "...to a household that will guarantee him for you?" meaning: They will take responsibility for him and undertake his upbringing on your behalf. The fa (in faqalat) is "eloquent" (fasiha), implying: So she entered upon them and said. Her statement "to a household" rather than mentioning a woman is an indication that the intended person is a woman of nobility, suitable for serving kings.

"...and they are to him sincere?" meaning they will not fall short in serving or raising him. It is narrated that when Haman heard this from her, he said, "She truly knows him and his family, so seize her until she informs us of his status." She replied, "I only meant that they are sincere to the King." Thus, she was saved from the evil, as lying is permissible in such circumstances. She acted with excellence, which is not surprising, for she was of the house of Prophethood, and she was truly worthy of it.

The possibility of a pronoun referring to two separate matters is not unique to the Arabic language; rather, it exists in all languages. Furthermore, the Pharaohs were remnants of the Amalekites, and they spoke Arabic; perhaps she addressed them in their own tongue. This style of speech is known as al-kalam al-muwajjah (the double-entendre).