Tafsir of Al-Qasas 28:14

"And when he reached his maturity" — meaning the stage of growth beyond which it does not increase.

"And became settled" — meaning he became complete and perfected. It is a confirmation and an interpretation of what preceded it, as has been said.

There is disagreement regarding the time of reaching maturity (al-ashudd) and settlement (al-istiwa’). Ibn Abi al-Dunya extracted from the path of al-Kalbi, from Abu Salih, from Ibn Abbas, that he said: "Maturity is between eighteen and thirty, and settlement is between thirty and forty; when one exceeds forty, he begins to decline."

Abd ibn Humayd, Ibn al-Mundhir, and Ibn Abi Hatim extracted from Mujahid that he said: "Maturity is thirty-three years, and settlement is forty years." This is also a narration from Ibn Abbas, and similar reports have been narrated from Qatadah.

Al-Zajjaj said at one point: "Reaching maturity is from about seventeen years to forty," and at another point, "It is between thirty and forty." Some have preferred the latter view here, arguing that it aligns with His saying: "Until, when he reached his maturity and reached forty years" (Al-Ahqaf: 15), as this suggests that he terminates at forty, which is the year of stability; thus, its beginning should be the beginning of maturity. This is not without some merit.

The truth is that reaching maturity fundamentally signifies attaining the limit of strength, which is the time when growth ends and reaches its peak. This varies according to different regions, eras, and circumstances; hence, there are various interpretations for it in books of language and exegesis. Perhaps the best approach, as has been said, is to state that reaching maturity is an expression for attaining the degree in which the body and physical powers strengthen and in which significant growth terminates, while "settlement" refers to the moderation and perfection of the intellect. It is not appropriate to designate a specific time for this in the case of Moses (peace be upon him) except through a reliable report, given what you have heard regarding the variance of such matters according to regions, eras, and conditions.

Yes, it is well known that this usually occurs at the age of forty, and upon this is the poet's saying: When a man reaches forty, and he has neither modesty nor veil regarding what he desires, then leave him; do not pine for what has passed, even if life’s causes provide him with longevity.

In His saying: "Until, when he reached his maturity and reached forty years," there is what serves to support this, and a portion of the discussion on maturity has already passed in Surah Yusuf, so remember it and do not be heedless.

Then, the essence of the meaning, according to the final view, is: When his body grew strong and his intellect became balanced, "We gave him judgment" — meaning prophethood, according to what was narrated from al-Suddi, or knowledge—which is one of the characteristics of prophethood, as some have interpreted his statement—and knowledge of religion and the Law (Shari'ah).

In al-Kashshaf, it is said: "Judgment" is the Torah, and "Wisdom" is the Sunnah; and the wisdom of the prophets (peace be upon them) is their Sunnah. Allah the Exalted said: "And remember what is recited in your houses of the verses of Allah and the wisdom" (Al-Ahzab: 34). It is also said: We gave him the conduct and mannerisms of the wise and learned before he was sent as a prophet, so that he (peace be upon him) would not perform an action for which he would be deemed ignorant.

The preceding view is preferred because it is more consistent with the order of the story than what was mentioned before it, because his being commissioned as a prophet (peace be upon him) occurred after the striking of the Copt, the migration to Midian, his return from there, and his being given the Torah after the drowning of Pharaoh—thus, it was long after the striking. Furthermore, His saying: "And thus"—meaning, just as We did with Moses and his mother (peace be upon them)—"do We reward the doers of good" for their excellence, rejects the interpretation that what preceded refers to prophethood, for prophethood is not a reward for deeds.

Those who held to the first view argued that this is a general statement for the fulfillment of the promise to make him one of the messengers after returning him to his mother, and what follows is a detail of it, and the conjunction with "and" does not necessitate chronological order. That which was done to Moses and his mother (peace be upon them) being a reward for deeds is by way of preponderance. It is sometimes said that while the origin of prophethood is not a reward for deeds, some of its ranks—specifically those involving a degree of proximity to Allah—can be considered a reward for the increase in closeness. This boils down to the fact that the increased proximity is the reward, and the variation among the prophets (peace be upon them) in their closeness to Allah the Exalted is something that should not be doubted.

The previous view is supported by being more consistent with His saying: "So that you may know that the promise of Allah is true," and its implication that every doer of good receives prophethood is completely baseless.

Whoever held that the granting occurred before the migration said: It is possible that the meaning is: We gave him leadership among his people, the Children of Israel, by making him distinguished among them, such that they would refer to him in their important matters and obey him when he commanded or forbade them; and knowledge from which he and others would benefit. This would be either through pure inspiration or by granting him success in deducing the subtleties and secrets from the words of his forefathers—the prophets (peace be upon them) of the Children of Israel—which had been transmitted to him. There is nothing strange in him (peace be upon him) having knowledge of what his forefathers among the prophets possessed and the laws they followed, by way of inspiration or by hearing the reports that convey such knowledge. Perhaps this is better than what was reported in al-Kashshaf. In the discussion at the end of Surah al-Baqarah, there is that which will benefit you to review, so let it be reviewed.