Tafsir of Al-Qasas 28:22

"And when he directed himself"—that is, turned his face—"towards Madyan"—that is, toward that which faces its side. Tilqa' (towards) is originally a verbal noun used adverbially. Madyan is the village of Shu'ayb, named after Madyan son of Ibrahim, peace be upon them. It was not under the dominion of Pharaoh, which is why he directed himself toward his village. It is said he headed there because he knew him, and it is said because of his kinship to him, peace be upon them both. Between it and Egypt was a journey of eight days.

"He said, 'May my Lord guide me to the right way'"—that is, the middle of the path leading to salvation. He, peace be upon him, said this out of reliance upon Allah the Exalted and trust in the excellence of His guidance, may He be glorified and exalted. He, peace be upon him, did not know the paths. It is narrated that there were three paths, so he took the middle one, while those pursuing him took the other two, saying, "The suspicious person does not take the major roads and only travels through the obscure paths." He remained for eight nights barefoot, eating nothing but the leaves of trees. It is narrated from Sa'id ibn Jubayr that he, peace be upon him, did not arrive until the soles of his feet had fallen off. It is also narrated that he, peace be upon him, began to walk without knowing the way, so Gabriel, peace be upon him, guided him to Madyan. From al-Suddi, it is narrated that he, peace be upon him, took the obscure paths, and an angel came upon a horse carrying a short spear in his hand. When Musa, peace be upon him, saw him, he prostrated to him—meaning he submitted out of fear—so he said, "Do not prostrate to me, but follow me." He departed until he brought him to Madyan.