Surah Al-Qasas (28) — Ayah 14

(Ayah 14) ➊ { وَ لَمَّا بَلَغَ اَشُدَّهٗ وَ اسْتَوٰۤى:} Here, a lengthy detail has been omitted: that the days of Moses’ (peace be upon him) nursing were spent with his mother, through which he became acquainted with his parents, siblings, and family, and later, due to this connection, interaction continued, by which he became familiar with his noble forefathers—Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (peace be upon them)—and their religion, and he became directly aware of the miserable condition of the Children of Israel. After nursing, when he was transferred to the royal palace, his upbringing and training took place as a prince. He was taught all the sciences and arts of that time, reading and writing, and the ways of governance. He was given general training required for war and special training for military leadership. Above all these things was the special supervision and training of Allah Almighty, through which he was prepared for the coming responsibility, until he reached his full youth. For the explanation of {’’ بَلَغَ اَشُدَّهٗ ‘‘}, see Surah Yusuf (22). There, for Joseph (peace be upon him), only the word {’’ بَلَغَ اَشُدَّهٗ ‘‘} is used, whereas here for Moses (peace be upon him), the word {’’ وَ اسْتَوٰۤى ‘‘} is also used, meaning he became fully strong, because the physical strength seen in Moses (peace be upon him) is not seen in Joseph (peace be upon him).

➋ The meaning of { اٰتَيْنٰهُ حُكْمًا وَّ عِلْمًا: ’’ حُكْمًا ‘‘} is the ability to make decisions, and by {’’ عِلْمًا ‘‘} is meant knowledge of the world and religion, i.e., upon reaching adulthood, We granted him the ability to distinguish between right and wrong and granted him knowledge of both worldly and religious matters. Of these, worldly knowledge was acquired through the royal palace, and religious knowledge and its understanding were acquired through his mother’s home and family. Some commentators have taken {’’ حُكْمًا وَّ عِلْمًا ‘‘} to mean prophethood, but here this meaning does not seem correct, because prophethood was granted ten years later at Mount Tur, as will be mentioned ahead.

➌ The meaning of {وَ كَذٰلِكَ نَجْزِي الْمُحْسِنِيْنَ:} is to do good deeds. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) explained the meaning of Ihsan with {’’ أَنْ تَعْبُدَ اللّٰهَ كَأَنَّكَ تَرَاهُ فَإِنْ لَمْ تَكُنْ تَرَاهُ فَإِنَّهُ يَرَاكَ ‘‘} as: “To worship Allah as if you see Him, and if you do not see Him, then (know that) He sees you.” [ دیکھیے بخاري، الإیمان، باب سؤال جبریل … : ۵۰ ] Another meaning of Ihsan is to do good to someone without seeking or desiring any compensation, as the righteous among the Children of Israel advised Qarun: «{ وَ اَحْسِنْ كَمَاۤ اَحْسَنَ اللّٰهُ اِلَيْكَ }» [ القصص : ۷۷ ] “And do good as Allah has done good to you.” He said: “Thus do We reward the doers of good.” From this, it is understood that Moses (peace be upon him) was fully adorned with the attribute of Ihsan, for which Allah Almighty granted him wisdom and knowledge as a reward.

14-1. By "command and knowledge" is meant prophethood, so how he reached this position, its details are in the following verses. According to some commentators, this does not refer to prophethood but rather to intellect and wisdom and those sciences which he learned while living in his ancestral and familial environment.

And when Musa reached his full strength and maturity, We gave him wisdom [21] and knowledge. And thus do We reward those who do good.

[21]
The Teaching of Modern Sciences and Principles of Governance at Pharaoh’s Court:

In childhood, you were provided with a purely religious environment. Thus, you became acquainted with the teachings of Hazrat Yaqub ؑ and Yusuf ؑ. Your parents’ household was a noble and religious one, and the habits and traits a child learns at that age remain prominent throughout his life. After this, you became a member of the royal family, so you benefited from the modern sciences prevalent in Egypt and also independently derived the principles of governance and rulership, because you possessed God-given intelligence. At this point, “health and knowledge” does not refer to prophethood, because prophethood was granted to you much later.