Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
And when he attained his full strength, and was perfect (in manhood), We bestowed on him Hukm (Prophethood and right judgement of the affairs) and religious knowledge [of the religion of his forefathers i.e. Islâmic Monotheism]. And thus do We reward the Muhsinûn (i.e. good doers. See the footnote of V.9:120).
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
وَلَمَّاwalammāAnd when
بَلَغَbalaghahe reached
أَشُدَّهُۥashuddahuhis full strength
وَٱسْتَوَىٰٓwa-is'tawāand became mature
ءَاتَيْنَـٰهُātaynāhuWe bestowed upon him
حُكْمًۭاḥuk'manwisdom
وَعِلْمًۭا ۚwaʿil'manand knowledge
وَكَذَٰلِكَwakadhālikaAnd thus
نَجْزِىnajzīWe reward
ٱلْمُحْسِنِينَl-muḥ'sinīnathe good-doers
Tafsir al-Quran al-Karim — Hafiz Abdus Salam Bin Muhammad Bhutvi
Tafsir al-Quran al-Karim is a 4-volume Quran commentary by Hafiz Abdus Salam bin Muhammad Bhutvi, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar and Sheikh ul-Hadith from Pakistan. Based on over 45 years of teaching and research, this tafsir follows the methodology of Tafsir bil-Ma'thur — interpreting the Quran through authentic Hadith, statements of the Companions, and the understanding of the early generations (Salaf). It is distinguished by its complete avoidance of Israeliyyat (Judeo-Christian narratives) and unverified reports. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
(Ayah 14) ➊ { وَلَمَّابَلَغَاَشُدَّهٗوَاسْتَوٰۤى:} 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 {’’ بَلَغَاَشُدَّهٗ ‘‘}, see Surah Yusuf (22). There, for Joseph (peace be upon him), only the word {’’ بَلَغَاَشُدَّهٗ ‘‘} is used, whereas here for Moses (peace be upon him), the word {’’ وَاسْتَوٰۤى ‘‘} 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 { اٰتَيْنٰهُحُكْمًاوَّعِلْمًا: ’’ 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 {’’ حُكْمًاوَّعِلْمًا ‘‘} 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 {وَكَذٰلِكَنَجْزِيالْمُحْسِنِيْنَ:} is to do good deeds. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) explained the meaning of Ihsan with {’’ أَنْتَعْبُدَاللّٰهَكَأَنَّكَتَرَاهُفَإِنْلَمْتَكُنْتَرَاهُفَإِنَّهُيَرَاكَ ‘‘} 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: «{ وَاَحْسِنْكَمَاۤاَحْسَنَاللّٰهُاِلَيْكَ }»[ 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.