“And when he reached his full strength and attained maturity, We granted him judgment and knowledge. Thus do We reward those who do good.” (14)

“And We had already forbidden him foster mothers.” What is meant by this prohibition is that he was prevented from nursing; “foster mothers” means wet nurses. “Before,” that is, before the arrival of Moses’s mother. When Moses’s sister—whom her mother had sent to search for him—saw this, she said to them, “Shall I direct you?” It is related in the account that Moses remained for eight nights, refusing every breast and crying, while they searched for a wet nurse for him.

“So she said,” meaning Moses’s sister, “Shall I direct you to a household who will care for him (1) on your behalf”—that is, take responsibility for him—and nurse him? This was a woman whose child had been killed, and the thing she most wished for was to find an infant whom she could nurse. “And be sincere toward him.” Sincerity is the opposite of deceit: it is to purify one’s actions from the blemishes of corruption. They said, “Yes, bring her to us.”

Ibn Jurayj and al-Suddi said: When Moses’s sister said, “And be sincere toward him,” they seized her and said, “You know this boy, so show us where his family is.” She replied, “I do not know him. I only meant that they would be sincere toward the king.” It was also said that she said, “I only said this out of a desire for the king’s happiness and for us to gain a connection with him.”

It was also said that when she said, “Shall I direct you to a household,” they asked her, “Who?” She replied, “My mother.” They said, “Does your mother have a son?” She said, “Yes—Aaron.” Aaron had been born in a year in which boys were not put to death. They said, “You have spoken the truth, so bring her to us.” She went to her mother and informed her of her son’s condition, then brought her to them. When the child detected his mother’s scent, he accepted her breast and began to suckle until his sides were filled and he was satisfied. Al-Suddi said: They used to give her a dinar every day. This is the meaning of the saying of the Exalted: “Thus We restored him to his mother, so that her eyes might be comforted.”

“Thus We restored him to his mother, so that her eyes might be comforted”: this was through restoring Moses to her. “And she would not grieve,” meaning, so that she would not grieve. “And so that she would know that Allah’s promise is true,” through restoring him to her. “But most of them do not know”: that Allah had promised her that He would restore him to her.

“And when he reached his full strength”: al-Kalbi said: Full strength is between eighteen and thirty years of age. [Mujahid said