Re-explanation of the statement of Allah the Exalted: << And when the children among you reach maturity, let them seek permission just as those before them sought permission. Thus Allah makes clear to you His signs, and

Then He said O free men
The student: ...

The Shaykh : ... O free men at all times, just as those before them, meaning the adult free men, sought permission. "When they reach maturity," the author says, "O free men among you." This is because, as mentioned previously, slaves do not seek permission except at the three specific times, whether they are adults or children. Therefore, the author qualified it with "free men" based on the implication of the first verse. His statement that they "reached maturity" is an allusion to reaching puberty through ejaculation. "Maturity" (al-hulm) means either nocturnal emission or the attainment of reason, due to the perfection of their intellects. However, the first meaning is more appropriate because the perfection of intellect is not a condition for this, and the perfection of intellect is achieved at the age of forty. His statement indicates that Allah the Exalted did not mention anything other than reaching maturity. It is known that there are two other things that bring about puberty: reaching the age of fifteen and the growth of pubic hair. However, there is disagreement among scholars regarding these two matters. Some hold that there is no puberty except through ejaculation, and that reaching the age of fifteen is not a sign of puberty but rather a sign of a person's ability to engage in jihad. Those who adopted this view did so based on the hadith of Ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), when he was presented to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in the year of Uhud, and he did not approve of him, and then he was presented to him in the year of the Trench, and he approved of him. Ibn 'Umar was fifteen years old in the year of the Trench, so he was approved. In a narration by al-Hakim, it is said: But the word "reached" (balaghtu)—does it mean I reached the age of legal responsibility, or that I reached the state where I can fight? There is a possibility of both.
But 'Umar ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz (may Allah have mercy on him and be pleased with him) wrote to his governors to impose the obligation on those who had reached the age of fifteen and whom they saw had reached maturity. He said, "If this age is the limit for their fitness for fighting, then it is the limit for their puberty." Some scholars, such as Abu Hanifah, hold that the limit of puberty is eighteen years, not fifteen. This is the basis of the labor law here, because the one who established it appears to be a non-Muslim who knows only the well-known, prevalent school of the majority of Muslims, which is the school of Abu Hanifah, which limits it to eighteen years. The schools of the three other Imams hold that puberty is achieved at fifteen years. As for the growth of pubic hair, there is also disagreement on this. Those who said it is not a sign of puberty stated that the fact that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) exposed the young men of Banu Qurayzah, and that whoever had grown pubic hair was killed, is not proof that he was legally responsible, but rather proof that he was of the age of fighting, so the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) killed him. However, the well-known position of the school, which is known to you, is that puberty is achieved through three things.
He said: The reason for addressing them is that when they reach maturity, they become eligible for legal responsibility and the addressing of them. And his statement: meaning from the general people who seek permission at all times. "Thus" means like that explanation, He makes clear. And we have said that the letter "kaf" is a noun meaning "like" and is an absolute object for "to make clear." Here, the verse is like the verse before it, except for the difference in his saying "His signs" instead of "signs." Perhaps, and Allah knows best, this is a matter of variation in style, otherwise their meanings are the same.