قَالَتْ إِحْدَاهُمَا يَا أَبَتِ اسْتَأْجِرْهُ إِنَّ خَيْرَ مَنِ اسْتَأْجَرْتَ الْقَوِيُّ الْأَمِينُ ﴿۲۶﴾ قَالَ إِنِّي أُرِيدُ أَنْ أُنْكِحَكَ إِحْدَى ابْنَتَيَّ هَاتَيْنِ عَلَى أَنْ تَأْجُرَنِي ثَمَانِيَ حِجَجٍ فَإِنْ أَتْمَمْتَ عَشْرًا فَمِنْ عِنْدِكَ وَمَا أُرِيدُ أَنْ أَشُقَّ عَلَيْكَ سَتَجِدُنِي إِنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ مِنَ الصَّالِحِينَ ﴿۲۷﴾

﴾26﴿ Qaalat ihdaahumaa yaaa abatis taajirhu inna khaira manistaajartal qawiyyul ameen
﴾27﴿ Qaala innee ureedu an unkihaka ihdab nataiya haataini 'alaaa an taajuranee samaaniya hijaj; fa in atmamta 'ashran famin 'indika wa maaa ureedu an ashuqqa 'alaik; satajiduneee in shaaa'al laahu minas saaliheen

﴾26﴿ She said, Woman, from those two, take as a servant the one who is more patient and trustworthy than anyone you would employ
﴾27﴿ He said, Indeed, I wish to marry you to one of my two daughters on the condition that you work for me for eight years; but if you complete ten years, then it is out of your kindness, and I do not wish to impose too much upon you. You will find me, if Allah wills, to be one of the righteous

[26] This indicates that until now, they had not found a suitable laborer, and it also shows that a contract of hiring (ʿaqd al-ijārah) is valid in all religions.
“Strong and trustworthy” (al-qawiyy al-amīn)—this implies that two qualities are necessary in a worker: strength to do the job, and trustworthiness in fulfilling duties.
These two women had seen both traits in Musa (peace be upon him):
His strength was evident in how he alone pulled up a bucket that normally required ten men.
His trustworthiness was shown when Musa (peace be upon him) said to the woman who had come to invite him (and they were both returning home):
“Walk behind me, so that if the wind lifts your clothing and exposes your leg, my eyes do not fall upon it.”
[27] This indicates that righteous people themselves offer their daughters for marriage when they see a pious and suitable man.
“I intend (urīdu)”—he used this wording because this was merely a proposal for marriage, not an actual marriage contract.
In a marriage contract (ʿaqd al-nikāḥ), it is necessary to have mutual agreement using the past tense (ṣīghah māḍī).
Also, in a valid contract, the specific woman must be clearly identified, which was not done here.
“ʿAlā an taʾjuranī”—this phrase could imply compensation (ʿiwaḍ) or a condition (sharṭ).
If it's understood as ʿiwaḍ (compensation), the objection is: How can the labor Musa (peace be upon him) does for Shuʿayb (peace be upon him) count as a dowry for his daughter, when the rightful recipient of the dowry is the bride, not her father?
Answer 1: In their religious law, this was permissible—but this opinion is not firmly established.
Answer 2: This objection would only apply if taʾjuranī meant "I give you something in return." However, here it means "you work for me and I pay you."
Answer 3: ʿAlā is for stipulation (sharṭ), and this condition aligns well with the marriage itself. A condition of this kind does not invalidate the contract.
The idea behind this condition is: “You will work for me, and in return, the payment you receive from me will cover the expenses and dowry for my daughter.”
“Taʾjuranī” thus means: “You will receive a wage from me in exchange for your work.”
And since specifying the duration is necessary in a hiring contract (ijārah), the period here was clearly set at eight years, with the additional two years left to Musa’s (peace be upon him) choice and willingness.