Puberty has signs which are well known for both males and females. For a male, puberty is reached when one of three things happens: the emission of semen, the growth of coarse hair around the private part, or reaching the age of fifteen.
For a female, puberty is reached when of these three things happens, and there is a fourth sign, namely menstruation.
It is not essential that all of these signs appear, rather one sign is sufficient to establish that a person has reached puberty.
Based on the above, it has become clear now that there are certain signs for attaining puberty, and there is a difference between maturity and puberty. Allah Almighty says: “Prove orphans till they reach the marriageable age; then, if you find them of sound judgment, deliver over unto them their fortune…” (An-Nisa’: 6) So Allah combines puberty and capability to bear responsibility. The average of age according to the juristic studies is 15 years for both genders, which is the age of both puberty and maturity. Thus, there is a difference between maturity and puberty.