Tafsir of Ash-Shams 91:9

Surah Ash-Shams (The Sun): (9) Successful is he who...

Know that Tazkiyah (purification/exaltation) means either cleansing or growth. There are two interpretations of this verse:

1. Successful is he who purifies his own soul by cleansing it from sins through acts of obedience and avoiding disobedience.
2. Successful is he whom Allah purifies (Zakkāhā Allāh).

Al-Qadi accepted the second interpretation, stating that it means Allah has decreed its purification and named it as such, similar to how people customarily say, "So-and-so validates/praises so-and-so."

However, the first interpretation is stronger because the mention of the Nafs (self) has already occurred explicitly, making it more appropriate for the pronoun to refer back to it, rather than referring to something that is implicitly understood but not explicitly mentioned.

Know that we have already proven conclusively that the intended meaning of "He inspired it" (Fa-alhamahā) is what we previously mentioned (referring to the guidance/misguidance mentioned earlier). Therefore, the wording must be interpreted accordingly.

As for the view that this refers to a decree or naming by Allah: this is weak because the structure of the verb form (Taf'īl) is based on creation/actualization (Takwīn).

Furthermore, even if we accept that it means decreeing/naming: what Allah decrees cannot change. If the decreed subject were to change, it would necessitate the decree itself changing from true to false, and knowledge changing to ignorance—which is impossible. That which leads to the impossible is itself impossible.

Regarding the argument that the mention of the Nafs preceded the pronoun: we say this argument works in the opposite direction. Linguists agree that a pronoun refers back to the closest antecedent, which is preferable to referring to a more distant one. The phrase "{Fa-alhamahā}" is closer to the word "{Mā}" (referring to the soul's capacity for good/evil) than it is to the word "{Nafs}" (which is further back). Thus, the preference supports our initial interpretation.

What further confirms this interpretation is what Al-Wahidi narrated in Al-Basīṭ from Sa'īd ibn Abī Hilāl, that the Prophet (peace be upon him) used to pause when reciting: "{Successful is he who purifies it}" and say: "O Allah, grant my soul its piety; You are its Guardian, and You are its Master. And purify it, for You are the best of those who purify it."

{And ruined is he who conceals it [i.e., corrupts it]}