وَنَفسٍ وَما سَوّاها

By the soul and Him who fashioned it.

EXEGESIS

Nafsin (soul) in this verse is in an indefinite form, instead of al-nafs, and this could be to show multitude (takthīr), such as in 81:14, and the meaning would thus be: And by every soul. Or, it could be to show greatness (taʿẓīm), or could be referring to a specific soul, such as the soul of Prophet Adam (a),^{‎[1]Daqaiq, 14/295.} although this is improbable because of verse 9.

What seems most likely based on the context is that the indefinite form has been used to emphasise the greatness of the soul. Elsewhere in the Quran, God praises Himself after creating it: So blessed is Allah, the best of creators! (23:14).

Similar to the previous verses, the mā can either be rendered to mean: By the one who fashioned it, or it can be taken in an infinitive sense (maṣdariyyah) to mean: By its fashioning.^{‎[2]Tibyan, 10/358.}

Sawwāhā could be understood to mean: proportioned it in a perfect balance, or: fashioned it and created it.^{‎[3]Qummi, 5/333.}

EXPOSITION

Most exegetes understand nafs to mean the soul of man. However, some have suggested that nafs is a wider term that encompasses both body and soul. Based on the latter, its proportioning would thereby include how perfectly synchronised man’s body parts are.^{‎[4]Amthal, 20/235.}

The Quran uses nafs in both meanings. The former can be seen in 39:42 and the latter in 33:28.

REVIEW OF TAFSĪR LITERATURE

It has been attributed to ʿAṭāʾ that soul here includes the souls of both men and jinn.^{‎[5]Tabrisi, 10/755; Mizan, 20/297.}

INSIGHTS FROM OTHER TRADITIONS

1. Lo, this only have I found, that God hath made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions.^{‎[6]Ecclesiastes 7:29.}

[1] Daqaiq, 14/295.
[2] Tibyan, 10/358.
[3] Qummi, 5/333.
[4] Amthal, 20/235.
[5] Tabrisi, 10/755; Mizan, 20/297.
[6] Ecclesiastes 7:29.