وَقَد خابَ مَن دَسّاها
And one who betrays it fails.
EXEGESIS
Khāba (fails), based on the infinitive khaybah, means loss or disappointment by being barred from something.
Dassāhā (betrays it) comes from the root letters d-s-s, which means to cover something up, such as in 16:59, where it means to cover up the newborn child with earth. In the present verse it means covering up the soul with vices and sins. It is commonly used to mean using something in a way that was not intended for it or adding something to it that is not supposed to be there. A corrupt person, through acting on evil deeds, is adding something to his soul that it was not supposed to have, as if the soul was created for obedience and virtue and anything else is external to its nature.
The sentence is emphasised by the emphatic preposition qad to further add emphasis to the message and to reiterate that this is the subject of the oath.
EXPOSITION
The literal meaning of dass is to hide, and thus this raises the question: what is the relationship between the literal meaning and the intended meaning in this verse? It could mean to hide oneself in sins by engulfing oneself in them through continuous sinning.
Others have said it could be referring to how the evildoers are hidden in the groups of the pious even though they are not from amongst them. Others say it means the evildoer is actually hiding his true identity and humanness by committing these vices. Others say it is about hiding evil intent within one’s soul.
The primary goal in man’s life ought to be purification of the soul. It is the duty of man to purify the soul from the vices of sin, satanic attributes, disbelief, and transgression. The hiding or covering of the soul is a metaphor for how the soul can be polluted with these and thus stands in contrast with the soul’s purification.
INSIGHTS FROM HADITH
- It is narrated about the Prophet, that whenever he would read this verse he would supplicate: ‘O Allah, give my soul its piety; You are its guardian and its master. And purify it, for You are the best one to purify it.’
REVIEW OF TAFSĪR LITERATURE
Some have argued that these verses are not the subject of the oaths, and the subject of the oaths would be an implicit statement, such as: Allah will most surely destroy the polytheists of Mecca who belied the Prophet, just as the people of Thamūd belied their prophet.
For those who interpret the previous verse as indicating predestination and that souls have already been set on a certain path, the verse is understood as: Felicitous is that soul that Allah has purified. As such, the current verses would be tangential statements between the objects and subject of the oath. However, based on this understanding, there does not seem to be any connection between the subject of the oath and the many objects that were mentioned in the previous verses.
With regards to the relationship between the literal meaning of dass and the intended meaning, some have said this refers to the fact that the sinners have hidden themselves and tend to remain in concealed locations, as opposed to pious people who are open and well known in society. For example, the most generous Arabs were well known in society and the poor would constantly seek them. Likewise, they would light the torches on the roofs of their houses so that travellers passing by would know that shelter is available for them, whereas the wretched and base people would not wish to be known and would hide themselves.
[1] Munyah, 30/386-387.
[2] Munyah, 30/390.
[3] Alusi, 15/360.
[4] Tibyan, 10/359.
[5] Muhit, 10/489.
[6] Amthal, 20/238.
[7] Tabrisi, 10/489.
[8] Zamakhshari, 2/342-343.
[9] Razi, 31/177.
[10] Razi, 31/178; Tibyan, 10/359.