Az-Zajjāj said: The meaning of dassāhā is that he made the soul abased—ḥaqīrah (despicable) (1), ignoble, khasīṣah (2).

Al-Farrāʾ said: It means that he buried it, because the miser keeps his own person, his house, and his wealth (3) hidden.

Ibn Qutaybah remarked: that is, he concealed it through debauchery and disobedience (4).

Thus the profligate—by committing gross indecencies (5)—has buried his own soul; in other words, he has suppressed it (and concealed it) (6), whereas the doer of good publicizes his soul and elevates it.

The generous among the Arabs used to camp on the hilltops, rubā (7), thereby making themselves renowned (8), while the base would camp on the outskirts and in the valleys (9).

Accordingly, righteousness and God-fearing piety expand the soul and open the breast, so that a person feels within himself that he has become broader and greater (10) than he was before.