what is forbidden. As for someone whose aversion to forbidden things springs from faith, and whose faith has overcome the influence of his natural disposition, his is the highest of these three states. He possesses the tranquil soul and ranks above the possessor of the self-reproaching soul, which commits a sin and reproaches its possessor for it, wavering and hesitating over whether to commit it. As for someone to whom it has not occurred that Allah has forbidden a thing, and who has no desire for it but simply does not do it, he is neither punished nor rewarded, since he has performed no actual deed for which he might be rewarded or punished.

Thus, if someone says, “What is required is that he does not do it,” and means that this suffices to escape punishment, he is correct. But if he means that one is rewarded for this mere absence of action, that is not so. When a disbeliever does not believe in Allah and His Messenger, he inevitably occupies himself with deeds that distract him from faith; abandoning deeds is disbelief for which punishment is incurred. Hence, when Allah mentions the punishment of the disbelievers in the Fire, He mentions actual deeds, which defile and bury the soul. Thus, affirming Allah’s oneness and having faith are the greatest means of purifying the soul, while associating partners with Him is the greatest cause of its defilement. The soul is also purified through righteous deeds and charity. All of this was mentioned by the early generations.

Concerning the words,

“Successful indeed is the one who purifies himself,”

they said: he purifies himself of associating partners with Allah and of disobedience through repentance. Abū Sa‘īd, ‘Atā’, and Qatādah explained it as the alms given at Eid al-Fitr.

They did not mean that the verse referred exclusively to these alms. Rather, they meant that whoever gives these alms and performs the Eid prayer falls within the scope of this verse and the one that follows it. Thus,