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What is the interpretation of (He has succeeded who purifies it), and in which Surah is it found? And what is the interpretation of (Whoever kills a soul unless for a soul or for corruption [done] in the land – it is as if he had slain mankind entirely. And whoever saves one – it is as if he had saved mankind entirely), and where is it located?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

Allah, the Most High, says: "He has succeeded who purifies it [the soul]" (Surat Ash-Shams). And Allah, the Most High, says: "Because of that, We decreed upon the Children of Israel that whoever kills a soul unless for a soul or for corruption [done] in the land – it is as if he had killed all of mankind. And whoever saves one – it is as if he had saved all of mankind" (Surat Al-Ma'idah). Al-Baghawi said: "'Whoever kills a soul unless for a soul' means without a killing that necessitates retribution, 'or for corruption [done] in the land' such as polytheism or highway robbery, 'it is as if he had killed all of mankind,' because he violated the sanctity of life and initiated killing, or because killing one person and killing all people are equal in incurring Allah's wrath. And 'whoever saves one – it is as if he had saved all of mankind,' meaning whoever causes its life to endure through forgiveness, or by preventing its killing, or by rescuing it from destruction. The aim is to magnify the act of killing and giving life to a soul in people's hearts."

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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