Al-Balad (The City)

سورة البلد

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ

1 لَا أُقْسِمُ بِهَذَا الْبَلَدِ

I swear by this city, Makkah –

2 وَأَنتَ حِلٌّ بِهَذَا الْبَلَدِ

And you, [O Muhammad], are free of restriction in this city –

3 وَوَالِدٍ وَمَا وَلَدَ

And [by] the father and that which was born [of him],

4 لَقَدْ خَلَقْنَا الْإِنسَانَ فِي كَبَدٍ

We have certainly created man into hardship.

5 أَيَحْسَبُ أَن لَّن يَقْدِرَ عَلَيْهِ أَحَدٌ

Does he think that never will anyone overcome him?

6 يَقُولُ أَهْلَكْتُ مَالًا لُّبَدًا

He says, “I have spent wealth in abundance.”

7 أَيَحْسَبُ أَن لَّمْ يَرَهُ أَحَدٌ

Does he think that no one has seen him?

8 أَلَمْ نَجْعَل لَّهُ عَيْنَيْنِ

Have We not made for him two eyes?

9 وَلِسَانًا وَشَفَتَيْنِ

And a tongue and two lips?

10 وَهَدَيْنَاهُ النَّجْدَيْنِ

And have shown him the two ways?

11 فَلَا اقْتَحَمَ الْعَقَبَةَ

But he has not broken through the difficult pass.

12 وَمَا أَدْرَاكَ مَا الْعَقَبَةُ

And what can make you know what is [breaking through] the difficult pass?

13 فَكُّ رَقَبَةٍ

It is the freeing of a slave

14 أَوْ إِطْعَامٌ فِي يَوْمٍ ذِي مَسْغَبَةٍ

Or feeding on a day of severe hunger

15 يَتِيمًا ذَا مَقْرَبَةٍ

An orphan of near relationship

16 أَوْ مِسْكِينًا ذَا مَتْرَبَةٍ

Or a needy person in misery

17 ثُمَّ كَانَ مِنَ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَتَوَاصَوْا بِالصَّبْرِ وَتَوَاصَوْا بِالْمَرْحَمَةِ

And then being among those who believed and advised one another to patience and advised one another to compassion.

18 أُولَئِكَ أَصْحَابُ الْمَيْمَنَةِ

Those are the companions of the right.

19 وَالَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا بِآيَاتِنَا هُمْ أَصْحَابُ الْمَشْأَمَةِ

But they who disbelieved in Our signs – those are the companions of the left.

20 عَلَيْهِمْ نَارٌ مُّؤْصَدَةٌ

Over them will be fire closed in.