Sūrat al-Balad

سورۃ البلد

Sūrat al-Balad was revealed in Makkah and contains twenty (20) āyāt.

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

لَا أُقْسِمُ بِهَٰذَا الْبَلَدِ

lā uqsimu bi-hādhā l-balad.

"I swear by this city." (al-Balad 90:1)

Lā uqsimu — No I! I am making an oath, presenting testimony, or I am saying this so clearly that there is no need to make an oath — bi-hādhā l-balad — by this city, for this is a city where no agriculture takes place, there is no fruit, there is no harvest.

Translation: No I! I swear by this city.

وَأَنتَ حِلٌّ بِهَٰذَا الْبَلَدِ

wa-anta ḥillun bi-hādhā l-balad.

"And you, (O Muḥammad), are free of restriction in this city." (al-Balad 90:2)

Wa-anta — and you. Ḥill — lawful; you are dwelling in this city and living here. Bi-hādhā l-balad — in this city; for in this city your enemies are all around you, there is no helper for you except God, you are in great difficulty, you are extremely distressed in every manner.

Translation: And you are dwelling in this city (living in it).

وَوَالِدٍ وَمَا وَلَدَ

wa-wālidin wa-mā walad.

"And by a father and what he fathered." (al-Balad 90:3)

Wa-wālidin — and a father — and look at what a father is; at how much hardship he bears for the sake of a child. Wa-mā walada — and the one whom he fathered. The mother — for nine months she carries it in her womb, for its bearing she bends and stoops — the child after being born is nurtured on her milk — the father works as hard as he can and feeds it, supports it.

Translation: And by (a father: I take) the testimony of the (those who bear) father's and the children they give birth to.

لَقَدْ خَلَقْنَا الْإِنسَانَ فِي كَبَدٍ

la-qad khalaqnā l-insāna fī kabad.

"We have certainly created man into hardship." (al-Balad 90:4)

La-qad khalaqnā — We indeed created. Al-insāna — the human being. Fī kabad — in hardship and toil; kabad — hardship and toil. Reflect on the human being who is always born in hardship and toil — in the world climbing the peaks of hardship and effort. We show him how he should not place his wealth and his burden on his own people.

Translation: We created the human being in great hardship and toil.

Where is he fleeing? He will be caught by us — how will he hide from us?

أَيَحْسَبُ أَن لَّن يَقْدِرَ عَلَيْهِ أَحَدٌ

a-yaḥsabu an lan yaqdira ʿalayhi aḥad.

"Does he think that never will anyone overcome him?" (al-Balad 90:5)

A-yaḥsabu — does he think, suppose? An lan yaqdira ʿalayhi — that no one will be able to overpower him; he runs on without restraint — aḥad — anyone.

Translation: Does he think that no one has power over him?

يَقُولُ أَهْلَكْتُ مَالًا لُّبَدًا

yaqūlu ahlastu mālan lubadā.

"He says, 'I have spent wealth in abundance.'" (al-Balad 90:6)

Yaqūlu — he says, he boasts. Ahlastu — I destroyed, I consumed, I spent, I wasted. Māla — wealth. Lubadā — very much, a great deal, immensely.

Translation: He says I have spent a great deal of wealth (much wealth).

أَيَحْسَبُ أَن لَّمْ يَرَهُ أَحَدٌ

a-yaḥsabu an lam yarahu aḥad.

"Does he think that no one has seen him?" (al-Balad 90:7)

A-yaḥsabu — does he think, suppose? An lam yarahu — that no one has seen him. Aḥad — anyone.

Translation: Does he think that no one has seen him?

أَلَمْ نَجْعَل لَّهُ عَيْنَيْنِ

a-lam najʿal lahu ʿaynayn.

"Have We not made for him two eyes?" (al-Balad 90:8)

A-lam najʿal lahu — have We not made for him, have We not established him? ʿAynayn — two eyes — We did not create these for him. Why is he still being blind? Is he not distinguishing between truth and falsehood?

Translation: Have We not given him two eyes (for him to see)?

وَلِسَانًا وَشَفَتَيْنِ

wa-lisānan wa-shafatayn.

"And a tongue and two lips?" (al-Balad 90:9)

Wa-lisānan — and a tongue — and two lips. From his mouth comes what he wishes to say — the true thing is that what is right he cannot speak from his mouth.

Translation: And have We not given him (also) a tongue and two lips?

وَهَدَيْنَاهُ النَّجْدَيْنِ

wa-hadaynāhu l-najdayn.

"And have shown him the two ways?" (al-Balad 90:10)

Wa-hadaynāhu — and We showed him, guided him, made him understand; al-najdayn — the two roads, the two paths; of the good and the evil, of belief and unbelief, of benefit and harm.

Translation: And We have shown him both paths (of goodness and evil, of virtue and vice).

فَلَا اقْتَحَمَ الْعَقَبَةَ

fa-lā qtaḥama l-ʿaqaba.

"But he has not broken through the difficult pass." (al-Balad 90:10)

Fa-lā iqtaḥam — but he has not entered — why not? ʿAqaba — the mountain pass, the climb (of sin). This is a pass which was difficult to enter, but entering it was extremely difficult.

Translation: (When We showed him the path of goodness) then why did he not break through the pass (of sin)?

وَمَا أَدْرَاكَ مَا الْعَقَبَةُ

wa-mā adrāka mā l-ʿaqaba.

"But what will make you know what is the mountain pass?" (al-Balad 90:12)

Wa-mā adrāka — and what made you know — what have you understood? Mā l-ʿaqaba — what is this pass? What is the mountain pass and what is sin?

Translation: And what made you know what that pass (and sin) is?

فَكُّ رَقَبَةٍ

fakku raqaba.

"It is the freeing of a slave." (al-Balad 90:13)

Fakk — to break away, to give. Raqaba — a neck; raqaba — to free a slave; to free someone from the neck of debt, and to take someone out of any trouble they have fallen into.

Translation: (The sin and the mountain pass) is to free (someone else from the bonds of difficulty and captivity).

أَوْ إِطْعَامٌ فِي يَوْمٍ ذِي مَسْغَبَةٍ

aw iṭʿāmun fī yawmin dhī masghaба.

"Or feeding on a day of severe hunger." (al-Balad 90:14)

Aw iṭʿām — or to feed. Fī yawm — on such a day. Dhī masghabatin — of severe hunger, the companion of hunger; masghaba — hunger, extreme hunger; this sin — one of the forms of entering it is that it was very difficult to enter, but another form is this.

Translation: Or to feed on a day of (severe) hunger. Whom?

يَتِيمًا ذَا مَقْرَبَةٍ

yatīman dhā maqraba.

"An orphan of near relationship." (al-Balad 90:15)

Yatīmā — an orphan; a small child whose father has died. Dhā maqrabatin — a relative, a neighbor — dhā maqrabatin — a relative, a neighbor, a close person.

Translation: To feed a relative or neighboring orphan.

أَوْ مِسْكِينًا ذَا مَتْرَبَةٍ

aw miskīnan dhā matraba.

"Or a needy person in misery." (al-Balad 90:16)

Aw miskīnan — or a destitute person, a poor person, a needy person. Dhā matrabatin — one who is lying in dust, lying on the earth — turāb — dust, soil — a person lying on the earth who has nothing in his possession. That is — literally a destitute, truly thrown down on the earth.

Translation: Or to feed a destitute (one lying in the dust) who has nothing in his possession.

It is the habit of Allah Most High to always describe the doer of good and the doer of evil so that the form of their deeds may be clear.

ثُمَّ كَانَ مِنَ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَتَوَاصَوْا بِالصَّبْرِ وَتَوَاصَوْا بِالْمَرْحَمَةِ

thumma kāna mina lladhīna āmanū wa-tawāṣaw bi-l-ṣabri wa-tawāṣaw bi-l-maraḥama.

"And then being among those who believed and advised one another to patience and advised one another to compassion." (al-Balad 90:17)

Thumma kāna — then he became; he wished to become. Mina lladhīna āmanū — from among the believers, the Muslims. Wa-tawāṣaw bi-l-ṣabri — and to one another the admonition of patience to endure difficulties — they admonished one another. Wa-tawāṣaw bi-l-marḥamati — and they admonished one another with mercy and compassion — and one another they admonished with mercy. Marḥamatan — mercy, compassion — compassion for people, kindness; rain is compassion from God — it nourishes the hearts of people, and this is its character — one who does not have mercy in his heart. This is the character of a human being — Raḥmān and Shayṭān put it another way — its character is this — and another one admonishes, gives moral exhortation.

Translation: Then he is from among those who believe and hold one another to patience and remind one another in mutual admonition of mercy and compassion.

أُولَٰئِكَ أَصْحَابُ الْمَيْمَنَةِ

ulāʾika aṣḥābu l-maymana.

"Those are the companions of the right." (al-Balad 90:18)

Ulāʾika — these people. Aṣḥābu l-maymana — the companions of the right side; yumna — blessing; yumn — the right side, meaning the blessed people.

Translation: These very people are the companions of the right (of the right side).

The people of the right side — who are their opponents and what do they do?

وَالَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا بِآيَاتِنَا هُمْ أَصْحَابُ الْمَشْأَمَةِ

wa-lladhīna kafarū bi-āyātinā hum aṣḥābu l-mashʾama.

"But they who disbelieved in Our signs — those are the companions of the left." (al-Balad 90:19)

Wa-lladhīna kafarū — and those who disbelieve, those who deny — they do not accept. Bi-āyātinā — our signs, our sent verses, our speech. Hum — they are. Aṣḥābu l-mashʾama — the people of the left; the people of misfortune, those on the left side.

Translation: And those who deny Our signs and verses are the people of the left (misfortune).

(Condemned, dishonored.)

عَلَيْهِمْ نَارٌ مُّؤْصَدَةٌ

ʿalayhim nārun muʾṣada.

"Over them will be fire, closed in." (al-Balad 90:20)

ʿAlayhim — over them fire is enclosing. Nār — fire. Muʾṣada — enclosed from all sides; from every side fire will be covering them — and from this it will not be possible to escape.

Translation: The fire is covering them from all sides — and from this it will not be possible to escape.