لَآ أُقْسِمُ بِهَـٰذَا ٱلْبَلَدِ
I swear by this city [i.e., Makkah]
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ
لَآ أُقْسِمُ بِهَـٰذَا ٱلْبَلَدِ
I swear by this city [i.e., Makkah]
وَأَنتَ حِلٌّۢ بِهَـٰذَا ٱلْبَلَدِ
And you, [O Muḥammad], are free of restriction in this city
وَوَالِدٍ وَمَا وَلَدَ
And [by] the father and that which was born [of him],
لَقَدْ خَلَقْنَا ٱلْإِنسَـٰنَ فِى كَبَدٍ
We have certainly created man into hardship.
أَيَحْسَبُ أَن لَّن يَقْدِرَ عَلَيْهِ أَحَدٌ
Does he think that never will anyone overcome him?
يَقُولُ أَهْلَكْتُ مَالًا لُّبَدًا
He says, "I have spent wealth in abundance."
أَيَحْسَبُ أَن لَّمْ يَرَهُۥٓ أَحَدٌ
Does he think that no one has seen him?
أَلَمْ نَجْعَل لَّهُۥ عَيْنَيْنِ
Have We not made for him two eyes?
وَلِسَانًا وَشَفَتَيْنِ
And a tongue and two lips?
وَهَدَيْنَـٰهُ ٱلنَّجْدَيْنِ
And have shown him the two ways?
فَلَا ٱقْتَحَمَ ٱلْعَقَبَةَ
But he has not broken through the difficult pass.
وَمَآ أَدْرَىٰكَ مَا ٱلْعَقَبَةُ
And what can make you know what is [breaking through] the difficult pass?
فَكُّ رَقَبَةٍ
It is the freeing of a slave
أَوْ إِطْعَـٰمٌ فِى يَوْمٍ ذِى مَسْغَبَةٍ
Or feeding on a day of severe hunger
يَتِيمًا ذَا مَقْرَبَةٍ
An orphan of near relationship
أَوْ مِسْكِينًا ذَا مَتْرَبَةٍ
Or a needy person in misery
ثُمَّ كَانَ مِنَ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَتَوَاصَوْا۟ بِٱلصَّبْرِ وَتَوَاصَوْا۟ بِٱلْمَرْحَمَةِ
And then being among those who believed and advised one another to patience and advised one another to compassion.
أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ أَصْحَـٰبُ ٱلْمَيْمَنَةِ
Those are the companions of the right.
وَٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ بِـَٔايَـٰتِنَا هُمْ أَصْحَـٰبُ ٱلْمَشْـَٔمَةِ
But they who disbelieved in Our signs - those are the companions of the left.
عَلَيْهِمْ نَارٌ مُّؤْصَدَةٌۢ
Over them will be fire closed in.
Al-Balad swears by Makkah, the city in which the Prophet ﷺ dwelt, and declares that man was created into hardship. It sets before him the steep path he has not attempted: freeing a slave, feeding the hungry orphan and the poor in the dust, and being among those who believe and counsel one another to patience and compassion.
Al-Balad (البلد) means "The City" in English. It is chapter 90 of the Holy Quran.
Surah Al-Balad has 20 verses (ayat). It appears on pages 594 to 594 of the mushaf.
Surah Al-Balad is a Makki surah, revealed in Makkah before the Prophet's ﷺ migration to Madinah.
Al-Balad swears by Makkah, the city in which the Prophet ﷺ dwelt, and declares that man was created into hardship. It sets before him the steep path he has not attempted: freeing a slave, feeding the hungry orphan and the poor in the dust, and being among those who believe and counsel one another to patience and compassion.