Al-Balad — English Translation

بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ لَآ أُقْسِمُ بِهَٰذَا ٱلْبَلَدِ ﴿1﴾

I swear by this town,

وَأَنتَ حِلٌّۢ بِهَٰذَا ٱلْبَلَدِ ﴿2﴾

as you reside in this town;

وَوَالِدٍۢ وَمَا وَلَدَ ﴿3﴾

[and] by the father and him whom he begot:

لَقَدْ خَلَقْنَا ٱلْإِنسَٰنَ فِى كَبَدٍ ﴿4﴾

certainly We created man in travail.

أَيَحْسَبُ أَن لَّن يَقْدِرَ عَلَيْهِ أَحَدٌۭ ﴿5﴾

Does he suppose that no one will ever have power over him?

يَقُولُ أَهْلَكْتُ مَالًۭا لُّبَدًا ﴿6﴾

He says, ‘I have squandered immense wealth.’

أَيَحْسَبُ أَن لَّمْ يَرَهُۥٓ أَحَدٌ ﴿7﴾

Does he suppose that no one sees him?

أَلَمْ نَجْعَل لَّهُۥ عَيْنَيْنِ ﴿8﴾

Have We not made for him two eyes,

وَلِسَانًۭا وَشَفَتَيْنِ ﴿9﴾

a tongue, and two lips,

وَهَدَيْنَٰهُ ٱلنَّجْدَيْنِ ﴿10﴾

and shown him the two paths [of good and evil]?

فَلَا ٱقْتَحَمَ ٱلْعَقَبَةَ ﴿11﴾

Yet he has not embarked upon the uphill task.

وَمَآ أَدْرَىٰكَ مَا ٱلْعَقَبَةُ ﴿12﴾

And what will show you what is the uphill task?

فَكُّ رَقَبَةٍ ﴿13﴾

[It is] the freeing of a slave,

أَوْ إِطْعَٰمٌۭ فِى يَوْمٍۢ ذِى مَسْغَبَةٍۢ ﴿14﴾

or feeding, during days of [general] starvation,

يَتِيمًۭا ذَا مَقْرَبَةٍ ﴿15﴾

an orphan among relatives

أَوْ مِسْكِينًۭا ذَا مَتْرَبَةٍۢ ﴿16﴾

or a needy man in desolation,

ثُمَّ كَانَ مِنَ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَتَوَاصَوْا۟ بِٱلصَّبْرِ وَتَوَاصَوْا۟ بِٱلْمَرْحَمَةِ ﴿17﴾

while being one of those who have faith and enjoin one another to patience, and enjoin one another to compassion.

أُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ أَصْحَٰبُ ٱلْمَيْمَنَةِ ﴿18﴾

They are the People of the Right Hand.

وَٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ بِـَٔايَٰتِنَا هُمْ أَصْحَٰبُ ٱلْمَشْـَٔمَةِ ﴿19﴾

But those who defy Our signs, they are the People of the Left Hand.

عَلَيْهِمْ نَارٌۭ مُّؤْصَدَةٌۢ ﴿20﴾

A closed Fire will be [imposed] upon them.