Al-Balad البلد · Mahmoud Khalil al-Husary

لَآ أُقۡسِمُ بِهَٰذَا ٱلۡبَلَدِ ۝١

I swear by this city [i.e., Makkah] –

وَأَنتَ حِلُّۢ بِهَٰذَا ٱلۡبَلَدِ ۝٢

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

وَوَالِدٖ وَمَا وَلَدَ ۝٣

And [by] the father¹⁹²⁴ and that which was born [of him],

لَقَدۡ خَلَقۡنَا ٱلۡإِنسَٰنَ فِي كَبَدٍ ۝٤

We have certainly created man into hardship.

أَيَحۡسَبُ أَن لَّن يَقۡدِرَ عَلَيۡهِ أَحَدٞ ۝٥

Does he think that never will anyone overcome him?

يَقُولُ أَهۡلَكۡتُ مَالٗا لُّبَدًا ۝٦

He says, "I have spent wealth in abundance."

أَيَحۡسَبُ أَن لَّمۡ يَرَهُۥٓ أَحَدٌ ۝٧

Does he think that no one has seen him?

أَلَمۡ نَجۡعَل لَّهُۥ عَيۡنَيۡنِ ۝٨

Have We not made for him two eyes?

وَلِسَانٗا وَشَفَتَيۡنِ ۝٩

And a tongue and two lips?

وَهَدَيۡنَٰهُ ٱلنَّجۡدَيۡنِ ۝١٠

And have shown him the two ways?¹⁹²⁵

فَلَا ٱقۡتَحَمَ ٱلۡعَقَبَةَ ۝١١

But he has not broken through the difficult pass.¹⁹²⁶

وَمَآ أَدۡرَىٰكَ مَا ٱلۡعَقَبَةُ ۝١٢

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

فَكُّ رَقَبَةٍ ۝١٣

It is the freeing of a slave

أَوۡ إِطۡعَٰمٞ فِي يَوۡمٖ ذِي مَسۡغَبَةٖ ۝١٤

Or feeding on a day of severe hunger

يَتِيمٗا ذَا مَقۡرَبَةٍ ۝١٥

An orphan of near relationship

أَوۡ مِسۡكِينٗا ذَا مَتۡرَبَةٖ ۝١٦

Or a needy person in misery

ثُمَّ كَانَ مِنَ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ وَتَوَاصَوۡاْ بِٱلصَّبۡرِ وَتَوَاصَوۡاْ بِٱلۡمَرۡحَمَةِ ۝١٧

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

أُوْلَٰٓئِكَ أَصۡحَٰبُ ٱلۡمَيۡمَنَةِ ۝١٨

Those are the companions of the right.¹⁹²⁷

وَٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ بِـَٔايَٰتِنَا هُمۡ أَصۡحَٰبُ ٱلۡمَشۡـَٔمَةِ ۝١٩

But they who disbelieved in Our signs - those are the companions of the left.¹⁹²⁸

عَلَيۡهِمۡ نَارٞ مُّؤۡصَدَةُۢ ۝٢٠

Over them will be fire closed in.¹⁹²⁹