90. Al-Balad

لَآ أُقْسِمُ بِهَـٰذَا ٱلْبَلَدِ

I swear by this city [i.e., Makkah]

lā uq'simu bihādhā l-baladi

وَأَنتَ حِلٌّۢ بِهَـٰذَا ٱلْبَلَدِ

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

wa-anta ḥillun bihādhā l-baladi

وَوَالِدٍ وَمَا وَلَدَ

And [by] the father1 and that which was born [of him],

wawālidin wamā walada

لَقَدْ خَلَقْنَا ٱلْإِنسَـٰنَ فِى كَبَدٍ

We have certainly created man into hardship.

laqad khalaqnā l-insāna fī kabadin

أَيَحْسَبُ أَن لَّن يَقْدِرَ عَلَيْهِ أَحَدٌ

Does he think that never will anyone overcome him?

ayaḥsabu an lan yaqdira ʿalayhi aḥadun

يَقُولُ أَهْلَكْتُ مَالًا لُّبَدًا

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

yaqūlu ahlaktu mālan lubadan

أَيَحْسَبُ أَن لَّمْ يَرَهُۥٓ أَحَدٌ

Does he think that no one has seen him?

ayaḥsabu an lam yarahu aḥadun

أَلَمْ نَجْعَل لَّهُۥ عَيْنَيْنِ

Have We not made for him two eyes?

alam najʿal lahu ʿaynayni

وَلِسَانًا وَشَفَتَيْنِ

And a tongue and two lips?

walisānan washafatayni

وَهَدَيْنَـٰهُ ٱلنَّجْدَيْنِ

And have shown him the two ways?1

wahadaynāhu l-najdayni

فَلَا ٱقْتَحَمَ ٱلْعَقَبَةَ

But he has not broken through the difficult pass.1

falā iq'taḥama l-ʿaqabata

وَمَآ أَدْرَىٰكَ مَا ٱلْعَقَبَةُ

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

wamā adrāka mā l-ʿaqabatu

فَكُّ رَقَبَةٍ

It is the freeing of a slave

fakku raqabatin

أَوْ إِطْعَـٰمٌ فِى يَوْمٍ ذِى مَسْغَبَةٍ

Or feeding on a day of severe hunger

aw iṭ'ʿāmun fī yawmin dhī masghabatin

يَتِيمًا ذَا مَقْرَبَةٍ

An orphan of near relationship

yatīman dhā maqrabatin

أَوْ مِسْكِينًا ذَا مَتْرَبَةٍ

Or a needy person in misery

aw mis'kīnan dhā matrabatin

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.

thumma kāna mina alladhīna āmanū watawāṣaw bil-ṣabri watawāṣaw bil-marḥamati

أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ أَصْحَـٰبُ ٱلْمَيْمَنَةِ

Those are the companions of the right.1

ulāika aṣḥābu l-maymanati

وَٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ بِـَٔايَـٰتِنَا هُمْ أَصْحَـٰبُ ٱلْمَشْـَٔمَةِ

But they who disbelieved in Our signs - those are the companions of the left.1

wa-alladhīna kafarū biāyātinā hum aṣḥābu l-mashamati

عَلَيْهِمْ نَارٌ مُّؤْصَدَةٌۢ

Over them will be fire closed in.1

ʿalayhim nārun mu'ṣadatun