Al-Balad — The City

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?

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.