Skip to main content

البلد

Surah Al-Balad (البلد) - Transliteration, Translation and Audio

Chapter 90 of the Quran, 20 verses, "The City"

بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ

Surah Al-Balad Transliteration and English Translation

  1. 1

    لَآ أُقْسِمُ بِهَٰذَا ٱلْبَلَدِ

    Laaa uqsimu bihaazal balad

    I swear by this city, Makkah -

  2. 2

    وَأَنتَ حِلٌّۢ بِهَٰذَا ٱلْبَلَدِ

    Wa anta hillum bihaazal balad

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

  3. 3

    وَوَالِدٍۢ وَمَا وَلَدَ

    Wa waalidinw wa maa walad

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

  4. 4

    لَقَدْ خَلَقْنَا ٱلْإِنسَٰنَ فِى كَبَدٍ

    Laqad khalaqnal insaana fee kabad

    We have certainly created man into hardship.

  5. 5

    أَيَحْسَبُ أَن لَّن يَقْدِرَ عَلَيْهِ أَحَدٌۭ

    Ayahsabu al-lai yaqdira 'alaihi ahad

    Does he think that never will anyone overcome him?

  6. 6

    يَقُولُ أَهْلَكْتُ مَالًۭا لُّبَدًا

    Yaqoolu ahlaktu maalal lubadaa

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

  7. 7

    أَيَحْسَبُ أَن لَّمْ يَرَهُۥٓ أَحَدٌ

    Ayahsabu al lam yarahooo ahad

    Does he think that no one has seen him?

  8. 8

    أَلَمْ نَجْعَل لَّهُۥ عَيْنَيْنِ

    Alam naj'al lahoo 'aynayn

    Have We not made for him two eyes?

  9. 9

    وَلِسَانًۭا وَشَفَتَيْنِ

    Wa lisaananw wa shafatayn

    And a tongue and two lips?

  10. 10

    وَهَدَيْنَٰهُ ٱلنَّجْدَيْنِ

    Wa hadaynaahun najdayn

    And have shown him the two ways?

  11. 11

    فَلَا ٱقْتَحَمَ ٱلْعَقَبَةَ

    Falaq tahamal-'aqabah

    But he has not broken through the difficult pass.

  12. 12

    وَمَآ أَدْرَىٰكَ مَا ٱلْعَقَبَةُ

    Wa maaa adraaka mal'aqabah

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

  13. 13

    فَكُّ رَقَبَةٍ

    Fakku raqabah

    It is the freeing of a slave

  14. 14

    أَوْ إِطْعَٰمٌۭ فِى يَوْمٍۢ ذِى مَسْغَبَةٍۢ

    Aw it'aamun fee yawmin zee masghabah

    Or feeding on a day of severe hunger

  15. 15

    يَتِيمًۭا ذَا مَقْرَبَةٍ

    Yateeman zaa maqrabah

    An orphan of near relationship

  16. 16

    أَوْ مِسْكِينًۭا ذَا مَتْرَبَةٍۢ

    Aw miskeenan zaa matrabah

    Or a needy person in misery

  17. 17

    ثُمَّ كَانَ مِنَ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَتَوَاصَوْا۟ بِٱلصَّبْرِ وَتَوَاصَوْا۟ بِٱلْمَرْحَمَةِ

    Summa kaana minal lazeena aamanoo wa tawaasaw bissabri wa tawaasaw bilmarhamah

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

  18. 18

    أُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ أَصْحَٰبُ ٱلْمَيْمَنَةِ

    Ulaaa'ika As-haabul maimanah

    Those are the companions of the right.

  19. 19

    وَٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ بِـَٔايَٰتِنَا هُمْ أَصْحَٰبُ ٱلْمَشْـَٔمَةِ

    Wallazeena kafaroo bi aayaatinaa hum as-haabul Mash'amah

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

  20. 20

    عَلَيْهِمْ نَارٌۭ مُّؤْصَدَةٌۢ

    Alaihim naarum mu'sadah

    Over them will be fire closed in.

About Surah Al-Balad

Surah Al-Balad (Arabic: البلد), meaning "The City", is the 90th chapter of the Quran and has 20 verses. It was revealed in Makkah, the city it swears by, during the mission of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) there. The surah presents human life as a struggle, and the real test as whether a person breaks through the difficult pass of faith and generosity.

Allah swears by this city, and by a father and what he fathered, that man has been created in toil and struggle. It questions the arrogant man who thinks no one has power over him, boasts of the heaps of wealth he has spent, and imagines no one sees him. Has Allah not given him two eyes, a tongue and two lips, and shown him the two ways? Yet he has not broken through the difficult pass, which is freeing a slave, or feeding, on a day of hunger, an orphan who is a relative or a poor person lying in the dust, and then being among those who believe and urge one another to patience and to compassion. These are the companions of the right; those who reject Allah's signs are the companions of the left.

Main Themes of Surah Al-Balad

Listen to Surah Al-Balad with Audio-Synced Transliteration

Play Surah Al-Balad and follow the Arabic text and Latin transliteration as each verse is recited. You can adjust the speed or loop a verse range for practice.

Frequently Asked Questions About Surah Al-Balad

What is the difficult pass (al-aqabah) in Surah Al-Balad?
Verses 11 to 16 describe it as freeing a slave, or feeding on a day of hunger an orphan relative or a poor person lying in the dust. It is called difficult because giving when times are hard goes against the soul's love of wealth, and verse 17 adds that it must be joined with faith.
What does kabad mean in Surah Al-Balad?
The Arabic word kabad in verse 4 refers to hardship, effort and struggle. It reminds people that difficulty is part of life in this world, which is why the rest of the surah asks what they are struggling for.
What are the two ways shown to man in Surah Al-Balad?
Verse 10 says Allah has shown man the two ways, which many commentators explain as the way of good and the way of evil. Having been given eyes, a tongue and the ability to choose, each person is responsible for the path they take.

Continue Reading the Quran