Surah Al-Balad - English Translation by Muhammad Mahmoud Ghali
لَآ أُقۡسِمُ بِهَٰذَا ٱلۡبَلَدِ
No! I swear by this country, - (Or: city)
Surah Al-Balad, Verse 1
وَأَنتَ حِلُّۢ بِهَٰذَا ٱلۡبَلَدِ
And you (i.e., the Prophet) are an inhabitant of this country
Surah Al-Balad, Verse 2
وَوَالِدٖ وَمَا وَلَدَ
And (I swear) (by) the begetter and what he begot
Surah Al-Balad, Verse 3
لَقَدۡ خَلَقۡنَا ٱلۡإِنسَٰنَ فِي كَبَدٍ
Indeed We already created man in suffering
Surah Al-Balad, Verse 4
أَيَحۡسَبُ أَن لَّن يَقۡدِرَ عَلَيۡهِ أَحَدٞ
Does he reckon that no one can ever determine over him
Surah Al-Balad, Verse 5
يَقُولُ أَهۡلَكۡتُ مَالٗا لُّبَدًا
He says, "I have consumed stacked wealth
Surah Al-Balad, Verse 6
أَيَحۡسَبُ أَن لَّمۡ يَرَهُۥٓ أَحَدٌ
Does he reckon that none has seen him
Surah Al-Balad, Verse 7
أَلَمۡ نَجۡعَل لَّهُۥ عَيۡنَيۡنِ
Have We not made for him two eyes
Surah Al-Balad, Verse 8
وَلِسَانٗا وَشَفَتَيۡنِ
And a tongue, and two lips
Surah Al-Balad, Verse 9
وَهَدَيۡنَٰهُ ٱلنَّجۡدَيۡنِ
And guided him on the two highways (of good and evil)
Surah Al-Balad, Verse 10
فَلَا ٱقۡتَحَمَ ٱلۡعَقَبَةَ
Yet he has not rushed along the uneven (Or: steep) track
Surah Al-Balad, Verse 11
وَمَآ أَدۡرَىٰكَ مَا ٱلۡعَقَبَةُ
And what makes you realize what the uneven track is
Surah Al-Balad, Verse 12
فَكُّ رَقَبَةٍ
It is the freeing of a slave, (Literally: the untying of a neck)
Surah Al-Balad, Verse 13
أَوۡ إِطۡعَٰمٞ فِي يَوۡمٖ ذِي مَسۡغَبَةٖ
Or feeding upon a day of famine
Surah Al-Balad, Verse 14
يَتِيمٗا ذَا مَقۡرَبَةٍ
An orphan of (Literally: owning) near relationship
Surah Al-Balad, Verse 15
أَوۡ مِسۡكِينٗا ذَا مَتۡرَبَةٖ
Or an indigent man in starvation; (Literally: in dusty circumstances)
Surah Al-Balad, Verse 16
ثُمَّ كَانَ مِنَ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ وَتَوَاصَوۡاْ بِٱلصَّبۡرِ وَتَوَاصَوۡاْ بِٱلۡمَرۡحَمَةِ
Thereafter he is one of the ones who believed, and enjoined one another to have patience, and enjoined one another to do merciful deeds
Surah Al-Balad, Verse 17
أُوْلَـٰٓئِكَ أَصۡحَٰبُ ٱلۡمَيۡمَنَةِ
Those are the companions of the position of Rightness
Surah Al-Balad, Verse 18
وَٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ بِـَٔايَٰتِنَا هُمۡ أَصۡحَٰبُ ٱلۡمَشۡـَٔمَةِ
And the ones who disbelieve in Our signs, they are the companions of the position of sinister (befalling); (Or: the Hand)
Surah Al-Balad, Verse 19
عَلَيۡهِمۡ نَارٞ مُّؤۡصَدَةُۢ
Over them is a Fire without any outlet (Literally: vaulted/over)
Surah Al-Balad, Verse 20