The Town (Al-Balad)
In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
۞ Nay! I swear by this city 1 And thou art a freeman of this City;- 2 And by the giver of birth, and whom he fathered, 3 that We have created the human being to face a great deal of hardship. 4 Thinketh he, that none hath power over him? 5 He may say (boastfully); Wealth have I squandered in abundance! 6 Deemest he that none beholdeth him? 7 Have We not given him two eyes, 8 And a tongue and two lips, 9 And did We not show him the two highroads (of good and evil)? 10 Yet, he has not entered into Aqaba 11 How will you comprehend what the Steep ascent is? -- 12 It is the setting free of a slave 13 or the feeding in times of famine 14 of an orphan near of kin, 15 and downtrodden destitute person, (so that he would be of) 16 and, then besides this, he be one of those who believed, and enjoined upon one another steadfastness and enjoined upon one another compassion. 17 These are the people of the right hand. 18 But those who deny Our revelations are the people of the left hand: 19 and the Fire will close in on them. 20