The Town (Al-Balad)
In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
۞ Nay! I swear by this city. 1 in which you are now living 2 And by oath of your forefather Ibrahim, and by you – his illustrious son! 3 We have certainly created man into hardship. 4 Does he think that never will anyone overcome him? 5 He says, "I have spent wealth in abundance." 6 Does man think that no one saw him? 7 Have We not made for him a pair of eyes? 8 And a tongue and two lips, 9 And have shown him the two ways? 10 But he could not scale the steep ascent. 11 How will you comprehend what the Steep ascent is? -- 12 It is freeing the neck, 13 Or, feeding, in a day of privation, 14 To the orphan with claims of relationship, 15 or a needy man in misery; 16 And then being among those who believed and advised one another to patience and advised one another to compassion. 17 These are the people of the right. 18 and [as for] those who are bent on denying the truth of Our revelations, they are the people of the left hand, 19 who will be engulfed in the fire. 20