The Town (Al-Balad)
In the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful
۞ Nay! I swear by this city. 1 and you are a lodger in this country. 2 And by the giver of birth, and whom he fathered, 3 that We have created man into a life of toil and trial. 4 Thinketh he that none hath power over him? 5 He may say (boastfully); Wealth have I squandered in abundance! 6 Thinketh he that none beholdeth him? 7 Have We not given him two eyes, 8 and a tongue, and a pair of lips, 9 And did We not show him the two highroads (of good and evil)? 10 But he has made no effort to pass on the path that is steep. 11 Ah, what will convey unto thee what the Ascent is! - 12 (It is) the freeing of a slave, 13 or giving food upon a day of hunger 14 to an orphaned relative 15 or some needy person in distress, 16 And to be of those who believe and exhort one another to perseverance and exhort one another to pity. 17 They are the people of the right hand (and will succeed). 18 But they who disbelieved in Our signs - those are the companions of the left. 19 Over them shall be Fire closing round. 20