The Town (Al-Balad)
In the Name of Allah, the Merciful, the Most Merciful
۞ I swear by yonder city 1 And thou art an indweller of this city - 2 And by the giver of birth, and whom he fathered, 3 We created the human in fatigue. 4 Does he, then, think that no one has power over him? 5 He says: "I have wasted a great deal of wealth." 6 Does he, then, think that no one sees him? 7 Have We not made for 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 But he could not scale the steep ascent. 11 And what can make you know what is [breaking through] the difficult pass? 12 To free a neck (from the burden of debt or slavery), 13 Or, feeding, in a day of privation, 14 to an orphan near of kin 15 Or of a homeless needy person! 16 Then he became of those who believed and enjoined on each other steadfastness and enjoined on each other compassion. 17 Those who do so are the people of the right hand, 18 But those who deny Our revelations are the people of the left hand: 19 with the Fire closed above them. 20