90:1
لَآ أُقۡسِمُ بِهَٰذَا ٱلۡبَلَدِ ١
I do swear by this city [of Makkah] –
سورة البلدSurah Al-Balad · The City
Meccan20 ayahsPage 594Juz 30
Sheikh Mohamed Siddiq al-Minshawi · murattal
of 20
بِسۡمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ
90:2
وَأَنتَ حِلُّۢ بِهَٰذَا ٱلۡبَلَدِ ٢
and you are free of restriction [for a while] in this city[1] –
Tafsir Notes
[1] To punish the enemies of Islam on the Conquest Day.
90:3
وَوَالِدٖ وَمَا وَلَدَ ٣
and by every parent[2] and his offspring,
Tafsir Notes
[2] i.e., Adam.
90:4
لَقَدۡ خَلَقۡنَا ٱلۡإِنسَٰنَ فِي كَبَدٍ ٤
We have created man in hardship.
90:5
أَيَحۡسَبُ أَن لَّن يَقۡدِرَ عَلَيۡهِ أَحَدٞ ٥
Does he think that none can ever have power over him?
90:6
يَقُولُ أَهۡلَكۡتُ مَالٗا لُّبَدًا ٦
He says, “I have squandered enormous wealth!”
90:7
أَيَحۡسَبُ أَن لَّمۡ يَرَهُۥٓ أَحَدٌ ٧
Does he think that no one sees him?
90:8
أَلَمۡ نَجۡعَل لَّهُۥ عَيۡنَيۡنِ ٨
Have We not given him two eyes,
90:9
وَلِسَانٗا وَشَفَتَيۡنِ ٩
and a tongue and two lips,
90:10
وَهَدَيۡنَٰهُ ٱلنَّجۡدَيۡنِ ١٠
and shown him the two ways [of right and wrong]?
90:11
فَلَا ٱقۡتَحَمَ ٱلۡعَقَبَةَ ١١
Yet he did not make his way through the steep path[3],
Tafsir Notes
[3] He did not spend for the sake of Allah but to show off.
90:12
وَمَآ أَدۡرَىٰكَ مَا ٱلۡعَقَبَةُ ١٢
and how do you know what the steep path is?
90:13
فَكُّ رَقَبَةٍ ١٣
It is freeing a slave,
90:14
أَوۡ إِطۡعَٰمٞ فِي يَوۡمٖ ذِي مَسۡغَبَةٖ ١٤
or giving food on a day of hunger,
90:15
يَتِيمٗا ذَا مَقۡرَبَةٍ ١٥
to an orphan relative,
90:16
أَوۡ مِسۡكِينٗا ذَا مَتۡرَبَةٖ ١٦
or to a needy person in misery,
90:17
ثُمَّ كَانَ مِنَ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ وَتَوَاصَوۡاْ بِٱلصَّبۡرِ وَتَوَاصَوۡاْ بِٱلۡمَرۡحَمَةِ ١٧
then [most importantly] to be one of those who believe and exhort one another to patience and exhort one another to compassion.
90:18
أُوْلَٰٓئِكَ أَصۡحَٰبُ ٱلۡمَيۡمَنَةِ ١٨
Such are the people of the Right[4].
Tafsir Notes
[4] i.e., those who receive the records of their deeds in the right hand and proceed to Paradise.
90:19
وَٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ بِـَٔايَٰتِنَا هُمۡ أَصۡحَٰبُ ٱلۡمَشۡـَٔمَةِ ١٩
As for those who reject Our signs, they are the people of the Left[5],
Tafsir Notes
[5] i.e., those who receive the records of their deeds in the left hand and proceed to Hellfire.
90:20
عَلَيۡهِمۡ نَارٞ مُّؤۡصَدَةُۢ ٢٠
who will be locked up in the Fire.
Sources
- Mushaf text: King Fahd Glorious Quran Printing Complex (Madinah), narration of Hafs from ʿAsim, in the Uthmani script.
- Rowwad Translation Center — version 1.0.19, QuranEnc.com
- Al-Mukhtasar in Interpreting the Noble Quran — QuranEnc.com, retrieved 2026-09-14
- Recitation: Sheikh Mohamed Siddiq al-Minshawi (murattal), via quran.com and everyayah.com.
Before publishing, every letter of the text was compared with a second, independent copy, and every translation and tafsir entry with its publisher's file.