The Town (Al-Balad)
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
۞ No! I swear by this land, 1 And thou art an indweller of this city - 2 And by oath of your forefather Ibrahim, and by you – his illustrious son! 3 Verily, We have created man into [a life of] pain, toil and trial. 4 Does He think that no one will ever have control over him? 5 He says: “I have squandered enormous wealth.” 6 Thinks he that none sees 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 But he hath made no haste on the path that is steep. 11 And what have you understood, what the valley is! 12 It is freeing someone's neck from slavery; 13 Or the giving of food in a day of hunger 14 an orphaned relative 15 Or to the poor man lying in the dust. 16 Then he became of those who believed and enjoined on each other steadfastness and enjoined on each other compassion. 17 Those are the companions 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 On them is fire closed over. 20