The City
An oath concerning the city and its inhabitant leads into a statement about the condition of human life. Read how place, generation and effort appear together. Compare translations when a rendering seems unfamiliar or difficult.
Based on Quran 90:1–5. Original study prompt, not a complete tafsir. Compare the passage ↗English Translation - Noor International Center · QuranEnc.com · v1.1.2 ↗
Issued by Noor International Center. Publisher footnotes appear with their verses.
بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ لَآ أُقْسِمُ بِهَٰذَا ٱلْبَلَدِ
(1) I swear by this city [i.e., Makkah] –
وَأَنتَ حِلٌّۢ بِهَٰذَا ٱلْبَلَدِ
(2) And you, [O Muḥammad], are free of restriction in this city –
وَوَالِدٍۢ وَمَا وَلَدَ
(3) And [by] the father[1924] and that which was born [of him],
لَقَدْ خَلَقْنَا ٱلْإِنسَٰنَ فِى كَبَدٍ
(4) We have certainly created man into hardship.
أَيَحْسَبُ أَن لَّن يَقْدِرَ عَلَيْهِ أَحَدٌۭ
(5) Does he think that never will anyone overcome him?
يَقُولُ أَهْلَكْتُ مَالًۭا لُّبَدًا
(6) He says, "I have spent wealth in abundance."
أَيَحْسَبُ أَن لَّمْ يَرَهُۥٓ أَحَدٌ
(7) Does he think that no one has seen him?
أَلَمْ نَجْعَل لَّهُۥ عَيْنَيْنِ
(8) Have We not made for him two eyes?
وَلِسَانًۭا وَشَفَتَيْنِ
(9) And a tongue and two lips?
وَهَدَيْنَٰهُ ٱلنَّجْدَيْنِ
(10) And have shown him the two ways?[1925]
فَلَا ٱقْتَحَمَ ٱلْعَقَبَةَ
(11) But he has not broken through the difficult pass.[1926]
وَمَآ أَدْرَىٰكَ مَا ٱلْعَقَبَةُ
(12) And what can make you know what is [breaking through] the difficult pass?
فَكُّ رَقَبَةٍ
(13) It is the freeing of a slave
أَوْ إِطْعَٰمٌۭ فِى يَوْمٍۢ ذِى مَسْغَبَةٍۢ
(14) Or feeding on a day of severe hunger
يَتِيمًۭا ذَا مَقْرَبَةٍ
(15) An orphan of near relationship
أَوْ مِسْكِينًۭا ذَا مَتْرَبَةٍۢ
(16) Or a needy person in misery
ثُمَّ كَانَ مِنَ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَتَوَاصَوْا۟ بِٱلصَّبْرِ وَتَوَاصَوْا۟ بِٱلْمَرْحَمَةِ
(17) And then being among those who believed and advised one another to patience and advised one another to compassion.
أُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ أَصْحَٰبُ ٱلْمَيْمَنَةِ
(18) Those are the companions of the right.[1927]
وَٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ بِـَٔايَٰتِنَا هُمْ أَصْحَٰبُ ٱلْمَشْـَٔمَةِ
(19) But they who disbelieved in Our signs - those are the companions of the left.[1928]
عَلَيْهِمْ نَارٌۭ مُّؤْصَدَةٌۢ
(20) Over them will be fire closed in.[1929]