Chapter 90, 20 verses
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم لا أقسم بهذا البلد
Nay! I swear by this city.
I swear by this city, Makkah -
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful. Nay, I swear by this city -
وأنت حل بهذا البلد
And you shall be made free from obligation in this city - -
And you, [O Muhammad], are free of restriction in this city -
And thou art an indweller of this city -
ووالد وما ولد
And the begetter and whom he begot.
And [by] the father and that which was born [of him],
And the begetter and that which he begat,
لقد خلقنا الإنسان في كبد
Certainly We have created man to be in distress.
We have certainly created man into hardship.
We verily have created man in an atmosphere:
أيحسب أن لن يقدر عليه أحد
Does he think that no one has power over him?
Does he think that never will anyone overcome him?
Thinketh he that none hath power over him ?
يقول أهلكت مالا لبدا
He shall say: I have wasted much wealth.
He says, "I have spent wealth in abundance."
And he saith: I have destroyed vast wealth:
أيحسب أن لم يره أحد
Does he think that no one sees him?
Does he think that no one has seen him?
Thinketh he that none beholdeth him ?
ألم نجعل له عينين
Have We not given him two eyes,
Have We not made for him two eyes?
Did We not assign unto him two eyes
ولسانا وشفتين
And a tongue and two lips,
And a tongue and two lips?
And a tongue and two lips,
وهديناه النجدين
And pointed out to him the two conspicuous ways?
And have shown him the two ways?
And guide him to the parting of the mountain ways ?
فلا اقتحم العقبة
But he would not attempt the uphill road,
But he has not broken through the difficult pass.
But he hath not attempted the Ascent -
وما أدراك ما العقبة
And what will make you comprehend what the uphill road is?
And what can make you know what is [breaking through] the difficult pass?
Ah, what will convey unto thee what the Ascent is! -
فك رقبة
(It is) the setting free of a slave,
It is the freeing of a slave
(It is) to free a slave,
أو إطعام في يوم ذي مسغبة
Or the giving of food in a day of hunger
Or feeding on a day of severe hunger
And to feed in the day of hunger.
يتيما ذا مقربة
To an orphan, having relationship,
An orphan of near relationship
An orphan near of kin,
أو مسكينا ذا متربة
Or to the poor man lying in the dust.
Or a needy person in misery
Or some poor wretch in misery,
ثم كان من الذين آمنوا وتواصوا بالصبر وتواصوا بالمرحمة
Then he is of those who believe and charge one another to show patience, and charge one another to show compassion.
And then being among those who believed and advised one another to patience and advised one another to compassion.
And to be of those who believe and exhort one another to perseverance and exhort one another to pity.
أولئك أصحاب الميمنة
These are the people of the right hand.
Those are the companions of the right.
Their place will be on the right hand.
والذين كفروا بآياتنا هم أصحاب المشأمة
And (as for) those who disbelieve in our communications, they are the people of the left hand.
But they who disbelieved in Our signs - those are the companions of the left.
But those who disbelieve Our revelations, their place will be on the left hand.
عليهم نار مؤصدة
On them is fire closed over.
Over them will be fire closed in.
Fire will be an awning over them.