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Surah Al-Balad - The City

(Revealed at Mecca)

20 Verses in 1 Section

Sections of Surah Al-Balad

  1. The Two Highways.

Al-Balad – The Two Highways

Man guided to the Two Highways of Good and Evil, The Highways explained.

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

“In the name of God the Beneficent the Merciful”

لَا أُقْسِمُ بِهَٰذَا الْبَلَدِ

“Nay! Swear I by this City (Mecca)!” (90:1)

وَأَنْتَ حِلٌّ بِهَٰذَا الْبَلَدِ

“While thou (O’ Our Apostle Muhammad!) hath been settler1in this City!” (90:2)

وَوَالِدٍ وَمَا وَلَدَ

“And the Begetter2(Adam) and whom he begat (mankind)” (90:3)

لَقَدْ خَلَقْنَا الْإِنْسَانَ فِي كَبَدٍ

“Indeed We have created man (to dwell) amidst hardship” (90:4)

أَيَحْسَبُ أَنْ لَنْ يَقْدِرَ عَلَيْهِ أَحَدٌ

“What! Thinketh he3that over him none, ever hath (any) power?” (90:5)

يَقُولُ أَهْلَكْتُ مَالًا لُبَدًا

“Saith he4: ‘‘I have wasted, wealth enormous!” (90:6)

أَيَحْسَبُ أَنْ لَمْ يَرَهُ أَحَدٌ

“What! Thinketh he that no one seeth him5?” (90:7)

أَلَمْ نَجْعَلْ لَهُ عَيْنَيْنِ

“What! Made We not for him, (his) two eyes? (90:8)

وَلِسَانًا وَشَفَتَيْنِ

“And a tongue and two lips” (90:9)

وَهَدَيْنَاهُ النَّجْدَيْنِ

“And we showed him the two high-ways6(of good and evil)” (90:10)

فَلَا اقْتَحَمَ الْعَقَبَةَ

“But he strove not unto (crossing over) the Ascent steep7“ (90:11)

وَمَا أَدْرَاكَ مَا الْعَقَبَةُ

“What would make thee know what is the Ascent steep?” (90:12)

فَكُّ رَقَبَةٍ

“(It is) the freeing a slave or a captive” (90:13)

أَوْ إِطْعَامٌ فِي يَوْمٍ ذِي مَسْغَبَةٍ

“Or feeding in the day of hunger” (90:14)

يَتِيمًا ذَا مَقْرَبَةٍ

“To an Orphan8, being near of kin” (90:15)

أَوْ مِسْكِينًا ذَا مَتْرَبَةٍ

“Or to the poor one lying in the dust” (90:16)

ثُمَّ كَانَ مِنَ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَتَوَاصَوْا بِالصَّبْرِ وَتَوَاصَوْا بِالْمَرْحَمَةِ

“Besides this, to be of those who believe, and enjoin9steadfastness on each other, and enjoin mercy on each other10“ (90:17)

أُولَٰئِكَ أَصْحَابُ الْمَيْمَنَةِ

“These are the people of the Right Hand11“ (90:18)

وَالَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا بِآيَاتِنَا هُمْ أَصْحَابُ الْمَشْأَمَةِ

“And those who disbelieve in Our signs, they are the people of the Left Hand12“ (90:19)

عَلَيْهِمْ نَارٌ مُؤْصَدَةٌ

“On them shall be the fire closed over” (90:20)

Commentary

Verse 1

City, i.e., Mecca - The people were already aware of the sanctity of the place which was chosen by the great prophet Abraham where at the command of the Lord he left his wife Hagar and his son Ishmael. For the connection of Ishmael’s name with Arabia is historic fact through Kedar, son of Bhima. This is vouched by the Old Testament: Gen. 25/13, 18 ps. 120/5, Isa. 42/11, 60/7. Abraham and Ishmael had built the Holy Ka’ba which they raised, dedicating it exclusively for the remembrance of the Lord13 and Abraham in his prayers to the Lord wanted a Prophet to be raised in his seed and to raise some holy one14 who would uphold the sanctity of the House and maintain it in purity and glorification15.

The sanctity of the Ka’ba was a fact even before Abraham which is given out in 3:96. wherein the first House of God was in Mecca16.

Verse 2

It is given as an exclusive privilege to the Holy Prophet to act freely in the city irrespective of the conventional observance of the sanctity of the place, i.e., to use force, arrest the disbelievers, punish them, deal with them as he deems necessary in the execution of his duties as the Apostle of God, which freedom none else had or would ever have, till the end of the world.

This refers to the freedom that God gave the Holy Prophet when he had to enter Mecca by force to free the Holy Place from the control of the pagans who had desecrated the Holy House by turning it into the centre of idol worship and all kinds of barbaric customs and rituals and restored it once again to be exclusively used as the Holiest of the Holy for worshipping none but the One True God, the Lord of the Universe. None else thereafter was allowed even to pluck out a plant or even a blade of grass or kill any living being, to drag out even anyone who takes shelter therein - Refer ‘Fiqh’.

The interpretation of the word ‘Hill’ has also been taken as having descended, i.e., the Holy Prophet had been born at Mecca, by which also the sanctity of the place is established because he was the one prayed for by Abraham. Deut 18/18, 2:129 and promised by God to send as the Final Deliverer of mankind, who would convey to the human race God’s Final Word, the Holy Qur’an, and teach them the most Perfect Code of life, i.e., the religion Islam, to be current for all times until the end of the world 2:129 and who would be the Mercy to the worlds, 21:107. This establishes the natural phenomenon that the Honour, the Regard or the Reverence of a premises is due to its occupant and not that the occupant receives the grace on account of the premises.

The swearing in the name of the city of Mecca has been done to disclose to mankind the excellence of the holy personality of the Holy Prophet and the greatness of its position in view of the Lord17.

The commentators give different interpretation of ‘still’, the most appropriate one is the ‘settler’ and the next is ‘unfettered’ as the passage indicates that the respect or the importance of the city is due to his being a citizen of it or due to his being the sole person who has the right to exercise authority in the city which is not allowed for anyone else. Thus, wherever the chosen personalities- settle down, the place shall have its importance and sanctity. (A.P.)

Verse 3

The Begetter, i.e., the First begetter of man, i.e., Adam, and the begotten, the human race as a whole or Abraham the Begetter of Ishmael who assisted Abraham in building the Holy Ka’ba, the House of God, and in whose seed is the Holy Prophet.

Refers to Adam as a Chosen one and what he begot, of the chosen ones of God. (A.P.)

Verse 4

It is a well-known fact that man has been mysteriously created with distress and difficulties, pangs and pains connected with his birth and is placed in the world to face distress, difficulties and miseries to live in toil and labour and also in mental worries of which not a single human soul, could be free since the birth of the first man on earth till the end of the world, and with the burden of the responsibility of his accountability in the ultimate18.

‘‘For all his days are sorrows, and his travail grief, yea, his heart taketh not rest in the night. This is also vanity” Eccles. 2/23.

Verse 5

Let no man even for a while imagine that there is none over him to control or to take an account of his motives and deeds - verse 89:14 clearly warns man to beware saying ‘‘Thy Lord is watchful”

Verse 6

This is what the disbelievers said when they saw Islam progressing in spite of all their wealth which they exhausted to obstruct its march19. They at last felt their spending away the wealth to stop the Holy Prophet from preaching the Truth, (i.e., Islam from spreading) was all a waste, being of no avail at all. And what some hypocrites felt and said that at their embracing Islam they had been made to spend in dispensing the prescribed poor-rate and the other charities which they deemed as a waste of their wealth.

It is clearly indicated here that wealth is given to man as a trial to test his disposition with it.

Verse 7-10

The way of righteousness has been shown and explained by Islam and the way of evil has been pointed out and warned against, informing man of the evil consequences if it - Both the ways have been shown and man has been given eyes and mouths - With the eyes man can see the facts and differentiate between the right and the wrong and the mouth is given to speak, i.e., to enquire about the truth and also to speak it out, tongue to taste the right food and the wrong one, before he devours anything and everything. The eye and the mouth are the two highways shown to man A proper pondering over this will disclose the significance of this reference to the great gifts of the All-Merciful Providence20.

Verse 10

Refer to 76:3 and 91:8 and this verse clearly assert that man has been gifted with the power of discrimination and discretion between right and wrong, i.e., one should depend on this native endowment to some extent, independent of the guidance from without, through the apostles - or rather it can be said that without the inborn guidance, i.e., the power of reason, there would be no use of the external guidance. (A.P.)

Verse 11 & 12

The path of righteousness is well-known to be an uphill task for it needs to conquer one’s self, fighting one’s own passion of the carnal desires which go on forging luxuries which are forbidden, and thus lead a restrained life in this world. See Math. 7/14, and man is least inclined to adopt it. This has been referred to also by the Holy Prophet Jesus:

‘‘Because straight is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it” Math 7/14.

Verse 13

Note the setting free of the slave has been so highly commended. Islam controlled slavery in such a graceful and practical way that it made the maintaining of a slave, a great responsibility for the Master and at the same it enjoined so much care and kindness to the slaves that when they were duly maintained, the slaves themselves, in many cases when they were freed did not like to have the freedom and to leave their masters. For the facilities to be given to the slaves to earn their freedom - See ‘Fiqh.’

Verse 14-17

Note the care of the orphans, the needy, the destitute prescribed in all the acts of charity, as the test of the degree of the sincerity of the one in the faith.

Verse 17

Here, patience and compassion is stressed upon whereas in 103:3 endurance and adherence to the Truth. Taking both together, indicated that man’s perfection in theory and practice is intended. (A.P.)

Verse 18

Those who achieve their cherished goal of salvation21.

Verse 19-20

Those who would lose the game of life and thus be committed to the hell-fire which will encompass them from all sides22.

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