Section 1: Verses 1–20
Thematic progression across verses 1–20
لَآ أُقۡسِمُ بِهَٰذَا ٱلۡبَلَدِ 1
Laaa uqsimu bihaazal balad
I swear by this land
وَأَنتَ حِلُّۢ بِهَٰذَا ٱلۡبَلَدِ 2
Wa anta hillum bihaazal balad
And you are a resident of this land
وَوَالِدࣲ وَمَا وَلَدَ 3
Wa waalidinw wa maa walad
And by a father and what he fathered
لَقَدۡ خَلَقۡنَا ٱلۡإِنسَٰنَ فِي كَبَدٍ 4
Laqad khalaqnal insaana fee kabad
We created man in distress
أَيَحۡسَبُ أَن لَّن يَقۡدِرَ عَلَيۡهِ أَحَدࣱ 5
Ayahsabu al-lai yaqdira 'alaihi ahad
Does he think that no one has power over him
يَقُولُ أَهۡلَكۡتُ مَالࣰ ا لُّبَدًا 6
Yaqoolu ahlaktu maalal lubadaa
He says, “I have used up so much money.”
أَيَحۡسَبُ أَن لَّمۡ يَرَهُۥٓ أَحَدٌ 7
Ayahsabu al lam yarahooo ahad
Does he think that no one sees him
أَلَمۡ نَجۡعَل لَّهُۥ عَيۡنَيۡنِ 8
Alam naj'al lahoo 'aynayn
Did We not give him two eyes
وَلِسَانࣰ ا وَشَفَتَيۡنِ 9
Wa lisaananw wa shafatayn
And a tongue, and two lips
وَهَدَيۡنَٰهُ ٱلنَّجۡدَيۡنِ 10
Wa hadaynaahun najdayn
And We showed him the two ways
فَلَا ٱقۡتَحَمَ ٱلۡعَقَبَةَ 11
Falaq tahamal-'aqabah
But he did not brave the ascent
وَمَآ أَدۡرَىٰكَ مَا ٱلۡعَقَبَةُ 12
Wa maaa adraaka mal'aqabah
And what will explain to you what the ascent is
فَكُّ رَقَبَةٍ 13
Fakku raqabah
The freeing of a slave
أَوۡ إِطۡعَٰمࣱ فِي يَوۡمࣲ ذِي مَسۡغَبَةࣲ 14
Aw it'aamun fee yawmin zee masghabah
Or the feeding on a day of hunger
يَتِيمࣰ ا ذَا مَقۡرَبَةٍ 15
Yateeman zaa maqrabah
An orphan near of kin
أَوۡ مِسۡكِينࣰ ا ذَا مَتۡرَبَةࣲ 16
Aw miskeenan zaa matrabah
Or a destitute in the dust
ثُمَّ كَانَ مِنَ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ وَتَوَاصَوۡاْ بِٱلصَّبۡرِ وَتَوَاصَوۡاْ بِٱلۡمَرۡحَمَةِ 17
Summa kaana minal lazeena aamanoo wa tawaasaw bissabri wa tawaasaw bilmarhamah
Then he becomes of those who believe, and advise one another to patience, and advise one another to kindness
أُوْلَٰٓئِكَ أَصۡحَٰبُ ٱلۡمَيۡمَنَةِ 18
Ulaaa'ika As-haabul maimanah
These are the people of happiness
وَٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ بِـَٔايَٰتِنَا هُمۡ أَصۡحَٰبُ ٱلۡمَشۡـَٔمَةِ 19
Wallazeena kafaroo bi aayaatinaa hum as-haabul Mash'amah
But as for those who defy Our revelations—these are the people of misery
عَلَيۡهِمۡ نَارࣱ مُّؤۡصَدَةُۢ 20
Alaihim naarum mu'sadah
Upon them is a padlocked Fire
Quran-Anchored Prophetic Context
Authentic narrations in the active corpus that explicitly cite, name, or explain verses in Surah Al-Balad.
Chapter 108 | Enlightening Points Deduced from the Holy Quran about Leadership with Divine Authority)
48ـ الْحُسَيْنُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنْ مُعَلَّى بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ جُمْهُورٍ عَنْ يُونُسَ قَالَ أَخْبَرَنِي مَنْ رَفَعَهُ إِلَى أَبِي عَبْدِ الله فِي قَوْلِهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ فَلا اقْتَحَمَ الْعَقَبَةَ. وَما أَدْراكَ مَا الْعَقَبَةُ. فَكُّ رَقَبَةٍ يَعْنِي بِقَوْلِهِ فَكُّ رَقَبَةٍ وَلايَةَ أَمِيرِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ فَإِنَّ ذَلِكَ فَكُّ رَقَبَةٍ.
48. Al-Husayn ibn Muhammad has narrated from Mu‘alla ibn Muhammad from Muhammad ibn Jumhur from Yunus who has said the following “A person in a marfu‘ narrated to me from abu ‘Abdallah about the words of Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Gracious. “Yet, he has not entered into Aqaba (90:11). Would that you knew what Aqaba is! (90:12). It is the setting free of a slave.” (90:13) The Imam said, “Setting free of a slave is acknowledgment of the Wilaya of Amir al-Mu’minin , Leadership with Divine Authority.”
Chapter 108 | Enlightening Points Deduced from the Holy Quran about Leadership with Divine Authority)
85ـ عَلِيُّ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنْ سَهْلِ بْنِ زِيَادٍ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ سُلَيْمَانَ الدَّيْلَمِيِّ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنْ أَبَانِ بْنِ تَغْلِبَ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ الله قَالَ قُلْتُ لَهُ جُعِلْتُ فِدَاكَ قَوْلُهُ فَلا اقْتَحَمَ الْعَقَبَةَ فَقَالَ مَنْ أَكْرَمَهُ الله بِوَلايَتِنَا فَقَدْ جَازَ الْعَقَبَةَ وَنَحْنُ تِلْكَ الْعَقَبَةُ الَّتِي مَنِ اقْتَحَمَهَا نَجَا قَالَ فَسَكَتَ فَقَالَ لِي فَهَلا أُفِيدُكَ حَرْفاً خَيْرٌ لَكَ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا وَمَا فِيهَا قُلْتُ بَلَى جُعِلْتُ فِدَاكَ قَالَ قَوْلُهُ فَكُّ رَقَبَةٍ ثُمَّ قَالَ النَّاسُ كُلُّهُمْ عَبِيدُ النَّارِ غَيْرَكَ وَأَصْحَابِكَ فَإِنَّ الله فَكَّ رِقَابَكُمْ مِنَ النَّارِ بِوَلايَتِنَا أَهْلَ الْبَيْتِ.
85. Ali ibn Muhammad has narrated from Sahl ibn Ziyad from Muhammad ibn Sulayman al-Daylami from his father from Aban ibn Taghlib who has said the following. “I said to abu ‘Abdallah , “May Allah take my soul in service for your cause, what is the meaning of the words of Allah, “Yet, he has not entered into ö aqaba.” (90:11) The Imam said, “To whoever Allah has granted honor through our Wilaya (Leadership with Divine Authority) he has crossed the ö aqaba (the stage). We are the ö aqaba. Whoever would reach us gains his salvation.” The narrator has said that he remained quite for a while and then said to me, “Would to learn a letter from that would be better for you than the whole world and all that is therein?” I said, “yes, May Allah take my soul in service for your cause.” He then said, “It is the setting free of a slave.” Then he said, “All people are slaves of fire. except you and your people. Allah has set you free from fire through our (Ahl al-Bayt) Wilaya (Leadership and Guardianship with Divine Authority).”