Surah 90. Al-Balad

NAY! I call to witness this land -

  - Mohammad Asad

I swear by this city (of Makkah where even to harm anyone is prohibited,

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

I do swear by this city 'of Mecca'-

  - Mustafa Khattab

Nay, I swear by this city

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

I do call to witness this City ⁶¹³⁰

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

The appeal to the close ties between the holy Prophet and his parent City of Makkah has been explained in the Introduction to this Sura. It is a symbol of man's own history. Man is born for toil and struggle, and this is the substantive proposition in verse 4 below, which this appeal leads up to.

this land in which thou art free to dwell¹

  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "while thou art dwelling in this land". The classical commentators give to the term balad the connotation of "city", and maintain that the phrase hadha 'l-balad ("this city") signifies Mecca, and that the pronoun "thou" in the second verse refers to Muhammad. Although this interpretation is plausible in view of the fact that the sacredness of Mecca is repeatedly stressed in the Qur'an, the sequence - as well as the tenor of the whole surah - seems to warrant a wider, more general interpretation. In my opinion, the words hadha 'l-balad denote "this land of man", i.e., the earth (which latter term is, according to all philologists, one of the primary meanings of balad). Consequently, the "thou" in verse {2} relates to man in general, and that which is metaphorically "called to witness" is his earthly environment.

where to assassinate) you (O Muhammad) have been made lawful in this city,

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

even though you 'O Prophet' are subject to abuse in this city-

  - Mustafa Khattab

And thou art an indweller of this city

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And thou art a freeman of this City ⁶¹³¹

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Hillun: an inhabitant, a man with lawful rights, a man freed from such obligations as would attach to a stranger to the city, a freeman in a wider sense than the technical sense to which the word is restricted in modern usage. The Prophet should have been honoured in his native city. He was actually being persecuted. He should have been loved, as a parent loves a child. Actually his life was being sought, and those who believed in him were under a ban. But time was to show that he was to come triumphant to his native city after having made Madinah sacred by his life and work.

and [I call to witness] parent and offspring:²

  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "the begetter and that which he has begotten". According to Tabari's convincing explanation, this phrase signifies "every parent and all their offspring" - i.e., the human race from its beginning to its end. (The masculine form al-walid denotes, of course, both male and female parents.)

And I swear by your father (Adam) and the children he begot (mankind),

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

and by every parent and 'their' child!

  - Mustafa Khattab

And the begetter and that which he begat,

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And (the mystic ties of) Parent and Child ⁶¹³²

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

A parent loves a child: ordinarily the father is proud and the mother, in spite of her birth-pains, experiences supreme joy when the child is born. But in abnormal circumstances there may be misunderstanding, even hatred between parent and child. So Makkah cast out her most glorious son, but it was only for a time. Makkah was sound at heart; only her power had been usurped by an ignorant autocracy which passed away, and Makkah was to receive back her glory at the hands of the son whom she had rejected but whom she welcomed back later. And Makkah retains for all time her sacred character as the centre of Islam.

Verily, We have created man into [a life of] pain, toil and trial.³

  - Mohammad Asad

The term kabad, comprising the concepts of "pain", "distress", "hardship", "toil", "trial" etc., can be rendered only by a compound expression like the one above.

certainly We have created man to be in stress.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Indeed, We have created humankind in 'constant' struggle.

  - Mustafa Khattab

We verily have created man in an atmosphere:

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Verily We have created Man into toil and struggle. ⁶¹³³

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Cf. "Man is born unto troubles as the sparks fly upward" (Job, v. 7); "For all his days are sorrows, and his travail grief" (Ecclesiastes, ii. 23). Man's life is full of sorrow and vexation; but our text has a different shade of meaning: man is born to strive and struggle; and if he suffers from hardships, he must exercise patience, for Allah will make his way smooth for him (lxv. 7; xciv. 5-6). On the other hand no man should boast of worldly goods or worldly prosperity (see verses 5-7 below).

Does he, then, think that no one has power over him?

  - Mohammad Asad

Does he think that none has power over him?

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Do they think that no one has power over them,

  - Mustafa Khattab

Thinketh he that none hath power over him?

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Thinketh he that none hath power over him? ⁶¹³⁴

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

See the end of last note. If a man has wealth, influence, or power, he should not behave as if it is to last for ever, or as if he has no responsibility for his acts and can do what he likes. All his gifts and advantages are given to him for trial. Allah, Who bestowed them on him, can take them away, and will do so if man fails in his trial.

He boasts, "I have spent wealth abundant!"⁴

  - Mohammad Asad

Implying that his resources - and, therefore, his possibilities - are inexhaustible. We must remember that the term "man" is used here in the sense of "human race": hence, the above boast is a metonym for the widespread belief - characteristic of all periods of religious decadence - that there are no limits to the power to which man may aspire, and that, therefore, his worldly "interests" are the only criteria of right and wrong.

He may boast: "I have squandered wealth in abundance!"

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

boasting, 'I have wasted enormous wealth!'?

  - Mustafa Khattab

And he saith: I have destroyed vast wealth:

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

He may say (boastfully): "Wealth have I squandered in abundance!" ⁶¹³⁵

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

The man who feels no responsibility and thinks that he can do what he likes in life forgets his responsibility to Allah. He boasts of his wealth and scatters it about, thinking that he can thus purchase the support of the world. For a time he may. But a rude awakening must come soon, for he bases his hopes on unsubstantial things. Or if he spends his substance on self-indulgence, he is weakening himself and putting himself into snares that must destroy him.

Does he, then, think that no one sees him?⁵

  - Mohammad Asad

I.e., "Does he think that he is responsible to none but himself?"

Does he think that no one observes him?

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Do they think that no one sees them?

  - Mustafa Khattab

Thinketh he that none beholdeth him?

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Thinketh he that none beholdeth him? ⁶¹³⁶

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Allah watches him, and sees all his acts and motives, and all the secret springs of his follies. But lest he should think the higher forces too remote for him, let him look within himself and use the faculties which Allah has given him. See the next verses following.

Have We not given him two eyes,

  - Mohammad Asad

Have We not given him two eyes to observe?

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Have We not given them two eyes,

  - Mustafa Khattab

Did We not assign unto him two eyes

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Have We not made for him a pair of eyes?

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

and a tongue, and a pair of lips,⁶

  - Mohammad Asad

I.e., to recognize and to voice the truth of God's existence or, at least, to ask for guidance.

One tongue and two lips to control it?

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

a tongue, and two lips;

  - Mustafa Khattab

And a tongue and two lips,

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And a tongue and a pair of lips? ⁶¹³⁷

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

The eyes give us the faculty of seeing, and may be taken in both the literal and the metaphorical sense. In the same way the tongue gives us the faculty of tasting in both senses. Along with the lips, it also enables us to speak, to ask for information and seek guidance, and to celebrate the praises of Allah.

and shown him the two highways [of good and evil]?

  - Mohammad Asad

Then shown him the two high ways (good leading towards paradise and evil leading towards hell)?

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

and shown them the two ways 'of right and wrong'?

  - Mustafa Khattab

And guide him to the parting of the mountain ways?

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And shown him the two highways? ⁶¹³⁸

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

The two highways of life are: (1) the steep and difficult path of virtue, which is further described in the verses following, and (2) the easy path of vice, and the rejection of Allah, referred to in verses 19-20 below. Allah has given us not only the faculties implied in the eyes, the tongue, and the lips, but has also given us the judgment by which we can choose our way; and He has sent us Teachers and Guides, with Revelation, to show us the right and difficult way.