The Noble Quran Tafsir of Surah al-Balad Ayah 8-20 The Freedom to Choose and the Path of Salvation

90:8 Have We not made for him two eyes,

90:9 and a tongue and two lips,

90:10 and shown him the two highways?  

90:11 Yet he has not broken into the steep;

90:12 and what shall make you know what the steep is? 

90:13 It is freeing of a slave, 

90:14 or feeding on a day of hunger 

90:15 an orphan of kin, 

90:16 or a needy person in distress. 

90:17 Then he becomes of those who believe and exhort one another to be patient and exhort one another to be merciful. 

90:18 Those are the companions of the Right Hand.

90:19 And those who disbelieve in Our signs, they are the companions of the Left Hand;

90:20 over them is a Fire, closed.

Relationship with the Previous Part 

 In the previous part, man is reprimanded for some of his evil attributes. Then, this part mentions some proofs confirming Allah’s perfect ability, namely, He created man in the best form and gave him the eyes, the tongue, the lips, and the intellect so that he can distinguish the path of guidance from the path of misguidance. Then it mentions that man should thank Allah for all His blessings, follow the path of guidance, and perform righteous deeds so that he will be of the dwellers of Paradise. 

Tafsir

90:8 Have We not made for him two eyes,

90:9 and a tongue and two lips,

90:10 and shown him the two highways?  

Allah reminds man, who is deceived by his wealth and power, of His blessings on him. [Have We not….] The interrogation is for confirmation as Allah has given man all blessings he enjoys, but he is unthankful to Allah for all His blessings. 

Allah has given man two eyes to see things, He has given him a tongue and two lips to speak, and He has shown him the two ways, namely, the path of guidance and the path of misguidance by sending him His Prophets and Messengers.

Allah’s Messengers and Prophets invited people to obey Allah’s commands, follow the right path that leads to salvation, and avoid disobeying Him, which will cause them to lose in this world and the Hereafter. 

 The eyes are specifically mentioned because they are of the most beneficial organs in the human body. In addition, man denies that none sees him when he spends of his wealth. Therefore, the eyes are mentioned to confirm that he is seen. 

The tongue and the two lips are mentioned together because man cannot speak correctly without both of them. The tongue cannot pronounce without the two lips, and vice versa. 

 90:10 and shown him the two highways?  

The Arabic version of the ayah reads as follows: [and shown him the two najdeen ‘highways.’] Najd is a raised area on the earth. The path of guidance and misguidance are called najdeen ‘highways’ because they are difficult and one needs to strive hard and control his soul to pass across them. Moreover, they are called highways because they have clear proofs on them that those who are endowed with sound minds can see them. 

 Allah, out of His bounty and generosity, shows man the two paths of guidance and misguidance. He has sent him His Prophets and Messengers to invite him to follow the path of guidance and avoid the path of misguidance. He has also given man the intellect whereby he can distinguish right from wrong, and good from evil. Then, Allah has given man the right to choose which path to follow. On the Day of Judgment, he will be justly recompensed according to the path he chose to follow in this world. 

90:11 Yet he has not broken into the steep;

After referring to some of Allah’s blessings on man, man is exhorted to keep on doing righteous deeds and make himself better. 

Allah has given man two eyes, a tongue, and two lips, and He has shown him the path of guidance and misguidance. Hence, will he act as Allah has commanded him by exerting efforts to control his soul’s whims, spending money on freeing the slaves, and feeding the needy?

The wording of the Arabic version of ayah [11] is as follows: ‘fala iq’tahama al-‘aqabat, which is translated into yet he has not broken into the steep.’ Iq’tahama means to break into, storm into, and embark boldly. Al-‘aqabat means a rugged and steep path in a mountain. The intended meaning is to strive hard to overcome the soul’s whims and make it acts as Allah has commanded it. The rugged and steep path is used figuratively to indicate that compelling the soul to perform righteous deeds and avoid wickedness is very hard and it needs great effort to overcome it. It is similar to someone walking on a very rugged and steep path. He needs to exert great efforts to pass across this path. 

90:12 and what shall make you know what the steep is? 

The interrogation is to emphasize the significance of the steep, show its seriousness, and motivate the listener to know it. In other words, what shall make you know how to cross the steep? 

90:13 It is freeing of a slave, 

90:14 or feeding on a day of hunger 

90:15 an orphan of kin, 

90:16 or a needy person in distress. 

To be able to cross the steep path of striving against the soul’s whim and the great love for this world and wealth, one should do righteous acts for Allah’s sake. The following are examples of these acts: 1) freeing slaves of bondage, or helping to free them. 2) feeding the needy, who are distressed, on a day of hunger when it is hard to find food.

Feeding on a day of hunger and famine is specially mentioned because one usually wants to keep the money for himself at times of famine and hunger. Moreover, needy orphans of kin are the most deserving people of help as they have lost their guardians. As for the needy in a state of distress, they cannot find the means for earning their living in times of famine. Thus, helping those people deserve a great reward from Allah. In another surah of the Quran, Allah says, interpretation of the meaning,

3:92 You will not attain true piety until you spend of what you love, and whatever thing you spend, indeed, Allah is All-Aware of it. [Surah al-Imran] 

O people, you will not attain true piety and not have its great reward that will make you deserve Allah’s pleasure until you spend of what you love of wealth for Allah’s sake. Whatever thing you spend for Allah’s sake, Allah is All-Aware of it and He will immensely reward you.

90:17 Then he becomes of those who believe and exhort one another to be patient and exhort one another to be merciful. 

Let the person, who claims that he spends abundant wealth, be of those who believe in Allah’s Oneness, and exhort one another to be patient with the afflictions they may face for Allah’s sake and exhort one another to be merciful. Then, let him perform righteous deeds, such as freeing slaves and feeding the orphans and the needy at times of famine. 

Indeed, righteous deeds will not be accepted except after believing in Allah’s Oneness no matter how great these righteous deeds may be.

 Patience is needed to be able to obey Allah’s commands and avoid His prohibitions, and face afflictions that may befall one in this world. Furthermore, those who have merciful hearts will easily help the orphans and the needy and do righteous deeds as much as they can. 

Messenger Muhammad said, ‘He who is not merciful to people Allah will not be merciful to him.’ 

90:18 Those are the companions of the Right Hand.

Those who free the slaves and feed the needy and the orphans, and before doing so believe in Allah’s Oneness and advise one another to be patient will be the companions of the Right Hand, namely, the happy, who will be given the records of their deeds in their right hands. Their abode will be Paradise where they enjoy lasting happiness. 

90:19 And those who disbelieve in Our signs, they are the companions of the Left Hand;

90:20 over them is a Fire, closed.

The ayah mentions the evil end of the wicked disbelievers. 

As for those who disbelieve in Allah’s Oneness and proofs confirming His Oneness and ability, they will be the companions of the Left Hand, namely, the dwellers of Hell on the Day of Judgment. They will suffer the burning fire of Hell, which will be closed over them so that they will never be able to leave it. What an evil end Hell is! What painful punishment they will suffer therein! 

Learned Lessons from Surah al-Balad Ayah 8-20  

• Allah, the Giver of all blessings, has given man tools that enable him to see, communicate, and understand easily in this world. He has given him the eyes to see proofs confirming His Oneness, the tongue to utter the truth, and the intellect to distinguish the path of guidance from the path of misguidance, and then follow the path leading to what pleases Him. 

• Allah, out of His generosity, has made the path of guidance and the path of misguidance clear to man and sent His Prophets and Messengers to invite him to follow the path of guidance. Then, he is free to choose which path to follow, and at the same time, he will be responsible for the outcomes of his choice, whether good or evil.

• Man should be thankful to Allah for all blessings and use them in a manner that pleases Him.

• The believers should advise one another to perform righteous deeds that please Allah, such as feeding the needy and freeing the slave, exhort one another to be patient with the afflictions that they may suffer in this world, and patiently fulfill Allah’s obligations on them. 

• Belief in Allah’s Oneness is a must-present condition to accept righteous deeds. No matter how great righteous deeds may be, they will be fruitless if this condition is missed. 

• On the Day of Judgment, Paradise will be the abode of the believers in Allah’s Oneness, while Hell will be the abode of the disbelievers in His Oneness, where they will suffer severe and lasting punishment.

The Noble Quran English Translation of Surah al-Balad

The Noble Quran Tafsir Ibn Kathir, English Translation

The Noble Quran, English Translation and Tafsir of Surah al-Balad Ayah 1-7 Testing Man by Hardship  

The Noble Quran, English Translation and Tafsir of Surah al-Balad Ayah 1-7 Testing Man by Hardship

90:1 I swear by this city,

90:2 and you are free in this city, 

90:3 and by the begetter and that he begot, 

90:4 indeed, We created man in a state of toiling. 

90:5 Does he think that none has power over him?

90:6 He says, ‘I have spent wealth, abundant.’ 

90:7 Does he think that none has seen him?

Tafsir

90:1 I swear by this city,

 Allah swears by the inviolable city of Makkah to indicate its sanctity as it houses the Sacred Mosque that all Muslims face when praying. Makkah is also the hometown of Prophet Ismael and Muhammad [peace be upon them]. 

Allah, Exalted be He, can swear by whatever thing of His creatures, but the created beings can only swear by Allah. 

 90:2 and you are free in this city, 

 O noble Messenger Muhammad, you are free to do what you want in this city of Makkah. You can kill whomever you want and you can capture whomever you want.  Abdul Allah bin Abbas may Allah be pleased with them, said, ‘Allah gave Messenger Muhammad the freedom to kill whomever he wanted and capture whomever he wanted when he conquered Makkah and defeated the disbelievers. No one is permitted to act in such a manner after Messenger Muhammad.’ 

 The ayah gave good news to Messenger Muhammad that he would be victorious over the disbelievers of Makkah. Allah fulfilled His promise to His Messenger on the day of the Battle of Conquering Makkah. 

90:3 and by the begetter and that he begot, 

 Allah swears by every begetter and that he begot. This indicates the great significance of the miracle of procreation as it denotes Allah’s perfect ability. 

 The scholars of Tafsir mention the following opinions about the meaning of the begetter and that he begot. 1) It refers to Prophet Adam and his descendants. 2) It refers to Prophet Ibrahim and his descendants. 3) It refers to every begetter and that he begot.  After mentioning the opinions of the scholars, Imam Muhammad bin Jarir at-Tabari said, ‘The correct opinion is that Allah swears by every begetter and that he begot. That is because the oath is general. It is unacceptable to restrict the meaning of a particular ayah to a specific meaning except by authentic evidence or convincing intellectual reasoning. Since there is no such evidence, then the meaning is general as Allah has made it general.’ 

90:4 indeed, we created man in a state of toiling. 

This is a response to the oath. Indeed, Allah created man in a state of toiling. He goes through different hardships and adversities during his life until he dies. This is the case of all people whether rich or poor, rulers or ruled or righteous or wicked. They all suffer countless difficulties in their lives to achieve their goals. Al-Hassan, may Allah have mercy on him, said, ‘Allah has not created any creature that suffers like the suffering that man experiences.’ 

 Man’s suffering begins at the moment his mother conceives him as he suffers from the darkness and narrowness of the womb. His suffering continues until he dies. Throughout his life, man experiences different kinds of adversities. He suffers from striving to secure happy life, as he needs to work to feed himself and his dependents; he needs treatment if he becomes sick; he needs someone to take care of him when he becomes old, etc. Man also needs to fulfill his obligations towards Allah, such as performing the prayer, paying the zakat, and performing the Hajj. He also needs to be patient when an affliction befalls him and be thankful when he is given a blessing. When man dies, he suffers from the darkness and the loneliness of the grave, and the torment or felicity of the grave. Finally, man suffers from the horrors of the Day of Judgment and the trials of reckoning. After that, he will enter Paradise or Hell. 

90:5 Does he think that none has power over him? 

Does man think that none has power over him? Does he think that he has sufficient power that none can defeat him? If he entertains such an idea, he is deceived and ignorant. Indeed, Allah, the Able, can destroy him in the twinkling of an eye.

Those who have such understanding deserve reprimand, especially, the disbelievers, who think that their wealth and power can protect them from Allah’s punishment and they have immunity against His power and ability.

The ayah implies a consolation to Messenger Muhammad for the abuse he suffered from the disbelievers of Makkah. It also implies a warning to those who are deceived by their power and wealth. It is as if it says to them, ‘Do not go to extremes in your deception and arrogance. No matter how lofty rank man may attain, he can never escape from Allah’s ability, and no matter how severe or happy his life may be, he will die and be recompensed for his deeds, good or evil. 

90:6 He says, ‘I have spent wealth, abundant.’ 

The ayah mentions an example of the statements of the ungrateful and conceited people. When one of those people who take great pride in their wealth and power spends some of his wealth on satisfying his needs, he says, ‘I have spent abundant wealth.’  He may spend his wealth to abuse the believers; however, his empty and sick soul portrays this spending as something that deserves to be proud of, though the reverse is true. 

The Arabic version of the ayah uses the word ‘ahlaktu’ translated into spent. A literal translation of ahlaktu is to destroy. This usage of the word implies that spending wealth on harmful things is equal to destroying it because it is used to achieve harmful, not beneficial goals. 

 The Arabic version of the ayah also uses the word ‘lubada’ translated into abundant. Lubada refers to something that tightly sticks together and it is difficult to separate. In other words, wealth that is lubada is abundant wealth that sticks together because of its abundance. 

90:7 Does he think that none has seen him?

 This is a reproof to the conceited ungrateful person. Does he think that when he spent abundant wealth on evildoing and disobeying Allah that none has seen him? Does he think that Allah has not seen him striving to disobey His commands and follow the path of misguidance? No. Allah is All-Knowing and nothing in the heaven nor the earth is hidden from Him, Exalted be He. All deeds that this arrogant person has done are recorded in a book that does not omit anything no matter how small or big it may be. On the Day of Judgment, Allah will justly recompense him for his deeds.

Learned Lessons from Surah al-Balad Ayah 1-7

• Allah swears by the city of Makkah, by every begetter, and by everything that he begot. The oath is to confirm that man is created in a state of toil in this world. 

• Allah can swear by whatever thing of His creatures, but the created beings must swear only by Allah.

• Swearing by the city of Makkah shows its high rank with Allah.

• Creating man and making him able to procreate shows that man is one of the most marvelous creatures that Allah has created as he can speak and intelligently manage his affairs. Moreover, among human beings are Allah’s Prophets, Messengers, and the callers to the path of guidance, which indicates the distinctive rank of man with Allah, Exalted be He. 

• Allah has reproofed man for believing in some erroneous ideas and beliefs and doing wrong acts. For example, thinking that none has power over him, spending abundant wealth on harmful things, and believing that Allah does not see him.

• Allah is All-Knowing and He will justly recompense people for their deeds and statements.

The Noble Quran, English Translation of Surah al-Balad

The Noble Quran, English Translation of Tafsir Ibn Kathir

The Noble Quran Introduction to Tafsir of Surah al-Balad

The Noble Quran Surah Taha English Translation and Tafsir

The Noble Quran Introduction to Tafsir of Surah al-Balad

Name of the Surah

This surah is called al-Balad ‘the city’ because Allah swears by the city of Makkah at the beginning of the surah. 90:1 I swear by this city,

Relationship between Surah al-Fajr and Surah al-Balad

 According to the written copy of the Quran, al-Mushaf, surah al-Fajr comes before surah al-Balad. In Surah al-Fajr, Allah severely criticizes those who ardently love wealth, devour wealth without distinguishing between the lawful and the unlawful, and do not urge one another to feed the needy. Then, He, Exalted be He, mentions things required that the owner of wealth should do, e.g. freeing the slaves and feeding the needy.

 Surah al-Fajr is concluded by referring to the soul that is at peace, and at the end of surah al-Balad, it is mentioned means for attaining tranquility and peace and warned of causes that lead to worry and anxiety. 

Main Topics Discussed in Surah al-Balad 

• The main theme of surah al-Balad is discussing causes leading man to happiness or misery and the method that he should use to choose the right path. 

• Surah al-Balad begins by swearing by the inviolable city, Makkah. The oath indicates its sanctity and high rank with Allah. The swearing is to confirm that man lives in a state of suffering and toiling in this world.

• This surah mentions that man is usually deceived by his power and wealth, which makes him believe that no one can defeat him. 

• Then it mentions some of Allah’s blessings on man, e.g. Allah has given man two eyes, the tongue, and two lips. Allah has shown man the path of guidance and misguidance and has given him the freedom to choose which path to follow; however, he will bear the consequences of his choice.

• Surah al-Balad refers to some of the horrors of the Day of Judgment and mentions that man can successfully pass through those horrors by believing in Allah’s Oneness and performing righteous deeds for Allah’s sake.

• Finally, surah al-Balad mentions that the believers believe in Allah’s Oneness, adhere to patience, and advise one another to be merciful, which will cause them, by Allah’s bounty, to enter Paradise. It also mentions that the disbelievers disbelieve in Allah’s Oneness, which will cause them to enter Hell and suffer its lasting punishment. 

The Noble Quran English Translation of Surah al-Balad

The Noble Quran Tafsir Ibn Kathir Surah al-Balad

The Noble Quran: Introduction to Tafsir of Surah al-Fajr

The Noble Quran Surah Taha English Translation