سُورَةُ البَلَدِ
Surah Al-Balad (The City) – Arabic, Translation & Audio
Surah Al-Balad is the 90th surah (chapter) of the Quran. Its name means “The City”. It has 20 ayahs (verses), is a Meccan surah (revealed in Makkah) and is found in Juz 30 of the Quran. Below you can read the full Arabic text with English translation and transliteration, and listen to each ayah.
| Surah number | 90 of 114 |
|---|---|
| Arabic name | البلد |
| English meaning | The City |
| Number of ayahs | 20 |
| Revelation | Meccan (Makkah) |
| Order of revelation | 35 (traditional chronology) |
| Juz (part) | 30 |
| Mushaf pages | 594 (604-page Madinah mushaf) |
| Verses of prostration | None |
| Begins with Bismillah | Yes – recited before ayah 1 (not numbered) |
Read Surah Al-Balad in Arabic with English translation
بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ
Bismillaahir Rahmaanir Raheem
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.
لَآ أُقْسِمُ بِهَٰذَا ٱلْبَلَدِ ﴿١﴾
Laaa uqsimu bihaazal balad
Nay, I swear by this city -
وَأَنتَ حِلٌّۢ بِهَٰذَا ٱلْبَلَدِ ﴿٢﴾
Wa anta hillum bihaazal balad
And thou art an indweller of this city -
وَوَالِدٍۢ وَمَا وَلَدَ ﴿٣﴾
Wa waalidinw wa maa walad
And the begetter and that which he begat,
لَقَدْ خَلَقْنَا ٱلْإِنسَٰنَ فِى كَبَدٍ ﴿٤﴾
Laqad khalaqnal insaana fee kabad
We verily have created man in an atmosphere:
أَيَحْسَبُ أَن لَّن يَقْدِرَ عَلَيْهِ أَحَدٌۭ ﴿٥﴾
Ayahsabu al-lai yaqdira 'alaihi ahad
Thinketh he that none hath power over him?
يَقُولُ أَهْلَكْتُ مَالًۭا لُّبَدًا ﴿٦﴾
Yaqoolu ahlaktu maalal lubadaa
And he saith: I have destroyed vast wealth:
أَيَحْسَبُ أَن لَّمْ يَرَهُۥٓ أَحَدٌ ﴿٧﴾
Ayahsabu al lam yarahooo ahad
Thinketh he that none beholdeth him?
أَلَمْ نَجْعَل لَّهُۥ عَيْنَيْنِ ﴿٨﴾
Alam naj'al lahoo 'aynayn
Did We not assign unto him two eyes
وَلِسَانًۭا وَشَفَتَيْنِ ﴿٩﴾
Wa lisaananw wa shafatayn
And a tongue and two lips,
وَهَدَيْنَٰهُ ٱلنَّجْدَيْنِ ﴿١٠﴾
Wa hadaynaahun najdayn
And guide him to the parting of the mountain ways?
فَلَا ٱقْتَحَمَ ٱلْعَقَبَةَ ﴿١١﴾
Falaq tahamal-'aqabah
But he hath not attempted the Ascent -
وَمَآ أَدْرَىٰكَ مَا ٱلْعَقَبَةُ ﴿١٢﴾
Wa maaa adraaka mal'aqabah
Ah, what will convey unto thee what the Ascent is! -
فَكُّ رَقَبَةٍ ﴿١٣﴾
Fakku raqabah
(It is) to free a slave,
أَوْ إِطْعَٰمٌۭ فِى يَوْمٍۢ ذِى مَسْغَبَةٍۢ ﴿١٤﴾
Aw it'aamun fee yawmin zee masghabah
And to feed in the day of hunger.
يَتِيمًۭا ذَا مَقْرَبَةٍ ﴿١٥﴾
Yateeman zaa maqrabah
An orphan near of kin,
أَوْ مِسْكِينًۭا ذَا مَتْرَبَةٍۢ ﴿١٦﴾
Aw miskeenan zaa matrabah
Or some poor wretch in misery,
ثُمَّ كَانَ مِنَ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَتَوَاصَوْا۟ بِٱلصَّبْرِ وَتَوَاصَوْا۟ بِٱلْمَرْحَمَةِ ﴿١٧﴾
Summa kaana minal lazeena aamanoo wa tawaasaw bissabri wa tawaasaw bilmarhamah
And to be of those who believe and exhort one another to perseverance and exhort one another to pity.
أُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ أَصْحَٰبُ ٱلْمَيْمَنَةِ ﴿١٨﴾
Ulaaa'ika As-haabul maimanah
Their place will be on the right hand.
وَٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ بِـَٔايَٰتِنَا هُمْ أَصْحَٰبُ ٱلْمَشْـَٔمَةِ ﴿١٩﴾
Wallazeena kafaroo bi aayaatinaa hum as-haabul Mash'amah
But those who disbelieve Our revelations, their place will be on the left hand.
عَلَيْهِمْ نَارٌۭ مُّؤْصَدَةٌۢ ﴿٢٠﴾
Alaihim naarum mu'sadah
Fire will be an awning over them.
Arabic text: Uthmani script (Tanzil). English translation: Marmaduke Pickthall (1930, public domain). Transliteration: English transliteration from the Al Quran Cloud API, in a simple English spelling (it writes the Arabic letter dhal as “z”, while the duas on this site write it as “dh”). Audio: Mishary Rashid Alafasy. A translation conveys the meaning of the Quran; it is not the Quran itself.
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