البلد

90 - The Town (Al-Balad)

Order of Revelation: 35

وَمَا أَدْرَاكَ مَا الْعَقَبَةُ

Transliteration:

Wama adraka ma alAAaqabatu

Word by Word:

And what can make you know what the steep path (is)?

Translations:

And what could make thee conceive what it is, that steep uphill road?

And what will explain to thee the path that is steep?-

Ah, what will convey unto thee what the Ascent is! -

And what will make thee comprehend what the uphill road is?

And what can make you know what is [breaking through] the difficult pass?

فَكُّ رَقَبَةٍ

Transliteration:

Fakku raqabatin

Word by Word:

(It is) freeing a neck,

Translations:

[It is] the freeing of one's neck [from the burden of sin],

(It is:) freeing the bondman;

(It is) to free a slave,

(It is) to free a slave,

It is the freeing of a slave

أَوْ إِطْعَامٌ فِي يَوْمٍ ذِي مَسْغَبَةٍ

Transliteration:

Aw itAAamun fee yawmin thee masghabatin

Word by Word:

Or feeding in a day of severe hunger.

Translations:

or the feeding, upon a day of [one's own] hunger,

Or the giving of food in a day of privation

And to feed in the day of hunger.

Or to feed in a day of hunger

Or feeding on a day of severe hunger

يَتِيمًا ذَا مَقْرَبَةٍ

Transliteration:

Yateeman tha maqrabatin

Word by Word:

An orphan of near relationship,

Translations:

of an orphan near of kin,

To the orphan with claims of relationship,

An orphan near of kin,

An orphan nearly related,

An orphan of near relationship

أَوْ مِسْكِينًا ذَا مَتْرَبَةٍ

Transliteration:

Aw miskeenan tha matrabatin

Word by Word:

Or a needy person in misery,

Translations:

or of a needy [stranger] lying in the dust

Or to the indigent (down) in the dust.

Or some poor wretch in misery,

Or the poor man lying in the dust.

Or a needy person in misery

ثُمَّ كَانَ مِنَ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَتَوَاصَوْا بِالصَّبْرِ وَتَوَاصَوْا بِالْمَرْحَمَةِ

Transliteration:

Thumma kana mina allatheena amanoo watawasaw bialssabri watawasaw bialmarhamati

Word by Word:

Then he is of those who believe and enjoin (each other) to patience, and enjoin (each other) to compassion.

Translations:

and being, withal, of those who have attained to faith, and who enjoin upon one another patience in adversity, and enjoin upon one another compassion.

Then will he be of those who believe, and enjoin patience, (constancy, and self-restraint), and enjoin deeds of kindness and compassion.

And to be of those who believe and exhort one another to perseverance and exhort one another to pity.

Then he is of those who believe and exhort one another to patience, and exhort one another to mercy.

And then being among those who believed and advised one another to patience and advised one another to compassion.