بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ

لَا أُقْسِمُ بِهَذَا الْبَلَدِ ﴿۱﴾ وَأَنْتَ حِلٌّ بِهَذَا الْبَلَدِ ﴿۲﴾ وَوَالِدٍ وَمَا وَلَدَ ﴿۳﴾ لَقَدْ خَلَقْنَا الْإِنْسَانَ فِي كَبَدٍ ﴿۴﴾

﴾1﴿ Laaa uqsimu bihaazal balad
﴾2﴿ Wa anta hillum bihaazal balad
﴾3﴿ Wa waalidinw wa maa walad
﴾4﴿ Laqad khalaqnal insaana fee kabad

﴾1﴿ Not at all! I swear by this city
﴾2﴿ And you are made dishonor in this city
﴾3﴿ And by the father and by whom he begot
﴾4﴿ Indeed, We have created man in hardship

Surah Al Balad

The City

Relevancy: This surah and the previous surah share several connections. In the previous surah, there was encouragement to supplicate during times of acceptance, while in this surah, there is encouragement toward righteous endurance and a warning against wrongful hardship. The second connection is that the previous surah contained a reprimand for failing to honor the orphan and feed the poor, whereas this surah encourages honoring and feeding the orphan and the poor, coupled with having faith.
Claim of this surah: Encouragement is given to endure hardship in a righteous manner and to avoid wrongful hardship in verse (4). In this, three of Allah the Exalted’s active attributes are mentioned: creating man, forming his limbs, and guiding him.
Summary of the surah: He mentioned two testimonies regarding the claim in Surah (4). Then, punishment with suffering is an evil torment in (6) along with a corrupt belief in (5,7). The first corrupt belief is the denial of Allah’s power, and the second is the denial of Allah’s knowledge. This serves as a basis for enduring hardship in a corrupt manner. Then, four blessings are mentioned in (8,9,10), through which one can distinguish between good and bad hardship. Then, the mention of righteous hardship is through six matters, along with glad tidings up to (18), and it is named "Aqaba." Then, there is a warning of the Hereafter regarding those who engage in evil hardship in (19,20).

interpretation

[1] (بِهَذَا الْبَلَدِ) – This is the first oath, and it is the consensus of the commentators that the intended meaning is Makkah al-Mukarramah, which is the "Mother of Cities" and the "Mother of Lands," from which the entire earth was spread.
[2] (حِلٌّ) – The commentators have mentioned various interpretations of this word. One interpretation is that it indicates the future and serves as a prophecy of the conquest of Makkah after migration, meaning that permission for you to fight in this city will be granted. The second interpretation is that حِلٌّ refers to the violation of sanctity, as in لَا تُحِلُّوا شَعَائِرَ اللَّهِ ("Do not violate the sacred symbols of Allah"), meaning that the polytheists will dishonor you in this city by intending to kill, expel, and insult you.
[3] This is the second oath, and the intended meaning of والد is Adam (peace be upon him), while ما وَلَد refers to all of his descendants (offspring). This interpretation is attributed to Mujahid and Hasan al-Basri, and it has been favored by most commentators.
[4] This is the response to the oath. The word (كَبَدٍ) originally means hardship and refers to enduring difficulties, whether physical or financial, whether voluntary (such as good and bad deeds) or involuntary. The connection between the oath and its response is that the land of Makkah, in particular, is a land of great hardship, to the extent that even the best of all creation, Muhammad (May Allah bless him and give him peace), endured many trials there. Similarly, its inhabitants, beginning with Adam (peace be upon him) and his descendants, have always faced difficulties and trials. However, some hardships are righteous, while others are evil. This serves as proof and testimony that hardship is inevitable in human life. However, it is necessary for a person to strive in righteous hardship and not consider himself independent of Allah’s power and actions.