Surah Al-Balad

Surah 90 · The City · 20 verses · meccan

The City — al-Balad, Makkah, sworn by in the opening verse.

The story

Allah says life is hard on purpose — that is normal. Then He describes a steep hill that most people never climb. It turns out the hill is: setting someone free, feeding a hungry child, and being patient and kind.

How it unfolds

AYAH 1-7
Created into hardship
The oath by the city and by a parent, and life's difficulty stated as design.
AYAH 8-10
Two eyes and a tongue
Eyes, a tongue, two lips, and the two paths shown.
AYAH 11-20
The steep pass
Freeing a neck, feeding on a day of hunger, and mutual counsel to patience and mercy.

Verses to carry

90:4"We have certainly created man into hardship."
90:12"And what can make you know what the difficult pass is?"
90:17"And advised one another to patience and advised one another to compassion."

Remember this

The hardest and best thing you can do is help someone who has nothing.

Talk about it

Allah calls helping people a "steep hill". Why do you think it is hard?