Surah Al-Balad (The City) Full Text — La Uqsimu bi-Hadha al-Balad (Hafs)

About Surah Al-Balad

Surah Al-Balad is the 90th surah in the order of the mushaf, and one of the Meccan surahs — revealed to the Prophet ﷺ before the migration to Madinah. It contains 20 ayahs, and it is the thirteenth surah of Juz ‘Amma, the final part of the Quran that most Muslims begin their memorisation with.

The surah opens with an oath — «la uqsimu bi-hadha al-balad» (“I swear by this city”) — by the city which the commentators agree is Makkah, honoured further by the Prophet’s ﷺ residence in it: “and you are dwelling freely in this city.” The oath leads to a plain statement about the human condition: “We have certainly created man into hardship” — «kabad», a life of toil and struggle from birth to death. The surah then reminds man of the gifts of two eyes, a tongue and two lips, and of the two highways of good and evil he has been shown, before calling him to the steep path — «al-‘aqabah» — of freeing the enslaved, feeding the orphan and the poor, faith, patience and mercy, and closing with the two companies: the companions of the right and the companions of the left.

The text shown on this page is the narration of Hafs ‘an ‘Asim, the reading used in most of the Muslim world, in the Uthmani script that follows the Madinah mushaf. The audio recitation is by Sheikh Saad Al-Ghamdi.

Virtues and place of Surah Al-Balad

1. An oath by the honoured city of Makkah

Allah opens the surah by swearing by “this city” — Makkah — and joins to its honour the honour of His Messenger ﷺ: “and you are dwelling freely in this city.” For those who love Makkah, the surah is a reminder that the city’s sanctity is proclaimed in the Quran itself, and made greater still by the Prophet’s ﷺ presence in it.

2. The Quran’s definition of true virtue

Against the boast of the man who says “I have squandered abundant wealth,” the surah sets its own measure of goodness: not wealth spent in show, but the freeing of the enslaved and the feeding — on a day of severe hunger — of the orphan of near relationship and the poor person in misery. It is one of the clearest statements in the Quran that real virtue is costly, practical compassion.

3. Realism that gives the struggle meaning

“We have certainly created man into hardship” is a statement of realism: life is toil and struggle from birth to death, for believer and disbeliever alike. What the surah offers is direction — the steep path of faith, patience and mercy turns that unavoidable struggle into a road that ends among the companions of the right.

Themes of the Surah

1. Oath by this city (ayahs 1–4)

Allah swears by this city — Makkah — with the Prophet ﷺ dwelling in it, and by the begetter and what he begot, then declares the truth the oath affirms: “We have certainly created man into hardship” — this life is toil and struggle from birth to death.

Read from ayah 1 →

2. The gifts and the two ways (ayahs 5–10)

Does man think that none has power over him? He boasts, “I have squandered abundant wealth” — does he think that no one saw him? Have We not made for him two eyes, a tongue and two lips — and shown him the two highways, of good and of evil?

Read from ayah 5 →

3. The steep path (ayahs 11–16)

But he has not attempted the steep path — «al-‘aqabah». And what can make you know what the steep path is? The freeing of a slave, or feeding on a day of severe hunger an orphan of near relationship, or a poor person in misery.

Read from ayah 11 →

4. The companions of the right and the left (ayahs 17–20)

Then being among those who believe and counsel one another to patience and counsel one another to mercy — those are the companions of the right. But those who disbelieve in Our signs are the companions of the left, and over them will be a Fire closed in.

Read from ayah 17 →

Tips for reading and memorising

It is a short surah of 20 short ayahs — ideal for the early stages of your Quran memorisation.
A simple plan is about four ayahs a day over five days — one section of the surah every day or two.
Listen to the recitation above by Sheikh Saad Al-Ghamdi and repeat after him.
Let the section on the steep path remind you to pair memorisation with action — a small act of feeding or charity fixes its meaning in the heart.
Use the “font size” buttons at the top of the page for a comfortable read.
You can print the surah from your browser (Ctrl+P) for a clean paper copy.

Frequently asked questions

How many ayahs are in Surah Al-Balad?

Surah Al-Balad has 20 ayahs. It is the 90th surah in the order of the mushaf, and it is a Meccan surah.

Why is it called Surah Al-Balad?

It is called Surah Al-Balad (“The City”) after the oath in its opening verse — «la uqsimu bi-hadha al-balad» (“I swear by this city”). The city sworn by, as the commentators agree, is Makkah.

Which city does the oath in Surah Al-Balad refer to?

The commentators agree that the city is Makkah. Its honour is joined in the next verse to the honour of the Prophet ﷺ himself: «wa anta hillun bi-hadha al-balad» — “and you are dwelling freely in this city.”

What does «kabad» mean in Surah Al-Balad?

In the verse «laqad khalaqna al-insana fi kabad», the word «kabad» means toil and hardship: man is created into a life of continuous struggle, from birth to death. The surah then shows how faith gives that struggle meaning and direction.

What is «al-‘aqabah» (the steep path) in Surah Al-Balad?

The steep path is the demanding road of virtue that the surah calls man to attempt: freeing a slave, or feeding — on a day of severe hunger — an orphan of near relationship or a poor person in misery, and then being among those who believe and counsel one another to patience and to mercy.

Who are the companions of the right and the left?

The companions of the right are those who believe and counsel one another to patience and to mercy. The companions of the left are those who disbelieve in Allah’s signs — and over them, the surah warns, will be a Fire closed in.

Where does Surah Al-Balad fall in the Quran?

It is the 90th surah of the mushaf and the thirteenth surah of Juz ‘Amma — the 30th and final juz of the Quran, which is the part most Muslims begin their memorisation with.

How long does it take to read the full surah?

A complete recitation of Surah Al-Balad takes about 2 minutes at a moderate pace. Its 20 ayahs are short, which makes it well suited to daily reading and memorisation.

Which recitation is the text on this page based on?

The text shown on this page is the narration of Hafs ‘an ‘Asim — the most widely used reading in the Muslim world — written in the Uthmani script that follows the Madinah mushaf. The audio recitation on this page is by Sheikh Saad Al-Ghamdi.

Surah Al-Balad (The City) — Full Text in Clear Arabic Script

Listen to the recitation