SURAH 90 — Al-Balad — البلد — “The City”
• Revelation Order: 35
• Event Anchor: Early Meccan confrontation with arrogance and social injustice (c. 614–618 CE)
Explanation:
Al-Balad is addressed from within Mecca (“this city”), challenging its elite about their pride, oppression, and resistance to moral reform. The surah contrasts the arrogance of those who exploit the weak with the “steep path” of freeing slaves, feeding the poor, and fostering patience and mercy. This aligns with the early Meccan period when Muhammad’s message directly confronted the economic and social power structures of Quraysh. The surah fits the stage where ethical demands clashed with the complacency and entitlement of Meccan aristocracy.
| Verse | Verse # | Meccan v Medinan | General Index |
|---|---|---|---|
| I swear by this city, Makkah – | 1 | Meccan | 6024 |
| And you, [O Muhammad], are free of restriction in this city – | 2 | Meccan | 6025 |
| And [by] the father and that which was born [of him], | 3 | Meccan | 6026 |
| We have certainly created man into hardship. | 4 | Meccan | 6027 |
| Does he think that never will anyone overcome him? | 5 | Meccan | 6028 |
| He says, “I have spent wealth in abundance.” | 6 | Meccan | 6029 |
| Does he think that no one has seen him? | 7 | Meccan | 6030 |
| Have We not made for him two eyes? | 8 | Meccan | 6031 |
| And a tongue and two lips? | 9 | Meccan | 6032 |
| And have shown him the two ways? | 10 | Meccan | 6033 |
| But he has not broken through the difficult pass. | 11 | Meccan | 6034 |
| And what can make you know what is [breaking through] the difficult pass? | 12 | Meccan | 6035 |
| It is the freeing of a slave | 13 | Meccan | 6036 |
| Or feeding on a day of severe hunger | 14 | Meccan | 6037 |
| An orphan of near relationship | 15 | Meccan | 6038 |
| Or a needy person in misery | 16 | Meccan | 6039 |
| And then being among those who believed and advised one another to patience and advised one another to compassion. | 17 | Meccan | 6040 |
| Those are the companions of the right. | 18 | Meccan | 6041 |
| But they who disbelieved in Our signs – those are the companions of the left. | 19 | Meccan | 6042 |
| Over them will be fire closed in. | 20 | Meccan | 6043 |