Social Quranevery verse · a conversation
Sign in
سُورَةُ البَلَدِ · 90:1
MeccanRevelation order ٣٥Juzʾ ٣٠Page ٥٩٤

بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ

بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ لَآ أُقْسِمُ بِهَٰذَا ٱلْبَلَدِ

١
Saheeh International · EN

I swear by this city, Makkah -

IntroductionRevelationTafsirTransmissionDebate
Bio

Introduction

This is āyah 1 of Sūrat Al-Balad (The City), the 35th sūrah in the traditional order of revelation. It was revealed in the Meccan period and sits within Juzʾ 30. Meccan verses tend to address faith, the oneness of God, and the hereafter.

This introduction is a starting point — the community and Bilal will enrich it over time.

Bio

Revelation & occasion

Asbāb al-Nuzūl
Period
Meccan
Order revealed
35 of 114
Surah
Al-Balad (90)

No specific occasion of revelation (Asbāb al-Nuzūl) is recorded for this āyah in al-Wāḥidī's collection. Many verses were revealed without a single triggering event.

Commentary

Tafsir

4 works

Hafiz Ibn Kathir

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. لَا أُقْسِمُ بِهَٰذَا الْبَلَدِ - وَأَنتَ حِلٌّ بِهَٰذَا الْبَلَدِ - وَوَالِدٍ وَمَا وَلَدَ - لَقَدْ خَلَقْنَا الْإِنسَانَ فِي كَبَدٍ - أَيَحْسَبُ أَن لَّن يَقْدِرَ عَلَيْهِ أَحَدٌ - يَقُولُ أَهْلَكْتُ مَالًا لُّبَدًا - أَيَحْسَبُ أَن لَّمْ يَرَهُ أَحَدٌ - أَلَمْ نَجْعَل لَّهُ عَيْنَيْنِ - وَلِسَانًا وَشَفَتَيْنِ - وَهَدَيْنَاهُ النَّجْدَيْنِ (1. Nay! I swear by this city;)(2. And you are free in this city.)(3. And by the begetter and that which he begot.)(4. Verily, We have created man in Kabad.)(5. Does he think that none can overcome him?)(6. He says: "I have wasted wealth in abundance!")(7. Does he think that none sees him?)(8. Have We not made for him two eyes?)(9. And a tongue and two lips?)(10. And shown him the two ways?) Swearing by the Sanctity of Makkah and Other Things that …
Provenance

Chains of transmission

Oral — isnād

  1. ~610–632 CERevelation & memorisation

    Received by the Prophet ﷺ and preserved by the ḥuffāẓ (memorisers) among the Companions.

  2. 1st century AHMutawātir transmissionawaiting curation

    Carried by mass-transmission through the generations of qurrāʾ.

  3. TodayLiving chainsawaiting curation

    Continuous ijāzah chains link reciters today back to the Prophet ﷺ.

Verified isnād chains for this āyah will be added by curators.

Written — the manuscript record

  1. ~650 CEʿUthmānic codicesawaiting curation

    The standardised muṣḥaf sent to the great cities (e.g. the Topkapı and Samarqand codices).

  2. 8th–10th c.Early Ḥijāzī & Kūfic foliosawaiting curation

    Surviving leaves in Birmingham, Sanaa, Paris (BnF) and beyond.

  3. Modern printModern printawaiting curation

    The 1924 Cairo edition → today: the standard printed muṣḥaf used worldwide.

A curated chain of manuscript images for this exact āyah — roughly one per century — is coming. Help us source and verify them.

The wall

And now — what do you think?

The text, its history and the classical commentary are laid out above. Share your own understanding, ask a question, or reason with others.

Sign in to add your voice to this verse.
No reflections yet — be the first.
Provenance

Community resources

No community resources for this verse yet.