Read the surah · Surah 90
An editorial summary of the translations. Not a translation or tafsir.
Twenty verses sworn by the city, and by a father and what he begot, and then the claim that man was created in hardship. The steep path is named and then explained, because the reader will not have guessed it: freeing a slave, or feeding on a day of hunger an orphan near of kin or a poor person in the dust.
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Verse 1 of 20
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لَآ أُقْسِمُ بِهَٰذَا ٱلْبَلَدِ
Easy-read (simplified)laa uqsimu bihaadhaa l-balad
DIN 31635lā ʾuqsimu bihāḏā l-baladi
I swear by this land.
Nay, I swear by this city
I need not swear by the Lord of this land
I NEED not to swear by this SOIL
I swear by this territory
وَأَنتَ حِلٌّۢ بِهَٰذَا ٱلْبَلَدِ
Easy-read (simplified)wa'anta hillun bihaadhaa l-balad
DIN 31635waʾanta ḥillun bihāḏā l-baladi
The translators word this verse differently
And you are a resident of this land.
And thou art an indweller of this city
and though a dweller in this land
This soil on which thou dost dwell
and thou, O prophet, residest in this territory
وَوَالِدٍ وَمَا وَلَدَ
Easy-read (simplified)wawaalidin wamaa walad
DIN 31635wawālidin wamā walada
The translators word this verse differently
And by a father and what he fathered.
And the begetter and that which he begat
Nor by the begetter and what he begets
Or by sire and offspring
and by the begetter, and that which He hath begotten
لَقَدْ خَلَقْنَا ٱلْإِنسَٰنَ فِى كَبَدٍ
Easy-read (simplified)laqad khalaqnaa l-'insaana fee kabad
DIN 31635laqad ḫalaqnā l-ʾinsāna fī kabadin
We created man in distress.
We verily have created man in an atmosphere
We have surely created man in trouble
Surely in trouble have we created man
verily We have created man in misery
أَيَحْسَبُ أَن لَّن يَقْدِرَ عَلَيْهِ أَحَدٌ
Easy-read (simplified)ayahsabu an lan yaqdira 'alayhi ahad
DIN 31635ʾayaḥsabu ʾan lan yaqdira ʿalayhi ʾaḥadun
Does he think that no one has power over him?
Thinketh he that none hath power over him
Does he think that none can do aught against him
What! thinketh he that no one hath power over him
Doth he think that none shall prevail over him
يَقُولُ أَهْلَكْتُ مَالًا لُّبَدًا
Easy-read (simplified)yaqoolu ahlaktu maalan lubadaa
DIN 31635yaqūlu ʾahlaktu mālan lubadan
The translators word this verse differently
He says, "I have used up so much money."
And he saith: I have destroyed vast wealth
He says, I have wasted wealth in plenty
I have wasted," saith he, "enormous riches
He saith, I have wasted plenty of riches
أَيَحْسَبُ أَن لَّمْ يَرَهُۥٓ أَحَدٌ
Easy-read (simplified)ayahsabu an lam yarahu ahad
DIN 31635ʾayaḥsabu ʾan lam yarahu ʾaḥadun
Does he think that no one sees him?
Thinketh he that none beholdeth him
does he think that no one sees him
What! thinketh he that no one regardeth him
Doth he think that none seeth him
أَلَمْ نَجْعَل لَّهُۥ عَيْنَيْنِ
Easy-read (simplified)alam naj'al lahu 'aynayn
DIN 31635ʾalam naǧʿal lahu ʿaynayni
Did We not give him two eyes?
Did We not assign unto him two eyes
Have we not made for him two eyes
What! have we not made him eyes
Have we not made him two eyes
وَلِسَانًا وَشَفَتَيْنِ
Easy-read (simplified)walisaanan washafatayn
DIN 31635walisānan wašafatayni
And a tongue, and two lips?
And a tongue and two lips
and a tongue, and two lips
And tongue, and lips
and a tongue, and two lips
وَهَدَيْنَٰهُ ٱلنَّجْدَيْنِ
Easy-read (simplified)wahadaynaahu n-najdayn
DIN 31635wahadaynāhu n-naǧdayni
And We showed him the two ways?
And guide him to the parting of the mountain ways
and guided him in the two highways
And guided him to the two highways
and shewn him the two highways of good and evil
فَلَا ٱقْتَحَمَ ٱلْعَقَبَةَ
Easy-read (simplified)falaa qtahama l-'aqabah
DIN 31635falā qtaḥama l-ʿaqabata
But he did not brave the ascent.
But he hath not attempted the Ascent
but he will not attempt the steep
Yet he attempted not the steep
Yet he attempteth not the cliff
وَمَآ أَدْرَىٰكَ مَا ٱلْعَقَبَةُ
Easy-read (simplified)wamaa adraaka maa l-'aqabah
DIN 31635wamā ʾadrāka mā l-ʿaqabatu
And what will explain to you what the ascent is?
Ah, what will convey unto thee what the Ascent is
And what shall make thee know what the steep is
And who shall teach thee what the steep is
What shall make thee to understand what the cliff is
فَكُّ رَقَبَةٍ
Easy-read (simplified)fakku raqabah
DIN 31635fakku raqabatin
The translators word this verse differently
The freeing of a slave.
(It is) to free a slave
It is freeing captives
It is to ransom the captive
It is to free the captive
أَوْ إِطْعَٰمٌ فِى يَوْمٍ ذِى مَسْغَبَةٍ
Easy-read (simplified)aw it'aamun fee yawmin dhee masghabah
DIN 31635ʾaw ʾiṭʿāmun fī yawmin ḏī masġabatin
Or the feeding on a day of hunger.
And to feed in the day of hunger
or feeding on the day of famine
Or to feed in the day of famine
or to feed, in the day of famine
يَتِيمًا ذَا مَقْرَبَةٍ
Easy-read (simplified)yateeman dhaa maqrabah
DIN 31635yatīman ḏā maqrabatin
An orphan near of kin.
An orphan near of kin
an orphan who is akin
The orphan who is near of kin
the orphan who is of kin
أَوْ مِسْكِينًا ذَا مَتْرَبَةٍ
Easy-read (simplified)aw miskeenan dhaa matrabah
DIN 31635ʾaw miskīnan ḏā matrabatin
The translators word this verse differently
Or a destitute in the dust.
Or some poor wretch in misery
or a poor man who lies in the dust
or the poor that lieth in the dust
or the poor man who lieth on the ground
ثُمَّ كَانَ مِنَ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَتَوَاصَوْا۟ بِٱلصَّبْرِ وَتَوَاصَوْا۟ بِٱلْمَرْحَمَةِ
Easy-read (simplified)thumma kaana mina lladheena aamanoo watawaasaw bis-sabri watawaasaw bil-marhamah
DIN 31635ṯumma kāna mina llaḏīna ʾāmanū watawāṣaw biṣ-ṣabri watawāṣaw bil-marḥamati
The translators word this verse differently
Then he becomes of those who believe, and advise one another to patience, and advise one another to kindness.
And to be of those who believe and exhort one another to perseverance and exhort one another to pity
and again (it is) to be of these who believe and encourage each other to patience, and encourage each other to mercy
Beside this, to be of those who believe, and enjoin stedfastness on each other, and enjoin compassion on each other
Whoso doth this, and is one of those who believe, and recommend perseverance unto each other, and recommend mercy unto each other
أُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ أَصْحَٰبُ ٱلْمَيْمَنَةِ
Easy-read (simplified)oolaa'ika ashaabu l-maymanah
DIN 31635ʾūlāʾika ʾaṣḥābu l-maymanati
These are the people of happiness.
Their place will be on the right hand
these are the fellows of the right
These shall be the people of the right hand
these shall be the companions of the right-hand
وَٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ بِـَٔايَٰتِنَا هُمْ أَصْحَٰبُ ٱلْمَشْـَٔمَةِ
Easy-read (simplified)walladheena kafaroo bi'aayaatinaa hum ashaabu l-mash'amah
DIN 31635wallaḏīna kafarū biʾāyātinā hum ʾaṣḥābu l-mašʾamati
But as for those who defy Our revelations-these are the people of misery.
But those who disbelieve Our revelations, their place will be on the left hand
But those who disbelieve in our signs, they are the fellows of the left
While they who disbelieve our signs, Shall be the people of the left
But they who shall disbelieve our signs, shall be the companions of the left-hand
عَلَيْهِمْ نَارٌ مُّؤْصَدَةٌۢ
Easy-read (simplified)'alayhim naarun mu'sadah
DIN 31635ʿalayhim nārun muʾṣadatun
The translators word this verse differently
Upon them is a padlocked Fire.
Fire will be an awning over them
for them is fire that closes in
Around them the fire shall close
Above them shall be arched fire
Arabic textTanzil Qur'an text (Uthmani) ·Uthmani, Version 1.1·Tanzil Project ·Creative Commons Attribution 3.0·retrieved 24 Aug 2026
Qur'anic text from the Tanzil Project. Copyright (C) 2007-2026 Tanzil Project License: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Source: tanzil.net · Updates: tanzil.net/updates/ https://tanzil.net/updates/
Edward Henry Palmer, English translation of the Qur'an ·1880 translation, digital edition of unverified printing·None — public domain work ·Public domain — copyright term expired·retrieved 24 Aug 2026
George Sale, English translation of the Qur'an ·1734 translation, digital edition of unverified printing·None — public domain work ·Public domain — copyright term expired·retrieved 24 Aug 2026
John Medows Rodwell, English translation of the Qur'an ·1861 translation, digital edition of unverified printing·None — public domain work ·Public domain — copyright term expired·retrieved 24 Aug 2026
Pickthall, The Meaning of the Glorious Koran ·1930 translation, digital edition of unverified printing·None — public domain work ·Public domain — copyright term expired·retrieved 24 Aug 2026
Talal Itani, ClearQuran ·ClearQuran, "God" edition, EPUB·Talal Itani / ClearQuran.com ·Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International·retrieved 7 Sep 2026
Translation by Talal Itani, ClearQuran.com https://clearquran.com