Surah Al-Balad, Ayah 3

Which was revealed in Makkah

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَـنِ الرَّحِيمِ

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

Swearing by the Sanctity of Makkah and Other Things that Man was created in Hardship

Here Allah has sworn by Makkah, the Mother of the Towns, addressing its resident (during the non-sacred months,) free in this city in order to draw his attention to the significance of its sanctity when its people are in the state of sanctity. Khusayf reported from Mujahid;

لاَ أُقْسِمُ بِهَـذَا الْبَلَدِ

(Nay! I swear by this city;) "The word "La" (Nay) refers to the refutation against them (Quraish). I swear by this city." Shabib bin Bishr narrated from `Ikrimah, from Ibn `Abbas that he said,

لاَ أُقْسِمُ بِهَـذَا الْبَلَدِ

وَوَالِدٍ وَمَا وَلَدَ (and by the father and that which he begot,...90:3) The word walid refers to Holy Prophet 'Adam (علیہ السلام) the father of mankind, and the phrase مَا وَلَدَ 'that which he begot' refers to his children from the inception of the world to the end of the world. Thus this phrase swears an oath by Holy Prophet 'Adam (علیہ السلام) and all his children. The subject of the oath follows next, thus: