AL BALAD (The City)
In the Name of God,1 the Gracious, the Merciful 2
1 I call to witness this city;
2 And you are a freeman of this city;
3 And a parent and a child;
4 Truly we have created man for toil and struggle.
5 Does he think that no one has power over him?
6 He may say: Wealth have I squandered in abundance!
7 Does he think that no one beholds him?
8 Have we not made for him a pair of eyes?
9 And a tongue, and a pair of lips?
10 And shown him the two highways?
11 But he has made no haste on the path that is steep.
12 And what will explain to you the path that is steep?
13 Freeing the bondman,
14 Or the giving of food in a day of privation,
15 To the orphan with claims of relationship,
16 Or to the indigent in the dust.
17 Then will he be of those who believe, and enjoin patience, deeds of kindness and compassion.
18 Such are the companions of the right hand.
19 But those who reject our signs, they are the companions of the left hand.
20 On them will be fire closed over.
- God, in Arabic allah, referring to the one true God, as opposed to an idol or “god.” It is the Arabic equivalent of elohim and eloah (Hebrew), alaha (Syriac), and theos (Greek), all of which accurately translate into English as “God.” This translation choice is consistent with respected English Quran translations including those of A. Yusuf Ali (original edition), S.H. Nasr (Study Quran), T.B. Irving, and T. Itani (Clear Quran). ↩︎
- the Gracious, the Merciful, the highlighting of God’s grace and mercy predates the Quran, coming down from the many hundreds of references in the Taurat, Zabur, and Injil. A few samples follow:
Taurat, Exodus 34:6 — …YAHWEH, a merciful and gracious God, slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness and truth.
Zabur 145:8 — YAHWEH is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great loving kindness.
Taurat, Joel 2:13 — Tear your heart, and not your garments, and turn to YAHWEH your God; for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness, and relents from sending calamity.
Taurat, Yunus 4:2 — …I knew that you are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness, and you relent of doing harm.”
Injil, 1 Timothy 1:2 — …Grace, mercy, and peace from God our Father and AL-MASIH ‘ISA our Lord.
Injil, Hebrews 4:16 — Let us therefore draw near with boldness to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace for help in time of need. ↩︎