Surah “The City, This Countryside”

as rendered by Dr. Laleh Bakhtiar — 20 verses

I swear an oath by this land
thou art allowed in this land
and by ones who are your parents and what is procreated,
truly, We created the human being in trouble.
Assumes he that none has power over him?
He says: I have caused abundant wealth to perish.
Assumes he that none sees him?
Make we not two eyes for him
and a tongue and two lips
and guided him to the two open highways?
Yet he rushed not onto the steep ascent.
What will cause thee to recognize what the steep ascent is?
It is the liberating of a bondsperson
or feeding on a day possessing famine
an orphan, possessor of kinship,
or a needy, possessor of misery.
Again, it had been among those who believed and counseled one another to having patience and counseled one another to clemency.
Those will be the Companions of the Right.
But they who were ungrateful for Our signs they will be the Companions of the Left
and over them will be fire, that which is closing in.