Benefits and Virtues of Surah 90 Al-Balad

90. Al-Balad

90.1 Abu `Imran Al-Jawni (رحمه الله) said

﴾ ووالد وما ولد ﴿

And [by] the father and that which was born [of him] (90:3)

refers to Ibrahim (عليه السلام) and his progeny.’

(Tafsir Ibn Kathir)

90.2 Ibn Kathir (رحمه الله) said about

﴾ فك رقبة ﴿

It is the freeing of a slave (90:13)

That Imam Ahmad narrated from Sa`id bin Marjanah that he heard Abu Hurayrah saying that the Messenger of Allah said,

Whoever frees a believing slave, Allah will free for every limb (of the slave) one of his limbs from the Fire. This is to such an extent that He (Allah) will free a hand for a hand, a leg for a leg, and a private part for a private part. Ali bin Al-Husayn then said (to Sa`id), “Did you hear this from Abu Hurayrah” Sa`id replied, “Yes.” Then `Ali bin Al-Husayn said to a slave boy that he owned who was the swiftest of his servants, “Call Mutarrif!” So when the slave was brought before him he said, “Go, for you are free for the Face of Allah.”

Imam Ahmad recorded from `Amr bin `Abasah that the Prophet said,

Whoever builds a Masjid so that Allah may be remembered in it, Allah will build a house for him in Paradise and whoever frees a Muslim person, then it will be his ransom from Hell and whoever grows grey in Islam, then it will be a light for him on the Day of Judgement.)

According to another route of transmission, Ahmad recorded from Abu Umamah, who reported from `Amr bin `Abasah that As-Sulami said to him, “Narrate a Hadith to us that you heard from the Messenger of Allah, without any deficiency or mistakes.” He (`Amr) said, “I heard him saying,

Whoever has three children born to him in Islam, and they die before reaching the age of puberty, Allah will enter him into Paradise by virtue of His mercy to them. And whoever grows gray in the way of Allah (fighting Jihad), then it will be a light for him on the Day of Judgement. And whoever shoots an arrow in the way of Allah (fighting Jihad) that reaches the enemy, whether it hits or misses, he will get the reward of freeing a slave. And whoever frees a believing slave, then Allah will free each of his limbs from the Fire for every limb that the slave has.  And whoever equipped two riding animals in the way of Allah (for fighting Jihad), then indeed Paradise has eight gates, and Allah will allow him to enter any of them he chooses.”

(Tafsir Ibn Kathir)

90.3 Ibn Kathir (رحمه الله) said about

﴾ يتيما ذا مقربة ﴿

An orphan of near relationship (90:15)

That in a Hadith that was collected by Imam Ahmad on the authority of Salman bin Amir who said that he heard the Messenger of Allah say,

Charity given to the poor person is counted as one charity, while if it is given to a relative it is counted as two: charity and connecting the ties (of kinship).

(Tafsir Ibn Kathir)

90.4 Abu Basir transmitted from Imam al-Sadiq (عليه السلام)

If a person recites Sura al-Balad in the obligatory prayers, he will come to be known in this world as righteous and in the Afterlife as having a special position before Allah, and he will be a companion of the prophets, martyrs, and righteous people.”

(Thawab-al-A’mal)

90.5 Ubayyd b. Ka’b  transmitted from the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم)

If a person recites Sura al-Balad, Allah will secure him from His Anger on the Day of Judgment, and he will survive the hard passages of the Afterlife.

(Majma’-al-Bayan)