Tafsir of Al-Balad 90:17-20

{Then he is of those who have believed} The particle thumma (then) is used here to denote a delay in rank and virtue, not in time. Faith is the primary prerequisite that precedes all else; no righteous deed is established except through it.

{And enjoined patience and enjoined compassion} Al-marhama means mercy. It means they enjoin one another to be patient in their faith and to remain steadfast upon it. It may also mean to be patient in abstaining from sins, to be patient in performing acts of obedience, and to be patient during the trials with which a believer is tested. It further means that they should be merciful and compassionate toward one another, or that they should enjoin that which leads to the mercy of Allah.

{The companions of the right... The companions of the left} Al-maymana and al-mash’ama refer to the right and the left. Alternatively, they refer to blessedness (yumn) and misfortune (shu’m); meaning those who are blessed for their own souls and those who are wretched for theirs.

{Shut in upon them} It is recited as mu’sadah (with a waw and a hamza). It is derived from wasadtu al-bab and asadtu-hu (I closed the door), meaning to shut and lock it. Abu Bakr ibn ‘Ayyash said: "We have an Imam who pronounces the hamza in mu’sadah, and I desire to plug my ears when I hear him."

From the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ): "Whoever recites La uqsimu bi-hadha al-balad (Surah Al-Balad), Allah will grant him security from His wrath on the Day of Resurrection."