Swearing comes in general to confirm the meaning, that is why one of the righteous people said: “who angered The Honorable so He swore?”.

Allah (swt) sometimes confirms the swearing by Himself or by some of His creation, sometimes the swearing comes in negative form . Strangely enough that Allah (swt) gives the answer to swearing saying:

  { لَقَدْ خَلَقْنَا الْإِنسَانَ فِي كَبَدٍ  }

(We have certainly created man into hardship. (4))

Someone may ask: How Allah (swt) says: “I do not swear by” then gives the answer to searing? Our clarification is: As if Allah (swt) here is saying: “I do not need to swear to you, and had I willed to swear, I would swear by the city.

(This city) refers to Makkah and what is around it. Makkah used to be a barren and deserted place, no crops, water, plants or people in it. Allah (swt) mentions Sayyidna Ibrahim’s (pbuh) words:

 { رَّبَّنَا إِنِّي أَسْكَنتُ مِن ذُرِّيَّتِي بِوَادٍ غَيْرِ ذِي زَرْعٍ عِندَ بَيْتِكَ الْمُحَرَّمِ رَبَّنَا لِيُقِيمُوا الصَّلَاةَ فَاجْعَلْ أَفْئِدَةً مِّنَ النَّاسِ تَهْوِي إِلَيْهِمْ وَارْزُقْهُم مِّنَ الثَّمَرَاتِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَشْكُرُونَ}

(Our Lord, I have settled some of my descendants in an uncultivated valley near Your sacred House, our Lord, that they may establish prayer. So make hearts among the people incline toward them and provide for them from the fruits that they might be grateful.)
(Ibrahim: 37)

It used to be a land, with no hope to be cultivated by humans’ effort, but Ibrahim (pbuh) supplicated his Lord (swt) saying:

 {إِذْ قَالَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ رَبِّ اجْعَلْ هَٰذَا بَلَدًا آمِنًا وَارْزُقْ أَهْلَهُ مِنَ الثَّمَرَاتِ }

(And [mention] when Abraham said, “My Lord, make this a secure city and provide its people with fruits -) (Al-Baqara: 126)

He (pbuh) requested two things from Allah (swt): To make this barren place a city and to make it safe. What differentiate a city from others are the homes, buildings and the availability of the essential needs for mankind. Here Allah (swt) swore by this city as a reminder for people about Makkah and how it used to be when Ibrahim (pbuh), Sayyidah Hajer and their baby Isma’el (pbuh) came to it.  It was not a city nor any place of value, so Allah (swt) is reminding them of this blessing, despite that, they disbelieve, lie and avert from Allah’s (swt) path.