read

Surah At-Takwir - The Folded Up

(Revealed at Mecca)

29 Verses in 1 Section

Sections of Surah At-Takwir

  1. The Day of Judgment.

At-Takwir - The Day Of Judgment

The symptoms or the signs of the approach of the Day of Judgment

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

“In the name of God the Beneficent the Merciful”

إِذَا الشَّمْسُ كُوِّرَتْ

“When the sun is folded.1” (81:1)

وَإِذَا النُّجُومُ انْكَدَرَتْ

“And when the stars darken2“ (81:2)

وَإِذَا الْجِبَالُ سُيِّرَتْ

“And when the mountains are removed (as scattered dust)3“ (81:3)

وَإِذَا الْعِشَارُ عُطِّلَتْ

“And when the ‘Ishaar’ (she camel) shall be abandoned” (81:4)

وَإِذَا الْوُحُوشُ حُشِرَتْ

“And when the wild beasts are herded together” (81:5)

وَإِذَا الْبِحَارُ سُجِّرَتْ

“And when the oceans are caused to boil and burn4“ (81:6)

وَإِذَا النُّفُوسُ زُوِّجَتْ

“And when souls shall be reunited5(with their bodies)” (81:7)

وَإِذَا الْمَوْءُودَةُ سُئِلَتْ

“And when the femal al-baby buried (alive) shall be asked (about)” (81:8)

بِأَيِّ ذَنْبٍ قُتِلَتْ

“For what sin (of hers) was she put to death” (81:9)

وَإِذَا الصُّحُفُ نُشِرَتْ

“And when the Books (of the deeds of mankind) shall be unfolded.6” (81:10)

وَإِذَا السَّمَاءُ كُشِطَتْ

“And when the heaven shall be removed7“ (81:11)

وَإِذَا الْجَحِيمُ سُعِّرَتْ

“And when the Hell shall be made to blaze” (81:12)

وَإِذَا الْجَنَّةُ أُزْلِفَتْ

“And when the Garden (Paradise) is brought nigh” (81:13)

عَلِمَتْ نَفْسٌ مَا أَحْضَرَتْ

“Every soul shall (then) know8what it hath presented” (81:14)

فَلَا أُقْسِمُ بِالْخُنَّسِ

“And I swear by the (turning) planets” (81:15)

الْجَوَارِ الْكُنَّسِ

“The running and the gliding ones” (81:16)

وَاللَّيْلِ إِذَا عَسْعَسَ

“And (by) the night when it endeth” (81:17)

وَالصُّبْحِ إِذَا تَنَفَّسَ

“And (by) the dawn when it brighteneth” (81:18)

إِنَّهُ لَقَوْلُ رَسُولٍ كَرِيمٍ

“Verily it (the Qur’an) is the word of an Apostle the most Honoured” (81:19)

ذِي قُوَّةٍ عِنْدَ ذِي الْعَرْشِ مَكِينٍ

“Gifted with Mighty Power9, Honoured in the presence of the Lord of the ‘ARSH’ (Universe)” (81:20)

مُطَاعٍ ثَمَّ أَمِينٍ

“The Obeyed One (by all creation) and above all the Trustworthy” (81:21)

وَمَا صَاحِبُكُمْ بِمَجْنُونٍ

“And (O’ ye people!) your Companion (Muhammad, is Our Apostle; he) is not gone mad” (81:22)

وَلَقَدْ رَآهُ بِالْأُفُقِ الْمُبِينِ

“And indeed, he saw him (Gabriel10the Messenger Angel) on the clear horizon” (81:23)

وَمَا هُوَ عَلَى الْغَيْبِ بِضَنِينٍ

“And he is not avid about the unseen” (81:24)

وَمَا هُوَ بِقَوْلِ شَيْطَانٍ رَجِيمٍ

“And nor is it the word of the Cursed Satan (the Outcast of the heavens)” (81:25)

فَأَيْنَ تَذْهَبُونَ

“Whither then go ye?” (81:26)

إِنْ هُوَ إِلَّا ذِكْرٌ لِلْعَالَمِينَ

“It (the Qur’an) is naught but a Reminder unto (all) the worlds” (81:27)

لِمَنْ شَاءَ مِنْكُمْ أَنْ يَسْتَقِيمَ

“Unto him of you who willeth, to go straight” (81:28)

وَمَا تَشَاءُونَ إِلَّا أَنْ يَشَاءَ اللَّهُ رَبُّ الْعَالَمِينَ

“And ye willeth not save that willeth God11, the Lord of the worlds” (81:29)

Commentary

Verse 1

Verses 1-13 mention the signs which will herald the dawn of the Day of Judgment. It is a well-known fact that the sun is the centre, controlling the solar system and it is the sun that gives all the light, heat and energy. With the sun losing its essential property, will naturally cease to maintain the present order in the heavenly bodies and every heavenly body will consequently lose its native property and will necessarily be decomposed and lose its form, its use and the usual functioning.

Verse 2

With the fate of the sun mentioned in the preceding verse, the stars will naturally lose their lustre.

Verse 3

With the sun ceasing to be what it is and consequently losing its hold on the solar system as a whole, the fate of the earth itself can be easily imagined and with the earth, the mountains will naturally suffer the fate mentioned in this verse12.

Verse 4

As the she camel when it is about to deliver a young one is, a very precious asset to the Arabs, even that will be unattended. So terrible will be the mental agony at the dawn of the Day of Judgment. It means to say that man will not care for anything of any value or worth to him.

‘Ishaar’ has been used for the she camel which had delivered its young one after ten months of pregnancy. She is the symbol of wealth and communication among the Arabs - any suspense of ‘‘Ishaar’ to an Arab is similar to the usage of the market coming to a standstill, meaning stoppage of social progress and transaction.

It may also mean when the social life is suspended, and the wild beings are gathered13. (A.P.)

Verse 5

It is said that even the animals will be collected together to give an account of their sufferings and to receive justice for their sufferings.

Verse 6

The whole equilibrium of the natural control at the flow of the water and its level will be lost and oceans will have no bounds and consequently surge and boil14.

The presentation of the oceans in 82:3 - as to be made to burst is the result of its being made to boil. It is not that both verses convey the same meaning. (A.P.)

Verse 7

The souls will be sorted, separated and r al-classified or paired with the others of corresponding, equal or the identical value. The three general or main classifications of the people on the Day of Judgment15.

The translators and commentators have given different views of ‘Zowarijat’ - reunion of the Soul with the body. Association of each human individual with its spiritual match or it means the souls are assorted into groups as indicated in Surah 56:7. The last one is more comprehensive and in conformity with the well-known sayings of the Holy Prophet. Souls are made into various hosts. Those familiar with others will be allied together and those who are unfamiliar with each other will differ from each other. (A.P.)

Verse 8 & 9

The Arabs used to bury alive their female children out of the feeling of the false degradation or shame of allowing their daughters to be enjoyed by the others as their spouses. Such female children which were buried alive will be questioned about the cause for their being killed, i.e., to say that the heinous crime of burying female babies also will have to be accounted for.

In some recitation instead of ‘Ma’oodah’ meaning buried, ‘Mawaddat’ meaning love has been recited, in which case the meaning remains the same, but the expression will be more rhetoric, because the one who buries his child, destroys affection entirely. (A.P.)

Verse 10

The recourse of the deeds of each individual will be laid open to man and woman. Every secret will be laid bare, and everything will be seen in its original or the true value. 50:17-18, 82:11-12.

Verse 11

After the solar system had disappeared, there will naturally be an open space in the place of the present skies.

Verse 15

It is to impress the statement with strength and stress that the powerful bodies of mysterious existence are used in the swearing16.

Verse 16-18

These are the five planets:

  1. Zohal

  2. Mushtari

  3. Zohra

  4. Otarad

  5. Mirreekh.

They are termed as wandering stars. They appear in their course to return back and become stationary for some time and again start their course - And for Mushtari in its yearly revolution eleven backward movements and for Zohal there are 29 backward movements, have been recorded. The Astronomers have given causes for it and of the Muslim scholars Ali is the first to give this interpretation. (A.P.)

Verse 19

i.e., The Angel Gabriel - who occupies the highest place of honour among the angels, who receives the messages from God and conveys them to God’s apostles on earth.

These attributes are true of both the Holy Prophet as well as the Angel Gabriel and verse 23 asserts that both were in communion in the Clear Horizon - the Clear Horizon here is different from the highest horizon is 53:7, which is lower than the Highest Horizon mentioned. Hence whatever is asserted for one is true of the other. The Holy Prophet has a further stage of attainment beyond the reach of Gabriel. (A.P.)

Verse 20-21

Mankind is once again informed that the Holy Prophet Muhammad is the true apostle of God and not a mad man as some of his enemies thought about him.

Verse 23

It is said that the Holy Prophet saw the Angel Gabriel in the different places in the horizon manifesting his strength and power.

Verse 24

What the Holy Prophet preaches is nothing but that which has been revealed. He would not grudge revealing to you what he receives from the unseen.

Verse 25

The pronoun ‘Howa’ repeated in the verse 25, 27 - may refer to one and the same object, ‘Qur’an’, and may here refer to Gabriel or the Holy Prophet in the 25th and 27th undoubtedly refers to Qur’an. The significance in any case remains the same - as these three entities are identified in complete communion in the higher stages. (A.P.)

Verse 26

Why then the people leave the right path, do not repent and accept the truth.

  • SHARES
  • 676 views