Surah 81. At-Takwir

---

Verses [Section]: 1-29[1]

---

Quran Text of Verse 1-2981. At-Takwir Page 58681. At-Takwirبِسْمِ اللّٰهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِیْمِاِذَاWhenالشَّمْسُthe sunكُوِّرَتْ۪ۙis wrapped up وَ اِذَاAnd whenالنُّجُوْمُthe starsانْكَدَرَتْ۪ۙfall losing their luster وَ اِذَاAnd whenالْجِبَالُthe mountainsسُیِّرَتْ۪ۙare moved away وَ اِذَاAnd whenالْعِشَارُthe full-term she-camelsعُطِّلَتْ۪ۙ(are) left untended; وَ اِذَاAnd whenالْوُحُوْشُthe wild beastsحُشِرَتْ۪ۙare gathered وَ اِذَاAnd whenالْبِحَارُthe seasسُجِّرَتْ۪ۙare made to overflow وَ اِذَاAnd whenالنُّفُوْسُthe soulsزُوِّجَتْ۪ۙare paired وَ اِذَاAnd whenالْمَوْءٗدَةُthe female infant buried aliveسُىِٕلَتْ۪ۙis asked بِاَیِّFor whatذَنْۢبٍsinقُتِلَتْۚshe was killed وَ اِذَاAnd whenالصُّحُفُthe pagesنُشِرَتْ۪ۙare laid open وَ اِذَاAnd whenالسَّمَآءُthe skyكُشِطَتْ۪ۙis stripped away وَ اِذَاAnd whenالْجَحِیْمُthe Hellfireسُعِّرَتْ۪ۙis set ablaze وَ اِذَاAnd whenالْجَنَّةُParadiseاُزْلِفَتْ۪ۙis brought near عَلِمَتْWill knowنَفْسٌa soulمَّاۤwhatاَحْضَرَتْؕit has brought فَلَاۤBut nay!اُقْسِمُI swearبِالْخُنَّسِۙby the retreating planets الْجَوَارِThose that runالْكُنَّسِۙ(and) disappear وَ الَّیْلِAnd the nightاِذَاwhenعَسْعَسَۙit departs وَ الصُّبْحِAnd the dawnاِذَاwhenتَنَفَّسَۙit breathes اِنَّهٗIndeed itلَقَوْلُ(is) surely a wordرَسُوْلٍ(of) a Messengerكَرِیْمٍۙnoble ذِیْPossessor ofقُوَّةٍpowerعِنْدَwithذِی(the) Owner ofالْعَرْشِthe Throneمَكِیْنٍۙsecure مُّطَاعٍOne to be obeyedثَمَّandاَمِیْنٍؕtrustworthy وَ مَاAnd notصَاحِبُكُمْ(is) your companionبِمَجْنُوْنٍۚmad وَ لَقَدْAnd certainlyرَاٰهُhe saw himبِالْاُفُقِin the horizonالْمُبِیْنِۚthe clear وَ مَاAnd notهُوَhe (is)عَلَیonالْغَیْبِthe unseenبِضَنِیْنٍۚa withholder وَ مَاAnd notهُوَitبِقَوْلِ(is the) wordشَیْطٰنٍ(of) Shaitaanرَّجِیْمٍۙaccursed فَاَیْنَSo whereتَذْهَبُوْنَؕare you going اِنْNotهُوَitاِلَّا(is) exceptذِكْرٌa reminderلِّلْعٰلَمِیْنَۙto the worlds لِمَنْFor whoeverشَآءَwillsمِنْكُمْamong youاَنْtoیَّسْتَقِیْمَؕtake a straight way وَ مَاAnd notتَشَآءُوْنَyou willاِلَّاۤexceptاَنْthatیَّشَآءَwillsاللّٰهُAllahرَبُّLordالْعٰلَمِیْنَ۠(of) the worlds

---

Translation of Verse 1-29In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

(81:1) When the sun shall be folded up,¹

(81:2) when the stars shall scatter away,²

(81:3) when the mountains shall be set in motion,³

(81:4) when the ten-months pregnant camels shall be abandoned,⁴

(81:5) when the savage beasts shall be brought together,⁵

(81:6) when the seas shall be set boiling,⁶

(81:7) when⁷ the souls shall be rejoined (with their bodies), ⁸

(81:8) and when the girl-child buried alive shall be asked:

(81:9) for what offence was she killed?⁹

(81:10) and when the scrolls of (men's) deeds shall be unfolded,

(81:11) and when Heaven is laid bare;¹⁰

(81:12) and Hell is stoked,

(81:13) and Paradise brought nigh:¹¹

(81:14) then shall each person know what he has brought along.

(81:15) No indeed;¹² I swear by the alternating stars

(81:16) that hide,

(81:17) and by the night as it recedes,

(81:18) and the morn as it breathes.¹³

(81:19) Verily this is the word of a noble message-bearer;¹⁴

(81:20) one mighty¹⁵ and held in honour with the Lord of the Throne;

(81:21) there he is obeyed¹⁶ and held trustworthy.¹⁷

(81:22) (O people of Makkah), your companion¹⁸ is not mad;

(81:23) he indeed saw the message-bearer on the clear horizon;¹⁹

(81:24) nor does he grudge (conveying this knowledge about) the Unseen;²⁰

(81:25) nor is it a word of an accursed Satan.²¹

(81:26) Where to are you then heading?

(81:27) It is nothing but Good Counsel for everyone in the world,

(81:28) for everyone of you who wishes to follow the Straight Way;²²

(81:29) but your wishing will not avail unless Allah, the Lord of the Universe, so wishes.²³

---

Commentary

1. Itis a fitting metaphor to indicate that sunlight will be folded up on the Last Day. In the Arabic language, takwir stands for folding something up. The light emitted by the sun which spreads all around the world is likened to a scarf that will be folded up on that Day. In other words, the sun will cease to radiate.

2. The barriers keeping stars in their respective spheres and orbits will be lifted; as a result, they will scatter away. Moreover, they will turn dark, losing all their luster and brightness.

3. The earth will be stripped of its gravity. As a result, mountains ' will no longer remain fixed. They will rather be set in motion, floating like clouds in the sky.

4. This narration was best suited to give the Arabs a clear "idea: of the hardships on that Day. Prior to the introduction of - modern modes of transport, the Arabs held nothing as valuable as a pregnant she-camel on the verge of giving birth. When she reached that stage she received every possible protection and care.

Hence, to say that people would abandon such she-camels meant _ that some extraordinary calamity had occurred that would totally occupy their attention, making them oblivious to the protection of their most precious property.

5. When a calamity strikes, beasts gather together at a spot. In that hour of crisis, they neither hurt nor attack one another. Even snakes and tigers do not cause any harm to anyone.

6. The original Arabic word sujjirat, the past participle form of tasjir, denotes the stoking of a fire in an oven or furnace. That the seas shall be set to boiling point on the Last Day sounds odd.

However, after a little reflection on the composition of water, one realizes that this will not be such a strange or incredible phenomenon. It is one of Allah’s creative wonders that He has made water out of the two gases ~ hydrogen and oxygen. Of these two, oxygen is highly inflammable while hydrogen is kindled of itself. Yet their combination, known as water, is the most effective means and source for extinguishing fire. Allah may change the composition of water on that Day such that both gases kindle only fire. As already noted, these are inflammable on their own.

7. This marks the beginning of the description of the other phase of the Last Day.

8. The dead will be resurrected in both their bodies and souls. They will resume the form they took in this world.

9. This verse carries very strong overtones of divine wrath and revulsion. Allah will be so loath towards those parents guilty of having buried their daughters alive that He will not even address * them, not even interrogate them for murdering their poor, innocent and helpless daughters. Ignoring them, He will ask the poor victims themselves: “And when the girl-child buried alive shall be asked: for what offence was she killed?” In response, she will relate how her heartless parents treated her unjustly and buried her alive. This brief verse takes up two other important issues, as is evident from the context: (i) The Arabs of the day are made to realize their moral degradation under the evil influence of Jahiliyah. It is the height of their inhumanity that they kill with their own - hands their innocent, helpless daughters. Worse, they insist on persisting in their depravity and refuse to follow the reform the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) seeks to introduce in their society. (ii) They are asked to reflect on a weighty argument for the Hereafter. The buried girl must receive justice and her depraved parents must be brought to book at some stage. No one listened in this world to-the pleas of the poor victims. The Jahiliyah order had legitimized this inhuman act. Parents used to commit this heinous crime without any qualms of conscience. No one in such a young girl’s family ever raised a voice of dissent. Nor did any social institution ever check this menace. Allah, however, will not let this crime go unpunished.

For a variety of reasons this inhumane practice of burying daughters alive was rampant in Arabia for centuries. The first factor was economic. Being poor, the Arabs wanted to feed fewer mouths. They, thus, avoided the expense of bringing up daughters and spent money instead on raising sons in the hope that they would assist them financially later on. Daughters were killed at birth in order to save money, not least in terms of their everyday support but also in view of later marriage expenses.

The general conditions of lawlessness demanded that sons’ upbringing be the priority. After all, these sons provided manpower and force. Conversely, for a daughter, resources had to be set aside to protect her. Being weak, they could neither defend themselves nor their families. Le o _ As an offshoot of the prevailing lawlessness in Arabia, raiding and plundering were fairly common practices. In raids the Arabs captured girls, kept them as concubines or sold them. In view of all these factors, an expectant mother was asked to deliver the baby in the open yard, with a pit already dug around her. If she gave birth to a baby daughter, it was immediately buried therein. If the mother or her family did not agree to this arrangement, the father half-heartedly brought the baby up for a short time and at the earliest opportunity buried her in the desert. Someone related one such case to the Prophet (peace be upon him), which underscores the then rampant depravity and insensitivity. That report features in Sunan Darimi whereby someone recounted the following story of the Jahiliyah period to the Prophet (peace be upon him) that a man had a daughter who was much attached to him. She used to rush to him whenever he called her. One day he took her and pushed her into a well. He heard her last sobbing words, “O father, O father!” Upon hearing this, the Prophet (peace be upon him) burst into tears. One of those present chided the person for having grieved the Prophet (peace be upon him). However, the Prophet (peace be upon him) let him continue, pointing out that at least he had felt remorseful about his misconduct. When he resumed, the Prophet (peace be upon him) started crying so profusely that his beard was soaked with tears. He told the man that Allah might pardon him for his misdeeds of the Jahilfyah period and that he should start his life afresh.

The Arabs did realize the enormity of this crime. Every society, no matter how depraved it might be, has some moral sense. The Qur’an, therefore, does not delve deeply into the evil of this sordid practice. Its chilling account, nonetheless, emphasizes the point that there will be a time when the buried girl will be asked for what crime was she killed? It emerges from Arab history that many noble souls detested this horrendous practice. According — to Tabarani, Sa’sa‘ah ibn Najiyah al-Mujashifi, grandfather of the poet Farazdaq, once told the Prophet (peace be upon him): “O Messenger of Allah! I did some good acts even in the Jahiliyah period. One of these is that I saved 360 baby-daughters from being buried alive. For ransoming each of them I had to give two camels each. Will I receive some reward for this?” The Prophet (peace be upon him) replied: “Yes, there is a reward for you. Your reward is that Allah blessed you with Islam.” One of the numerous positive contributions of Islam to Arabia is that it extirpated altogether this barbaric practice. Rather, it changed the Arab mindset so much that they no longer took the birth of a baby daughter as a stigma or calamity. Islam pressed home the truth to them that their proper upbringing of daughters and helping them grow into excellent housewives was a good deed, which would bring them great reward. How the Prophet (peace be upon him) transformed their mindset on this issue may be better appreciated in the light of these statements recorded in some Ahadith: Whoever is put to a test on account of the birth of his daughters yet he treats them well, his daughters will be the means of protection for him from Hellfire.(Bukhari, Bab al-Adab and Muslim) Whoever brings up two daughters until they come of age, he will accompany me thus on the Day of Judgement (saying this he joined his fingers).

(Muslim, Bab al-Birr) One who brings up three daughters or sisters, imparts them with good morals, treats them kindly until they stand on their feet, he is bound to be admitted to Paradise by Allah. When someone asked whether this reward was applicable, if one raised two daughters or sisters, the Prophet (peace be upon him) replied in the affirmative. Ibn ‘Abbas, narrator of this Hadith, adds, that if someone had raised the same question about bringing up only one daughter or sister, the Prophet (peace be upon him) would have given him the same answer in the affirmative.

(Sharh al-Sunnah) One who has a daughter born to him, does not bury her alive, does not treat her badly and does not prefer his son to her, Allah will admit him to Paradise.

(Abu Dawud) One who has three daughters and bears with it, clothes them to the best of his means, his daughters will protect him against Hellfire.

(Bukhari, Adab al-Mufrad and Ibn Majah) A Muslim who has two daughters and treats them well will be the means for his entry into Paradise. (Bukhari, Adab al-Mufrad) The Prophet told Suraqah ibn Ju‘ashmah: “Let me tell you what the biggest charity (or one of the big charities) is”. When he requested the Prophet (peace be upon him) to specify this, the latter replied: “Your daughter who returns to you as a widow or divorced woman and you support her.” (Ibn Majah and Bukhari, Adab al-Mufrad) These Islamic teachings regarding the value of daughters changed the outlook of not only the Arabs but also of all those who embraced Islam.

10. All that is concealed now will be laid bare. For example, presently clouds, dust, the sun and the moon, stars and. planets dot the skyline. However, on the Day of Judgement the heavens will be laid bare and everyone will see the truth directly.

11. Hellfire will be stoked and brought near, as men and women present their record of deeds. Paradise too, will be in full view of everyone, with all its bounties. It will make the evil-doers all the more remorseful and they will realize their loss. By the same token, the pious will appreciate how they are spared the suffering of Hell.

12. This represents an emphatic denial of their false notions about the Qur’an, viz. that it merely consists of the musings of a lunatic or the evil suggestions of Satan.

13. The oath is taken in order to assert that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) did not see some dream. Rather, when the night had receded, in the full brightness of the morning he saw the angel on a clear horizon. His account is based on his first-hand observation in daylight.

14. The expression “noble message-bearer” here refers to the angel who carried the revelation to the Prophet (peace be upon him). This is evident from the verses that follow (see vv. 20 ff. below). The statement that “this is the word of a noble message bearer”, however, does not mean that the contents of the message stem from the noble angel. In fact, the use of the expression “message-bearer” itself indicates that it is the Word of the Being Who made that angel the bearer of the message. In Verse 40 of Surah al-Haqqah, the Qur’an is described as “the speech of an honorable Messenger”. In both instances, the Qur’an is not projected as the product of the Prophet's mind. Rather, it clarifies the Prophet's role, whereby, in his capacity as the honorable Messenger, he conveys the Word of Allah. His message is not his own word, composed by Muhammad ibn ‘Abd Allah. The Word of Allah, as transmitted by the angel, is represented by the Prophet (peace be upon him). (For further details see al-Haqqah 69: n. 22.)

15. The same truth is stated in the Qur’an elsewhere thus: “This is nothing but a revelation that is conveyed to him, something that a very. powerful one has imparted to him,” (al-Najm 53: 4-5). As to the power enjoyed by the Archangel Gabriel, it pertains to the realm beyond human perception. What is nonetheless certain is that among angels Gabriel stands out for his exceptional power. Muslim has recorded the Prophet's statement on the authority of ‘A’ishah: “I have seen Gabriel on two or three occasions in his true form. His mighty stature covered the whole horizon between the earth and the sky,” (Bukhari, Muslim Kitab al- Iman and Tirmidhi). Of similar import is ‘Abd Allah ibn Mas‘ud’s report that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “I saw Gabriel in such glory that he had six hundred wings,” (Musnad of Ahmad). This gives one some idea about Gabriel's exceptional power and glory.

16. This means that he is at the head of those angels who work under his supervision.

17. He does not add anything of his own to divine revelation.

Being an embodiment of impeccable integrity, he faithfully conveys the Word of Allah.

18. The expression “your companion” here refers to the Prophet (peace be upon him). The Makkans are, thus, reminded that he is ~ not some alien. Rather, he is one of their own, a member of their tribe and their community, who has spent his whole life.in their midst. He is widely known among them for his sagacity and wisdom. They should be ashamed of themselves in dubbing such a person as mad. (See also al-Najm 53: nn. 2-3.)

19. This observation of the Prophet (peace be upon him) is related at length in Verses 7-9 of Surah al-Najm. (See the notes on these verses.) –

20. The Prophet (peace be upon him) does not begrudge ~ conveying to them all that is revealed to him about the divine being and attributes, angels, Life-after-Death, the Last Day, the Hereafter, Paradise and Hell. He shares with them the truths transmitted to him about the realm that lies beyond the human perception.

21. These Makkan unbelievers are absolutely mistaken in their notion that some devil imparts this knowledge to the Prophet (peace ‘be upon him). How can Satan instruct man in God-consciousness _ and monotheism and dissuade him from polytheism, idolatry and atheism? Satan will never reconcile himself to the message that checks man’s base desires and asks him to make preparations for the Hereafter and induces in him a sense of accountability before Allah. Satan can never stop man from indulging in Jahiliyah practices, injustice, immorality and misconduct and promote a righteous life, justice, piety and noble character and conduct. - (For further details see Towards Understanding the Qur'an, Vol. VIL, al-Shu‘ara’ 26: 210-212, nn. 130-133, pp. 119-121 and 221-223: nn. 140-141, p. 125.)

22. The Qur’an is divine guidance for all mankind. However, only such benefit from it who themselves are inclined towards following the straight way. One should be a sincere seeker of truth in the first place in order to draw upon the Qur'an.

23. This truth is also stated in Verse 56 of Surah al-Muddaththir and Verse 30 of Surah al-Dahr. (See also al-Muddaththir 74: n. 41.)