Sūrat al-Takwīr

سورۃ التکویر

Sūrat al-Takwīr was revealed in Mecca; it has twenty-nine (29) āyāt and two (2) rukūʿ.

Wāḍiḥ — it is evident that after death there is the world of testimony (ʿālam-e shahādat) and the world of the afterlife — when this world ends it shall collapse. And the order (niẓām) of the world of humanity — the human body — shall cease and the spiritual world (ʿālam-e ʿalawī) shall come into focus. The resurrection of the human soul shall come — and all this is mentioned in this sūra.

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

Bismillāhi l-raḥmāni l-raḥīm.

إِذَا الشَّمْسُ كُوِّرَتْ

idhā l-shamsu kuwwirat.

"When the sun is wrapped up." (al-Takwīr 81:1)

Idhā — recall when. Al-shamsu — the sun — the great lamp of the sky, the source of light. Kuwwirat — it is wrapped, rolled up, covered over — takwīr — the act of rolling something up, of winding a turban layer by layer over someone's head. Takwīr retains the sense of the covering of homes with it as well.

Translation: "When the sun (the radiant lamp) is wrapped and covered up."

Wāḍiḥ — it is a clear sign of the Resurrection that people say the sun's light cannot be supplemented any more — but as the Resurrection draws near the sun shall cool slightly and the solar system shall collapse. When the sun's state becomes like this — the cold of the stars will increase and the stars will collide with each other — and the sun will fall upon the earth. And the earth shall crack from all sides and shall be covered in lava and the seas shall be filled up completely. And all people shall gather at the Day of Resurrection — all of them shall have to settle their accounts. Those in good condition shall remain in ease and those in bad condition shall face great torment and punishment.

وَإِذَا النُّجُومُ انكَدَرَتْ

wa-idhā l-nujūmu inkadarat.

"And when the stars fall." (al-Takwīr 81:2)

Wa-idhā — and recall when. Al-nujūm — the stars. Inkadarat — they fall; they scatter; they become dark and fall. Their light shall not remain — the pull of the stars will weaken and the order of the world shall collapse.

Translation: "And when the stars (become dark and) fall."

وَإِذَا الْجِبَالُ سُيِّرَتْ

wa-idhā l-jibālu suyyirat.

"And when the mountains are set in motion." (al-Takwīr 81:3)

Wa-idhā — and recall when. Al-jibāl — all the mountains. Suyyirat — they are set in motion; they are driven; they scatter, becoming scattered pieces, flying and crashing.

Translation: "And recall when the mountains shall crumble and scatter."

وَإِذَا الْعِشَارُ عُطِّلَتْ

wa-idhā l-ʿishāru ʿuṭṭilat.

"And when the ten-month pregnant she-camels are abandoned." (al-Takwīr 81:4)

Wa-idhā — and recall when. Al-ʿishār — the plural of ʿushraʾ: the ten-month pregnant she-camel — the most precious possession of the Arabs. ʿUṭṭilat — left idle, abandoned, left without care. As the Resurrection draws near no one in this world shall care about anything.

Translation: "And recall when the ten-month pregnant she-camels shall be left with no one to attend to them."

وَإِذَا الْوُحُوشُ حُشِرَتْ

wa-idhā l-wuḥūshu ḥushirat.

"And when the wild beasts are gathered." (al-Takwīr 81:5)

Wa-idhā — and recall when. Al-wuḥūsh — the plural of waḥsh: wild animals. Ḥushirat — they are gathered; they are herded together in a herd.

Translation: "And when the wild animals shall (for the terror of the Resurrection) be gathered all together."

Where the earthquake strikes everything is swept in — snakes, scorpions, beasts, and various animals all mix together and no one retains territory over another — goats and tigers come to the same watering place.

وَإِذَا الْبِحَارُ سُجِّرَتْ

wa-idhā l-biḥāru sujjirat.

"And when the seas are set ablaze." (al-Takwīr 81:6)

Wa-idhā — and recall when. Al-biḥār — the plural of baḥr: oceans, seas. Sujjirat — they are set ablaze, filled up, set alight — they shall be set ablaze by one another. Because from the earth shall pour lava and from the seas the water shall turn into oil.

Translation: "And when the seas shall be (set ablaze and) filled up and ignited — (and what shall happen at this time? Allah Most High shall begin to demand an accounting of every thing)."

وَإِذَا النُّفُوسُ زُوِّجَتْ

wa-idhā l-nufūsu zuwwijat.

"And when the souls are paired." (al-Takwīr 81:7)

Wa-idhā — and recall when. Al-nufūs — the plural of nafs: persons, souls. Zuwwijat — they shall be paired together — they shall be joined; a zawj — a pair; coupled.

Translation: "And when all people shall be gathered together and joined."

With prophets their communities, with masters their disciples, with teachers their students, with leaders their followers, with parents their children and wives — and every one of them shall be asked: what did they do in their conveyance of teaching and guidance?

وَإِذَا الْمَوْءُودَةُ سُئِلَتْ

wa-idhā l-mawʾūdatu suʾilat.

"And when the girl buried alive is asked." (al-Takwīr 81:8)

Wa-idhā — and recall when. Al-mawʾūda — the girl who has been buried alive — the girl that the Arabs used to bury alive — some Arab people used to bury their own girls alive — and some buried the girl alive because of the fear of disgrace, shame, or shame — and she shall be asked.

Translation: "And recall when the girl who was buried alive shall be asked —"

بِأَيِّ ذَنبٍ قُتِلَتْ

bi-ayyi dhanbin qutilat.

"For what sin she was killed." (al-Takwīr 81:9)

Bi-ayyi — by what exchange? Dhanb — a sin; qatala — qatl — she was killed, murdered — she was put to death. What was her sin? — she was killed.

Translation: "For what sin was she put to death?"

It is evident that the sins of those cruel oppressors shall be exposed — and even the killing of such an innocent baby is one of the greatest sins.

وَإِذَا الصُّحُفُ نُشِرَتْ

wa-idhā l-ṣuḥufu nushirat.

"And when the scrolls are unrolled." (al-Takwīr 81:10)

Wa-idhā — and recall when. Al-ṣuḥuf — the plural of ṣaḥīfa: scrolls, diaries, records, registers, books of deeds — they shall be opened, unrolled — so that one looks at one's deeds and karmats.

Translation: "And recall when the books of deeds are laid open."

The honourable scribes (karāman kātibīn) are writing the diary every day and from the side they are also writing — and one angel writes every good deed and another every bad deed.

وَإِذَا السَّمَاءُ كُشِطَتْ

wa-idhā l-samāʾu kushiṭat.

"And when the sky is stripped away." (al-Takwīr 81:11)

Wa-idhā — and recall when. Al-samāʾ — the sky, the atmosphere. Kushiṭat — it is stripped; it is peeled off; it is removed from one place.

Translation: "And recall when the sky shall be removed and stripped away (from every side) and opened up."

The sky shall open up — whatever was hidden shall become apparent, and at that time the distinction between good and bad shall be clear.

وَإِذَا الْجَحِيمُ سُعِّرَتْ

wa-idhā l-jaḥīmu suʿʿirat.

"And when Hellfire is set ablaze." (al-Takwīr 81:12)

Wa-idhā — and recall when. Al-jaḥīm — Hell, the fire. Suʿʿirat — it is set ablaze, stoked — musuqqat — it shall be blazing, set alight; as-suqqat — the blaze shall be made all the more intense.

Translation: "And recall when Hellfire shall be made fully visible (displayed)."

وَإِذَا الْجَنَّةُ أُزْلِفَتْ

wa-idhā l-jannatu uzlifat.

"And when Paradise is brought near." (al-Takwīr 81:13)

Wa-idhā — and recall when. Al-jannat — the garden, Paradise. Uzlifat — it is brought near; zulufā — nearness; near to every person their own garden shall be brought near and placed within view.

Translation: "And recall when Paradise shall be brought near — (and every person shall see his own garden before them)."

عَلِمَتْ نَفْسٌ مَّا أَحْضَرَتْ

ʿalimat nafsun mā aḥḍarat.

"Every soul shall know what it has brought." (al-Takwīr 81:14)

ʿAlima — it shall know. Nafs — every person. Mā aḥḍarat — what it has brought; the deeds that it has presented before it — every person shall know what is before them.

Translation: "Every soul shall know what it has brought forward."

It is evident that the nature of human beings is threefold: (1) a believer (muʾmin); (2) a hypocrite (munāfiq); (3) an unbeliever (kāfir). The coming to be of these human natures is completely self-evident and undeniable.

فَلَا أُقْسِمُ بِالْخُنَّسِ

fa-lā uqsimu bi-l-khunnas.

"So I swear by the receding stars." (al-Takwīr 81:15)

Fa-lā — since this matter is self-evident — fa-lā uqsimu — I do not swear (there is no need of swearing for enforcing proof). Bi-l-khunnas — khanasa — yakhnusu — khanasā — to withdraw; to recede; to hide. Khunnas — those that recede. Besides the sun and moon there are five other stars that the People of Five also call khunnas — these are: Zuḥal (Saturn), Mushtarī (Jupiter), Mirrīkh (Mars), ʿUṭārid (Mercury), and Zuhrah (Venus) — and they are also known as planets — they sometimes remain fixed, sometimes move, sometimes come near, and sometimes are not visible at all because they disappear below the horizon.

Translation: "I (therefore) do not swear by the receding (and retiring) planets (because this is self-evident)."

الْجَوَارِ الْكُنَّسِ

al-jawāri l-kunnas.

"That sweep along, hiding themselves." (al-Takwīr 81:16)

Al-jawār — the plural of jāriya: the one that goes along — kannasa — yakannusu — kanasā — to sweep; kunnasa — those that conceal — al-kānnisu — the one that conceals and hides. Kānus — the plural of kānis — those that hide themselves.

Translation: "Those planets that go along and then conceal themselves."

Esteemed readers! This is the likeness of the hypocrites who go along on the straight path and then at the end change direction and turn away from faith and become faithless and darkened.

وَاللَّيْلِ إِذَا عَسْعَسَ

wa-l-layli idhā ʿasʿas.

"And by the night when it departs." (al-Takwīr 81:17)

Wa-l-layl — and by the night. Idhā — when. ʿAsʿasa — ʿassa — ʿasā — wa-ʿasʿasa — the night advancing in its darkness, that darkness growing still.

Translation: "And by the night when its darkness has deepened."

This is the likeness of the unbeliever — who has come to know of the Prophet's ﷺ miracle and the supremacy of his knowledge and his unbelief grows deeper still.

وَالصُّبْحِ إِذَا تَنَفَّسَ

wa-l-ṣubḥi idhā tanaffas.

"And by the dawn when it breathes." (al-Takwīr 81:18)

Wa-l-ṣubḥ — and the dawn. Idhā tanaffasa — when it breathes, when its light gradually grows.

Translation: "And by the morning when it breathes (and its light gradually grows)."

This is the likeness of the believer — that his certainty (yaqīn) and the light of faith always grow and advance. Each individual remains steady and firm in his fidelity to his nature — the hypocrite and the unbeliever never hope for guidance — and the steadfast believer (muʾmin) shall never abandon the straight path (ṣirāṭ al-mustaqīm). All these are the task of the Prophet ﷺ to manifest.

إِنَّهُ لَقَوْلُ رَسُولٍ كَرِيمٍ

innahu la-qawlu rasūlin karīm.

"Indeed, it is the word of a noble messenger." (al-Takwīr 81:19)

Innahū — without doubt it is. Laqawlu — the word, the speech. Rasūlin karīm — a noble and generous messenger — noble in character and an excellent messenger. In truth it is God's word — but this mention brings it in relation to the messenger.

Translation: "Without doubt this is the speech of a noble messenger."

Niyām chih laṭīf qabda mukrar — kalām Khudā wa zabān-e Muḥammad — (Ḥasrat)

Khawāṣ is burj-e kabūtarī men hai ḥarf mushaddad kā

Translation: "Without doubt this is the speech of a noble messenger (the Messenger ﷺ)."

Who are the noble messengers?

Idhar Allāh se wāṣil udhar bandon men bhī shāmil — khawāṣ is burj-e kabūtarī men hai ḥarf mushaddad kā — (Ḥasrat)

ذِي قُوَّةٍ عِندَ ذِي الْعَرْشِ مَكِينٍ

dhī quwwatin ʿinda dhī l-ʿarshi makīn.

"Possessed of power, secure before the Lord of the Throne." (al-Takwīr 81:20)

Dhī quwwa — possessed of power and steadfastness. One of the ranks of Allah — if we were to bring down this Qur'an on a mountain — law anzalnā hādhā l-Qur'āna ʿalā jabalin la-raʾaytahu khāshiʿan mutaṣaddaʿan min khashyati Allāhi — ʿinda — at the court. Dhā l-ʿarsh — the Lord of the Throne. Makīnīn — those of great station.

Translation: "(This noble messenger) is possessed of great power — a person of great station at the court of the Lord of the Throne."

مُطَاعٍ ثَمَّ أَمِينٍ

muṭāʿin thamma amīn.

"Obeyed there, trustworthy." (al-Takwīr 81:21)

Muṭāʿ — the one whose obedience is compulsory. Thumm — and there. Amīn — trustworthy; amāna — the keeping of a trust.

Translation: "He is worthy of obligatory obedience — and with God he is a trustee."

O oppressors! You know well of the trustworthiness of the Prophet ﷺ — his intellect and foresight are also manifestly apparent.

وَمَا صَاحِبُكُم بِمَجْنُونٍ

wa-mā ṣāḥibukum bi-majnūn.

"And your companion is not a madman." (al-Takwīr 81:22)

Wa-mā ṣāḥibukum — and he is not your companion. Bi-majnūn — somewhat mad, somewhat out of his mind — Muḥammad ﷺ, that is — somewhat mad. (When the captives of the ʿālam-e dunyā would come and hear the conversation of the prophets they would say: "He is mad" — and the big world (ʿālam) and the scholar, and the teacher himself would call himself a madman).

Translation: "And your companion (Muḥammad ﷺ) is not in any way mad."

وَلَقَدْ رَآهُ بِالْأُفُقِ الْمُبِينِ

wa-laqad raʾāhu bi-l-ufuqi l-mubīn.

"And he certainly saw him at the clear horizon." (al-Takwīr 81:23)

Wa-laqad raʾāhu — and he (the Prophet ﷺ) has seen him, has seen and encountered. He has seen. Bi-l-ufuqi l-mubīn — at the clear horizon — the place in which heaven and earth come together, where the bowing before servitude is reached. Al-mubīn — the clear and manifest.

Translation: "And he (the Prophet ﷺ) saw him (the Lord of the Throne — in his servitude and devotion) at the clear and visible horizon."

Al-ufuq — the visible horizon of heaven and earth — where bowing in servitude and reaching the horizon is its end. Al-mubīnīn — and they (the angels and Prophets) saw them clearly in a clear and manifest place.

Translation: "And he (the Prophet ﷺ) saw him (the Holder of the Throne) from a clear manifest place (of devotion and servitude)."

وَمَا هُوَ عَلَى الْغَيْبِ بِضَنِينٍ

wa-mā huwa ʿalā l-ghaybi bi-ḍanīn.

"And he is not a withholder of the knowledge of the Unseen." (al-Takwīr 81:24)

Wa-mā huwā — and he (the Prophet ﷺ) is not. ʿAlā l-ghayb — regarding the unseen. Bi-ḍanīnīn — a miser; miserly. Al-ḍann — yaḍinnu — ḍinnatan — stinginess; to be a miser.

Translation: "And he (namely, the Prophet ﷺ) is not a miser in speaking about the Unseen."

Esteemed readers! From this verse it is clearly apparent that the Prophet of God ﷺ had knowledge of the Unseen — and we also have knowledge of the Unseen — the original is that everything that is present is known to Allah Most High — He knows nothing is hidden — it is rather an ʿilm-e ḥuḍūrī — that He Himself is beyond all boundaries, and beyond veils — and whatever is connected to Him — for some things we have no knowledge, He may however give to whomever He wishes from this knowledge of the Unseen — and He gives to us also through them as an intermediary.

وَمَا هُوَ بِقَوْلِ شَيْطَانٍ رَّجِيمٍ

wa-mā huwa bi-qawli shayṭānin rajīm.

"And it is not the word of an accursed devil." (al-Takwīr 81:25)

Wa-mā huwā — and it is not. Bi — with; together with. Qawl — saying, speaking; talk. Shayṭān — the devil; the rebel, the accursed one. Rajīm — the stoned one; the repelled from divine mercy — rajama — to stone; the expelled one; the outcast from the divine court.

Translation: "And this is not the speech of the accursed, rejected devil."

Some enemies of God and the Messenger said that a jinn comes to the Prophet of God ﷺ and gives him this teaching. Allah Most High refutes this by the Ḥaḍrat Khadīja al-Kubrā (may Allah be pleased with her): she deduced from the Prophet's ﷺ noble character that he helps people, shelters the needy, is kind, and is upright. Such a person cannot have the devil pass by him.

فَأَيْنَ تَذْهَبُونَ

fa-ayna tadhhabūn.

"So where are you going?" (al-Takwīr 81:26)

Fa-ayna — then where? Tadhhabūn — you are going; you are drifting along, wandering.

Translation: "Then where (drifting about) are you going?"

إِنْ هُوَ إِلَّا ذِكْرٌ لِّلْعَالَمِينَ

in huwa illā dhikrun li-l-ʿālamīn.

"It is nothing but a reminder for all the worlds." (al-Takwīr 81:27)

In huwa — it is not. Illā dhikr — but a reminder, a recollection, an admonition. Li-l-ʿālamīn — for the entire world, for all peoples.

Translation: "Without doubt this (Qur'an) is a great reminder and admonition for all peoples of the world."

But who among them will listen to it?

لِمَن شَاءَ مِنكُمْ أَن يَسْتَقِيمَ

li-man shāʾa minkum an yastaqīm.

"For those among you who will to walk straight." (al-Takwīr 81:28)

Li-man — for the one who. Shāʾa — wishes. Minkum — from among you. An yastaqīm — that he walks on the straight path; mustaqīm — walking on the straight path, adopting steadfastness.

Translation: "This is advice for those among you who wish to walk straight (to remain on the straight path)."

وَمَا تَشَاءُونَ إِلَّا أَن يَشَاءَ اللَّهُ رَبُّ الْعَالَمِينَ

wa-mā tashāʾūna illā an yashāʾa Allāhu rabbu l-ʿālamīn.

"But you cannot will unless Allah wills — the Lord of all the worlds." (al-Takwīr 81:29)

Wa-mā tashāʾūna — and you do not wish. Illā — but. An yashāʾa Allāh — that Allah wills — that it is in His will, in His own choice. Rabbu l-ʿālamīn — the Lord of all the worlds, the Sustainer of the whole universe.

Translation: "And you cannot will except that which Allah, who is the Lord of the worlds, wills (the true controller of that which He wills to happen)."

Esteemed readers! Knowledge of God is ancient, the most ancient — what information is there? The realities of things are innate dispositions (ṭabāʾiʿ) — fixed essences. The actualities of things are permanent, the necessities of being are proven — Allah Most High wants to manifest all these realities and actualities — and the creations come into being. Their nature is according to their established nature — and with Allah's creative act they come into being. From this it is proven that Allah always manifests the attributes of His being towards each creature — a thief does not show theft to the thief — for the thief's theft is the height of the thief — but it is a thief — and the absolute giving of gifts is Allah's work — essentially the giving of absolute gifts is the most outstanding of Allah's attributes — and the final giver is the one to whom God manifests the requirements of the natures of the creatures — in summary, it is the task of the eternal giver (ḥattā dātā) to manifest the natures of the creatures' requirements of nature to those creatures themselves — this is the requirement of nature.