Qur'an Wiki - Surah 81: at-Takwir


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Surah Introduction

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The Surah talks about the end of the world. In a very powerful way, it gives us some of the scenes of the Last Day. All the natural power as well as the human power and authority will come to an end. This is a serious message not the words of a madman. The purpose of this message is to remind people to become morally upright.

The Surah takes it name from the first Ayat, إِذَا الشَّمْسُ كُوِّرَتْ "When the sun is wrapped up [in darkness]" [81:1]

There are 29 Ayat in this Surah.

1	Surah Introduction
2	Central Theme
3	Connection of the name of the Surah and its Ayaat
4	Connection between the beginning and the ending of the Surah
5	Connection of the Surah to the Surah before/after it
6	The Virtues of the Surah
7	Special Features of the Surah
8	Important key and unique words of the Surah
9	Period of Revelation
10	Background Reasons for Revelation
11	Relevant Hadith
12	Lessons/Guidance/Major-Issues/Reflections
13	Wiki Forum
14	Miscellaneous Issues
15	External Links

Overview

Total Ayat	29
Total Words *	104
Root Words *	61
Unique Root Words *	7
Makki / Madani	Makki
Chronological Order*	7th (according to Ibn Abbas)
Year of Revelation*	1st-3rd year of Prophethood
Events during/before this Surah* Revelation begins - Private Invitation to Islam
Events during/after still to occur* Revelation begins - Private Invitation to Islam ,Revelation begins - Private Invitation to Islam ,Public Invitation to Islam - Persecution of Muslims; antagonism - ridicule - derision - accusation - abuse and false propaganda.,Physical beating and torture of some Muslims - 1st Migration of Muslims to Abyssinia,2nd Migration to Abyssinia,Boycott of Banu Hashim Yr 1,Boycott of Banu Hashim Yr 2,Boycott of Banu Hashim Yr 3,Death of Abu Talib - Death of Khadijah - Stoning at Ta'if - al-Isra wal Mi'raj - Night Journey,1st Pledge of Aqabah,2nd Pledge of Aqabah,,Migration from Makkah to Madinah - Building of Masjid Nabi in Madinah - Treaty with Jews of Madinah - Marriage of Prophet to Aishah,Change of Qiblah from Jerusalem to Makkah - Battle of Badr,Battle of Uhud,,Battle of Ahzab - Expedition of Banu Quraydhah,Treaty of Hudaiybiyah - Letters to Kings and Rulers,,Conquest of Makkah - Battle of Hunain,Hajj led by Abu Bakr - Expedition of Tabuk,Farewell Hajj by Prophet - Death of Prophet - End of Divine Revelation
Names of Prophets Mentioned No Prophets names are mentioned in this Surah
Surah Index Astronomy (celestial mechanics) (sun), Astronomy (planets) , Astronomy (stars) , Astronomy (stars) (revolving), Children (female offspring buried alive will ask for what crime she’d been slain) , Gabriel, Hell, Judgement (Day) , Killing (female children buried alive will ask for what crime she’d been killed) , Mountains, Muhammad (not a madman) , Qur’an (not from a satanic force) , Record of personal deeds, Resurrection (of soul) , Sea, Sin

Central Theme

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It has two themes: the Hereafter and the institution of Apostleship. In the first six verses the first stage of the Resurrection has been mentioned when the sun will lose its light, the stars will scatter, the mountains will be uprooted and will disperse, the people will become heedless of their dearest possessions, the beasts of the jungle will be dazed and will gather together, and the seas will boil up. Then in the next seven verses, the second stage has been described when the souls will be reunited with the bodies, the records will be laid open, the people will be called to account for their crimes, Heaven and Hell will be brought into full view. After depicting the Hereafter thus, man has been left to ponder his own self and deeds, saying: “Then each man shall himself know what he has brought with him.”

After this the theme of Apostleship has been taken up. In this the people of Makkah have been addressed, as if to say “Whatever Muhammad is presenting before you, is not the bragging of a madman, nor an evil suggestion inspired by Satan, but the word of a noble, exalted and trustworthy messenger sent by God, whom Muhammad has seen with his own eyes in the bright horizon of the clear sky in broad day light. Where then are you going, having turned away from this teaching?”

Connection of the name of the Surah and its Ayaat

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Connection between the beginning and the ending of the Surah

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Manuscripts / Inscriptions

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1st Century Hijrah (7th Century CE)

by Topkapi Museum, Istanbul, Turkey

Surah at-Takwir 81:1 onward. The Topkapi manuscript, which is generally attributed to Caliph Uthman, is preserved at the Sacr...read more

Connection of the Surah to the Surah before/after it

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The Virtues of the Surah

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Ibn Umar narrated that: "The Messenger of Allah said: “Whoever wishes to look at the Day of Resurrection, as if he is seeing it with this eye, then let him recite: ‘When the sun Kuwwirat’ and ‘When the heaven is cleft sunder (Infatarat) and ‘When the heaven is split asunder.’” [SurahTakwir 81]. Tirmidhee no. 3333
Surah at-Takwir [81] is one of the Surahs that aged the Prophet due to inensity/pressure/repurcussions of the implications of the words.

قَالَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ‏:‏ يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ، قَدْ شِبْتَ، قَالَ‏:‏ شَيَّبَتْنِي هُودٌ، وَالْوَاقِعَةُ، وَالْمُرْسَلاتُ، وَعَمَّ يَتَسَاءَلُونَ، وَإِذَا الشَّمْسُ كُوِّرَتْ

It has been reported that once Abu Bakr said to the Prophet, ‘O Messenger of Allah, you have become old.’ The Prophet said, ‘I have become old [due to] [Surah] Hud, al-Waqiah [56], al-Murasalat [77], Amma yatasailoon [an-Naba 78] and Waidha ash-Shamsu kuwirat [at-Takweer 81].” Tirmidhee no. 3297

Special Features of the Surah

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Important key and unique words of the Surah

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The first 13 Ayat, all have 3 words with the 14th Ayat stating, عَلِمَتْ نَفْسٌ مَّا أَحْضَرَتْ "A soul will [then] know what it has brought [with it]." (81:14)

Total Word Count per Ayat (shows how many words per Ayat) *

Unique Root Words to this Surah only

7 unique root words that do not appear in any other Surah *

Top 10 Most Frequent Root Words used in this Surah

#	Root Word	Frequency in Surah	Frequency in Qur'an
1.	إِذَا	14	409
2.	ن ف س	3	298
3.	ع ل م	3	854
4.	ش ي أ	3	519
5.	ج ن ن	2	201
6.	ق و ل	2	1722
7.	إِلَّا	2	663
8.	ش م س	1	33
9.	ك و ر	1	3
10.	ن ج م	1	13

Root Word	Frequency in Surah	Frequency in Qur'an
إِذَا	14	409
ن ف س	3	298
ع ل م	3	854
ش ي أ	3	519
ج ن ن	2	201
ق و ل	2	1722
إِلَّا	2	663
ش م س	1	33
ك و ر	1	3
ن ج م	1	13

Period of Revelation

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Background Reasons for Revelation

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Relevant Hadith

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Lessons/Guidance/Major-Issues/Reflections

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A scene from the scenes of the Doomsday.
The Qur'an is conveyed to the Prophet through angel Gabriel.
This message of The Qur'an is for all the people of the world.

Tafsir Zone

Overview (Verses 1 - 4)

Upheaval in the Universe

When the sun is darkened, when the stars fall and disperse, when the mountains are made to move away, when the camels, ten months pregnant, are left untended, when the wild beasts are brought together, when the seas are set alight, when people’s souls are paired [like with like], when the infant girl, buried alive, is asked for what crime she was slain, when the records are laid open, when the sky is stripped bare, when hell is made to burn fiercely, when paradise is brought near, every soul shall know what it has put forward. (Verses 1-14)

These verses sketch a scene of great upheaval which envelops the whole universe. It is an event which reveals every guarded secret and leaves nothing hidden away. Every human being faces what he has put forward for the day of reckoning and judgement. The great events mentioned indicate that the present familiar state of the universe, with its perfect harmony, measured movement, controlled relations, perfected by the Maker whose work is flawless, will suffer a complete break down. Its role will be finished. Along with all creation, it will move into a new predetermined phase of life, unlike anything known to us in this world.

The surah aims to get this idea of the inevitable upheaval well established in people’s hearts and minds so that they may attach little or no importance to the values and riches of this world, though these may seem to be of lasting consequence. People should establish a firm bond with the everlasting truth, i.e. the truth of God, the Eternal, who never changes when everything else changes and disappears. They should break the chains of what is familiar in this life in order to recognize the absolute truth which admits no restrictions of time, place, finite faculties or temporal standards.As one goes through the events of this universal upheaval, one cannot fail to observe an inner feeling for this affirmation.

As to what exactly happens to all these creations during the resurrection we can only say that it is known to God alone. We can only comprehend what we have experienced. When we think of a great upheaval in the world, our imagination cannot stretch beyond a violent earthquake or volcano, or, perhaps, the fall of a comet or a small celestial body. Floods are perhaps the most destructive manifestation of the power of water known to us. The most powerful events in the universe we have monitored were some limited explosions in the sun, which is millions of miles away from us. All these events, great as they may be, seem so small when they are compared to the universal upheaval which will take place on the Day of Resurrection that they may be considered akin to child’s play. If we really want to know what will happen then, we can do no more than attempt to draw some sort of comparison with what we have experienced in this life.

The darkening of the sun probably means that it will cool down and its flames which stretch out for thousands of miles in space will dwindle and die. As the sun is now in gaseous form because of its intense heat, which reaches a maximum of 12,000 degrees, its darkening probably means its transformation by freezing to a form similar to that of the surface of the earth. It may adopt a circular shape without becoming stretched out. This is probably the meaning of the opening verse, but it could also mean something different. As to how it will happen, or its causes, we can only say that this is known only to God.

The falling of the stars probably means that they will break away from the system which holds them together and lose their light and brightness. Only God knows which stars will be affected by this event: will it affect only a small group of stars, say, our own solar system, or our galaxy, which comprises hundreds of millions of stars, or will it affect all the stars in their millions of millions? The universe, as everyone knows, comprises an almost infinite number of galaxies, each with its own space.

Forcing the mountains to move away probably means that they will be crushed and blown away as indicated in other surahs: “They ask you about the mountains. Say: My Lord will crush them to fine dust and leave them a desolate waste.” (20: 105) “When the mountains crumble away and scatter into fine dust.” (56: 5) “And the mountains are made to move away, and seem to have been a mirage.” (78: 20) All these verses refer to a certain event which will affect the mountains and do away with their firm foundations and stability. This may be the beginning of the quake which will shake the earth violently, and which is mentioned in Surah 99, The Earthquake: “When the earth is rocked with her final earthquake, when the earth shakes off her burdens.” (99: 1-2) All these events will take place on that very long day.

“When the camels, ten months pregnant, are left untended.” (Verse 4) The Arabic description of the camel here specifies that she is in her tenth month of pregnancy. When in this state, she is to the Arab his most valuable possession because she is about to add to his wealth a highly valued young camel, and to give him a lot of milk which he and his family will share with the new-born animal. However, on that day, which will witness such overwhelming events, such priceless camels will be left without care, completely untended. The Arabs who were the first to be addressed by this verse never left such camels untended, except for the gravest of dangers.

Ibn Kathir (English)

Sayyid Qutb

Sha'rawi

Al Jalalain

Mawdudi

الطبري - جامع البيان

ابن كثير - تفسير القرآن العظيم

القرطبي - الجامع لأحكام

البغوي - معالم التنزيل

ابن أبي حاتم الرازي - تفسير القرآن

ابن عاشور - التحرير والتنوير

ابن القيم - تفسير ابن قيّم

السيوطي - الدر المنثور

الشنقيطي - أضواء البيان

ابن الجوزي - زاد المسير

الآلوسي - روح المعاني

ابن عطية - المحرر الوجيز

الرازي - مفاتيح الغيب

أبو السعود - إرشاد العقل السليم

الزمخشري - الكشاف

البقاعي - نظم الدرر

الهداية إلى بلوغ النهاية — مكي ابن أبي طالب

القاسمي - محاسن التأويل

الماوردي - النكت والعيون

السعدي - تيسير الكريم الرحمن

عبد الرحمن الثعالبي - الجواهر الحسان

السمرقندي - بحر العلوم

أبو إسحاق الثعلبي - الكشف والبيان

الشوكاني - فتح القدير

النيسابوري - التفسير البسيط

أبو حيان - البحر المحيط

البيضاوي - أنوار التنزيل

النسفي - مدارك التنزيل

ابن جُزَيّ - التسهيل لعلوم التنزيل

علي الواحدي النيسابوري - الوجيز

السيوطي - تفسير الجلالين

المختصر في التفسير — مركز تفسير

Overview (Verses 1 - 4)

Wiki Forum

Comments in this section are statements made by general users – these are not necessarily explanations of the Ayah – rather a place to share personal thoughts and stories… Login to enter your comments

Miscellaneous Issues

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External Links

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Surah 81. At-Takwir - Saad al Ghamidi https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbR3S8Vapko&list=PLhM2xiAUdw2cAqW_o3zZkbhJNw0bnaBZN&index=81
Surah 81. At-Takwir Mahmoud Khalil Al Hussary https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_xdTU5UChc&list=PLxpAkjlGauHfMFWX22VZWOKpzjr-vH_BM&index=81
Surah 81. At-Takwir Muhammad Al Luhaydan https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2q_JOYEf06g&list=PLxpAkjlGauHfKAYuQLRNAZomoezhfhRZe&index=81
Surah 81. At-Takwir Idris Akbar https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UwT-yPWAKEc
Surah 81. At-Takwir Muhammad Minshawi https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5tb3PiingY&index=81&list=PLxpAkjlGauHdUcO_uc-8F8J2NUQRDZjPG

Overview - Surah 81: at-Takwir (The Wrapping )

Surah Introduction

Contents

Overview

Central Theme

Connection of the name of the Surah and its Ayaat

Connection between the beginning and the ending of the Surah

Manuscripts / Inscriptions

1st Century Hijrah (7th Century CE)

Connection of the Surah to the Surah before/after it

The Virtues of the Surah

Special Features of the Surah

Important key and unique words of the Surah

Unique Root Words to this Surah only

Top 10 Most Frequent Root Words used in this Surah

Period of Revelation

Background Reasons for Revelation

Relevant Hadith

Lessons/Guidance/Major-Issues/Reflections

Tafsir Zone

Wiki Forum

Miscellaneous Issues

External Links