Surah At-Takwir
التكوير
Surah At-Takwir is a 29-verse Meccan surah that pictures the collapse of the universe at the end of time and then affirms that the Quran is a true message brought by an honest messenger.
- Meaning
- The Overthrowing
- Surah
- 81 of 114
- Verses
- 29
- Revealed in
- Mecca
- Found in
- Juz 30
What Surah At-Takwir is about
Surah At-Takwir, "The Overthrowing", takes its name from its opening verse, which describes the sun being rolled up. Verses 1 to 13 are a rapid series of scenes, each beginning with "When": the stars dim, the mountains move, ordinary ties and relationships are left suspended, wild beasts are gathered, the seas are set ablaze, and souls are paired with their like. In the middle of this cosmic upheaval, verses 8 and 9 pause on a single person: the baby girl who was buried alive, who will be asked for what crime she was killed. The sequence ends with the Fire lit and Paradise brought near, and verse 14 delivers the point of it all: every soul will know what it has prepared.
The second half changes direction. After oaths by the stars, the retreating night and the breathing dawn (verses 15 to 18), verses 19 to 25 defend the revelation itself. The Quran is the speech of a noble, powerful and trusted messenger, understood by commentators as the angel Gabriel (Jibril). The people of Mecca are told that their companion, the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, is not mad, that he truly saw the angel on the clear horizon, and that this is not the word of a cursed devil. The surah closes by asking where its listeners are heading, calling the Quran a reminder for all people, and reminding them in verse 29 that their will operates within the will of Allah, Lord of the Worlds.
Main themes
The unraveling of creation
The opening verses take the most stable things people know, the sun, stars, mountains and seas, and show each one undone. The pile-up of short scenes gives a sense of everything familiar falling away at once, so that only a person's deeds remain.
Verses 1–14Justice for the voiceless
Verses 8 and 9 refer to the pre-Islamic Arabian practice of burying infant daughters alive. On the Last Day the victim herself is questioned, which makes plain that no injustice, however hidden or socially accepted, goes unrecorded.
Verses 8–9The messenger can be trusted
The surah answers the charge that the Prophet ﷺ was possessed or inspired by devils. It describes the angel who brought the revelation as noble and honest, and the Prophet as someone his own people knew well.
Verses 19–25A reminder that asks for a choice
The closing verses turn to the listener with a direct question about direction. The Quran is offered as a reminder to anyone who wants to go straight, while acknowledging that human will sits within Allah's will.
Verses 26–29
Verses to know
وَإِذَا ٱلۡمَوۡءُۥدَةُ سُئِلَتۡ ﴿٨﴾ بِأَيِّ ذَنۢبٖ قُتِلَتۡ ﴿٩﴾
8When the girl, buried alive, is asked: 9For what crime was she killed?
These two verses give a voice to infant girls who were buried alive in pre-Islamic Arabia. Among all the cosmic scenes of the Last Day, the surah singles out this one victim and her question.
عَلِمَتۡ نَفۡسࣱ مَّآ أَحۡضَرَتۡ ﴿١٤﴾
Each soul will know what it has readied.
This is the conclusion that all thirteen opening scenes build toward: when everything else falls away, each soul will know exactly what it has brought with it.
فَأَيۡنَ تَذۡهَبُونَ ﴿٢٦﴾
So where are you heading?
A short, direct question to the listener about where they are going, placed right after the defense of the revelation. It is often quoted on its own as a prompt for self-reflection.
When Surah At-Takwir is recited
A narration in Sunan at-Tirmidhi reports the Prophet ﷺ saying that whoever would like to look at the Day of Resurrection as if seeing it with their own eyes should read this surah, along with Al-Infitar (82) and Al-Inshiqaq (84). Because of this, the three are often read together as a set.
Surah At-Takwir in Arabic and English
All 29 verses, with the Arabic, a transliteration to help you read it aloud, and the English translation by Talal Itani.
بِسۡمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ
- 1
إِذَا ٱلشَّمۡسُ كُوِّرَتۡ
Itha alshshamsu kuwwirat
When the sun is rolled up.
- 2
وَإِذَا ٱلنُّجُومُ ٱنكَدَرَتۡ
Waitha alnnujoomu inkadarat
When the stars are dimmed.
- 3
وَإِذَا ٱلۡجِبَالُ سُيِّرَتۡ
Waitha aljibalu suyyirat
When the mountains are set in motion.
- 4
وَإِذَا ٱلۡعِشَارُ عُطِّلَتۡ
Waitha alAAisharu AAuttilat
When the relationships are suspended.
- 5
وَإِذَا ٱلۡوُحُوشُ حُشِرَتۡ
Waitha alwuhooshu hushirat
When the beasts are gathered.
- 6
وَإِذَا ٱلۡبِحَارُ سُجِّرَتۡ
Waitha albiharu sujjirat
When the oceans are set aflame.
- 7
وَإِذَا ٱلنُّفُوسُ زُوِّجَتۡ
Waitha alnnufoosu zuwwijat
When the souls are paired.
- 8
وَإِذَا ٱلۡمَوۡءُۥدَةُ سُئِلَتۡ
Waitha almawoodatu suilat
When the girl, buried alive, is asked:
- 9
بِأَيِّ ذَنۢبٖ قُتِلَتۡ
Biayyi thanbin qutilat
For what crime was she killed?
- 10
وَإِذَا ٱلصُّحُفُ نُشِرَتۡ
Waitha alssuhufu nushirat
When the records are made public.
- 11
وَإِذَا ٱلسَّمَآءُ كُشِطَتۡ
Waitha alssamao kushitat
When the sky is peeled away.
- 12
وَإِذَا ٱلۡجَحِيمُ سُعِّرَتۡ
Waitha aljaheemu suAAAAirat
When the Fire is set ablaze.
- 13
وَإِذَا ٱلۡجَنَّةُ أُزۡلِفَتۡ
Waitha aljannatu ozlifat
When Paradise is brought near.
- 14
عَلِمَتۡ نَفۡسࣱ مَّآ أَحۡضَرَتۡ
AAalimat nafsun ma ahdarat
Each soul will know what it has readied.
- 15
فَلَآ أُقۡسِمُ بِٱلۡخُنَّسِ
Fala oqsimu bialkhunnasi
I swear by the galaxies.
- 16
ٱلۡجَوَارِ ٱلۡكُنَّسِ
Aljawari alkunnasi
Precisely running their courses.
- 17
وَٱلَّيۡلِ إِذَا عَسۡعَسَ
Waallayli itha AAasAAasa
And by the night as it recedes.
- 18
وَٱلصُّبۡحِ إِذَا تَنَفَّسَ
Waalssubhi itha tanaffasa
And by the morn as it breathes.
- 19
إِنَّهُۥ لَقَوۡلُ رَسُولٖ كَرِيمٖ
Innahu laqawlu rasoolin kareemin
This is the speech of a noble messenger.
- 20
ذِي قُوَّةٍ عِندَ ذِي ٱلۡعَرۡشِ مَكِينٖ
Thee quwwatin AAinda thee alAAarshi makeenin
Endowed with power, eminent with the Lord of the Throne.
- 21
مُّطَاعٖ ثَمَّ أَمِينٖ
MutaAAin thamma ameenin
Obeyed and honest.
- 22
وَمَا صَاحِبُكُم بِمَجۡنُونٖ
Wama sahibukum bimajnoonin
Your friend is not possessed.
- 23
وَلَقَدۡ رَءَاهُ بِٱلۡأُفُقِ ٱلۡمُبِينِ
Walaqad raahu bialofuqi almubeeni
He saw him on the luminous horizon.
- 24
وَمَا هُوَ عَلَى ٱلۡغَيۡبِ بِضَنِينٖ
Wama huwa AAala alghaybi bidaneenin
And he does not withhold knowledge of the Unseen.
- 25
وَمَا هُوَ بِقَوۡلِ شَيۡطَٰنٖ رَّجِيمٖ
Wama huwa biqawli shaytanin rajeemin
And it is not the word of an accursed devil.
- 26
فَأَيۡنَ تَذۡهَبُونَ
Faayna tathhaboona
So where are you heading?
- 27
إِنۡ هُوَ إِلَّا ذِكۡرࣱ لِّلۡعَٰلَمِينَ
In huwa illa thikrun lilAAalameena
It is only a Reminder to all mankind.
- 28
لِمَن شَآءَ مِنكُمۡ أَن يَسۡتَقِيمَ
Liman shaa minkum an yastaqeema
To whoever of you wills to go straight.
- 29
وَمَا تَشَآءُونَ إِلَّآ أَن يَشَآءَ ٱللَّهُ رَبُّ ٱلۡعَٰلَمِينَ
Wama tashaoona illa an yashaa Allahu rabbu alAAalameena
But you cannot will, unless Allah wills—the Lord of the Worlds.
Surah At-Takwir PDF
The whole surah on printable pages: Arabic, transliteration and English side by side. Free to download, print and share.
Questions about Surah At-Takwir
How many verses are in Surah At-Takwir?
Surah At-Takwir has 29 verses. It is the 81st surah of the Quran and is in the 30th juz.
Is Surah At-Takwir Meccan or Medinan?
It is a Meccan surah, from the early period of the Prophet's mission in Mecca, which fits its focus on the Last Day and on defending the revelation.
What does Takwir mean?
Takwir refers to rolling or wrapping something up, like a turban. The surah takes the name from verse 1, which describes the sun being rolled up and its light going out.
Who is the noble messenger in Surah At-Takwir?
Most commentators understand the noble, powerful and trusted messenger of verses 19 to 21 to be the angel Gabriel (Jibril), who brought the revelation. Verse 22 then turns to the Prophet ﷺ, described as the people's companion who is not possessed.