At-Takweer (ٱلتَّكْوِير)

Surah At-Takwir (التَّكْوِير) is the 81^st surah of the Quran. The name of the Surah comes from its first verse “إِذَا ٱلشَّمْسُ كُوِّرَتْ” which means “WHEN THE SUN is folded up”. The name Takwir is derived from the word “kuwwirat.” It refers to the sequence of events that would happen on the last day, marking the end of this world. Surah At-Takwir mentions how this world would be folded up, mentioning the process of destruction of the sun, stars, and mountains.

This Surah is quite similar to the next Surah Al-Infitar, which is in continuation of Surah At-Takwir. Surah At-Takwir resembles most of the earlier Makki Surahs, where the concept of the end of the world, resurrection, and final judgement is described. 

Shaan e Nazool (Historical Background)

The subject discussed in this Surah is almost the same as that of the majority of the Surahs revealed in Mecca during the earlier phase of the Prophethood of the Prophet Muhammad صَلَّى ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِۦ وَسَلَّمَ. At that time, the Meccans were negating his Prophethood. They were also unable to realize the reality of life after death and accountability on the day of judgement. Surah At-Takwir addresses these important matters. So, the main purpose of the revelation of Surah At-Takwir was to make them realize the inevitability of the day of resurrection, and to establish the Prophethood of the Prophet Muhammad صَلَّى ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِۦ وَسَلَّمَ. It also confirms that the Quran is a divine book, revealed to the Prophet through the trustworthy Angel, Jibril. However, there is no evidence of any specific event or incident associated with the revelation of this Surah.

Makki or Madni Surah

The topics discussed in this surah and the style of narration clearly indicate that it was revealed in the earlier phase of the Prophethood of the Prophet Muhammad صَلَّى ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِۦ وَسَلَّمَ, during his stay in Mecca. Hence, Surah At-Takwir is titled as a Makki Surah.

Place in the Quran

Surah At-Takwir is the 81^st Surah and is placed in Juzz (para) 30 of the Quran. It appears after Surah Abasa (80^th Surah) and before Surah Al-Infitar (82^nd Surah). In the order recitation, it comes at number 81, whereas in the sequence of revelation, it falls at number 7. Within the 30^th Juzz, it is the fourth Surah.

• Number of Verses: Surah At-Takwir comprises 29 verses.
• Number of Ruku (Sections): Surah At-Takwir has 1 Ruku (section).

Significance of Surah At-Takwir

Surah At-Takwir is one of those Surahs of the Quran, where the day of judgement is explicitly mentioned. It narrates the start of the end of the world, by presenting a scenario of cosmic disturbance, when the sun will be folded up, stars will fall, and mountains will collapse. It shows the ultimate powers and authority of Allah سُبْحَانَهُۥ وَتَعَالَىٰ. 

Surah At-Takwir also establishes the authenticity of the Quran by saying, it is revealed to the Prophet by Allah سُبْحَانَهُۥ وَتَعَالَىٰ through the trustworthy Angel. Simultaneously, the truth and reality of the Prophethood of the Prophet Muhammad are also established here.  

Additionally, the concept of the life hereafter and the accountability of mankind is also explicitly narrated in this Surah.

So, the Surah signifies the basic concepts of Islamic teachings, including:

• Reality and inevitability of the day of judgement.
• The Quran is a divine revelation and the truthfulness of Prophethood of the Prophet Muhammad صَلَّى ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِۦ وَسَلَّمَ.

Themes and Subject Matter of Surah At-Takwir

Surah At-Takwir mainly describes two major subjects, in the backdrop of the situation prevailing during the initial stages of the spreading of Islam, the concept of life after death, and the truth and reality of the Quran, being Allah’s سُبْحَانَهُۥ وَتَعَالَىٰ revelations and the Prophet Muhammad صَلَّى ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِۦ وَسَلَّمَ being His Messenger and Prophet.

The Surah starts with a description of what would happen on the day of resurrection. Here, the process of physical destruction of this universe is explained. The sun will be folded up, which means it will lose its light. The stars will fall and scatter. The mountains will collapse and disperse. The humans will become heedless of their beloved belongings. Seas will overflow and boil.

Going further, the next phase of the day of resurrection is explained. Everyone will be resurrected with their record of deeds committed in this world to face the accountability. Everyone would therefore be fully aware of what they have done in their life on Earth, and they would face the accountability, which is inevitable. It is mentioned explicitly in the 14^th verse of this Surah (every soul will know what it has prepared).  At this stage, the Heavens and Hell will be made fully visible to everyone. 

Then, in the last part of the Surah, the subject and theme of Prophethood are described in detail. The perception of the disbelievers about the Quran and the Prophethood is explicitly addressed here. It is established in this part of the Surah that the Quran is a divine revelation sent through the most trustworthy Angel, Jibril. It is also mentioned that the Prophet Muhammad صَلَّى ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِۦ وَسَلَّمَ has seen the Angel in the clear horizon of the sky. This simultaneously establishes the authenticity of the Quran and the Prophethood of the Prophet Muhammad صَلَّى ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِۦ وَسَلَّمَ.

Finally, the disbelievers are asked where they are going while denying these facts. It is a sort of reminder and warning for them to follow the Message of Allah سُبْحَانَهُۥ وَتَعَالَىٰ.

Virtues and Benefits of Surah At-Takwir

Surah At-Takwir is one of those surahs that hold some special virtues. Hadith 3333 of Jami At-Tirmidhi describes a very special virtue of this surah. It describes that if someone is interested in viewing the day of resurrection, they should recite the Surahs At-Takwir, Al-Infitar, and Al-Inshiqaq.

Translation - 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.'

Here, “Kuwwirat" refers to Surah At-Takwir. So, the instant benefit of recitation of this Surah is that the reciter gets a clear understanding of the day of resurrection.

Other virtues and benefits of Surah At-Takwir are as under:

• It provides a clear insight into the final day, hence strengthening one's faith in the Day of Resurrection.
• It helps develop of sense of consciousness of the reality of the Hereafter.
• It develops an urge to detach ourselves from worldly attractions and focus on life after death.
• Recitation of this Surah strengthens our Iman (faith) on the Quran, being the divine revelation, and the truthfulness of the Prophet Muhammad صَلَّى ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِۦ وَسَلَّمَ, being a Messenger of Allah سُبْحَانَهُۥ وَتَعَالَىٰ
• Regular recitation of this Surah keeps us mindful of following the righteous way of life, as whatever we are doing here will be shown to us on the day of resurrection for final accountability.
• Recitation of any of the surahs and verses of the Quran is believed to be a source of intercession on the day of resurrection. The same applies to the recitation of Surah At-Takwir.

Listen to the Recitation of Surah At-Takwir by Renowned Qaris

Reading the Quran, with tajweed and correct pronunciation, is critical. Even a slight variation in pronouncing a word of the Quran can totally change its meanings. Hence, it is very important to read it correctly. It may be even more difficult for a non-Arabic speaker to read the Quran with correct pronunciation. So, listening to the recitation of an authentic reciter (Qari) may help you understand the correct pronunciation of the Quranic words. Additionally, sometimes you may also like to just listen to the Quranic surahs, including Surah At-Takwir, instead of reading them.

At MuslimandQuran, we have managed to upload the complete Quran, including Surah At-Takwir, recited by the most reliable and authentic Qari to facilitate you. You can select the recitation by any of your preferred Qaris by navigating the list of Qaris. You just need to download the Mobile application of MuslimandQuran to get this feature.

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Surah At-Takwir PDF

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