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التكوير

Surah At-Takwir (التكوير) - Transliteration and Translation

Chapter 81 of the Quran, 29 verses, "The Overthrowing"

بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ

Surah At-Takwir Transliteration and English Translation

  1. 1

    إِذَا ٱلشَّمْسُ كُوِّرَتْ

    Izash shamsu kuwwirat

    When the sun is wrapped up [in darkness]

  2. 2

    وَإِذَا ٱلنُّجُومُ ٱنكَدَرَتْ

    Wa izan nujoomun kadarat

    And when the stars fall, dispersing,

  3. 3

    وَإِذَا ٱلْجِبَالُ سُيِّرَتْ

    Wa izal jibaalu suyyirat

    And when the mountains are removed

  4. 4

    وَإِذَا ٱلْعِشَارُ عُطِّلَتْ

    Wa izal 'ishaaru 'uttilat

    And when full-term she-camels are neglected

  5. 5

    وَإِذَا ٱلْوُحُوشُ حُشِرَتْ

    Wa izal wuhooshu hushirat

    And when the wild beasts are gathered

  6. 6

    وَإِذَا ٱلْبِحَارُ سُجِّرَتْ

    Wa izal bihaaru sujjirat

    And when the seas are filled with flame

  7. 7

    وَإِذَا ٱلنُّفُوسُ زُوِّجَتْ

    Wa izan nufoosu zuwwijat

    And when the souls are paired

  8. 8

    وَإِذَا ٱلْمَوْءُۥدَةُ سُئِلَتْ

    Wa izal maw'oodatu su'ilat

    And when the girl [who was] buried alive is asked

  9. 9

    بِأَىِّ ذَنۢبٍۢ قُتِلَتْ

    Bi ayyi zambin qutilat

    For what sin she was killed

  10. 10

    وَإِذَا ٱلصُّحُفُ نُشِرَتْ

    Wa izas suhufu nushirat

    And when the pages are made public

  11. 11

    وَإِذَا ٱلسَّمَآءُ كُشِطَتْ

    Wa izas samaaa'u kushitat

    And when the sky is stripped away

  12. 12

    وَإِذَا ٱلْجَحِيمُ سُعِّرَتْ

    Wa izal jaheemu su'-'irat

    And when Hellfire is set ablaze

  13. 13

    وَإِذَا ٱلْجَنَّةُ أُزْلِفَتْ

    Wa izal jannatu uzlifat

    And when Paradise is brought near,

  14. 14

    عَلِمَتْ نَفْسٌۭ مَّآ أَحْضَرَتْ

    'Alimat nafsum maaa ahdarat

    A soul will [then] know what it has brought [with it].

  15. 15

    فَلَآ أُقْسِمُ بِٱلْخُنَّسِ

    Falaaa uqsimu bil khunnas

    So I swear by the retreating stars -

  16. 16

    ٱلْجَوَارِ ٱلْكُنَّسِ

    Al jawaaril kunnas

    Those that run [their courses] and disappear -

  17. 17

    وَٱلَّيْلِ إِذَا عَسْعَسَ

    Wallaili izaa 'as'as

    And by the night as it closes in

  18. 18

    وَٱلصُّبْحِ إِذَا تَنَفَّسَ

    Wassubhi izaa tanaffas

    And by the dawn when it breathes

  19. 19

    إِنَّهُۥ لَقَوْلُ رَسُولٍۢ كَرِيمٍۢ

    Innahoo laqawlu rasoolin kareem

    [That] indeed, the Qur'an is a word [conveyed by] a noble messenger

  20. 20

    ذِى قُوَّةٍ عِندَ ذِى ٱلْعَرْشِ مَكِينٍۢ

    Zee quwwatin 'inda zil 'arshi makeen

    [Who is] possessed of power and with the Owner of the Throne, secure [in position],

  21. 21

    مُّطَاعٍۢ ثَمَّ أَمِينٍۢ

    Mutaa'in samma ameen

    Obeyed there [in the heavens] and trustworthy.

  22. 22

    وَمَا صَاحِبُكُم بِمَجْنُونٍۢ

    Wa maa saahibukum bimajnoon

    And your companion is not [at all] mad.

  23. 23

    وَلَقَدْ رَءَاهُ بِٱلْأُفُقِ ٱلْمُبِينِ

    Wa laqad ra aahu bilufuqil mubeen

    And he has already seen Gabriel in the clear horizon.

  24. 24

    وَمَا هُوَ عَلَى ٱلْغَيْبِ بِضَنِينٍۢ

    Wa maa huwa 'alal ghaibi bidaneen

    And Muhammad is not a withholder of [knowledge of] the unseen.

  25. 25

    وَمَا هُوَ بِقَوْلِ شَيْطَٰنٍۢ رَّجِيمٍۢ

    Wa maa huwa biqawli shaitaanir rajeem

    And the Qur'an is not the word of a devil, expelled [from the heavens].

  26. 26

    فَأَيْنَ تَذْهَبُونَ

    Fa ayna tazhaboon

    So where are you going?

  27. 27

    إِنْ هُوَ إِلَّا ذِكْرٌۭ لِّلْعَٰلَمِينَ

    In huwa illaa zikrul lil'aalameen

    It is not except a reminder to the worlds

  28. 28

    لِمَن شَآءَ مِنكُمْ أَن يَسْتَقِيمَ

    Liman shaaa'a minkum ai yastaqeem

    For whoever wills among you to take a right course.

  29. 29

    وَمَا تَشَآءُونَ إِلَّآ أَن يَشَآءَ ٱللَّهُ رَبُّ ٱلْعَٰلَمِينَ

    Wa maa tashaaa'oona illaaa ai yashaaa 'al laahu Rabbul 'Aalameen

    And you do not will except that Allah wills - Lord of the worlds.

About Surah At-Takwir

Surah At-Takwir (Arabic: التكوير), meaning "The Overthrowing", is the 81st chapter of the Quran and has 29 verses. It was revealed in Makkah, in the years when the Quraysh were dismissing the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) as a madman. The surah sets two things side by side: the upheaval of the universe at the end of time, and the truth of the revelation brought by a noble messenger.

It opens with a rapid series of scenes, each beginning with "when": the sun is wrapped up, the stars fall, the mountains are moved, pregnant camels are abandoned, wild beasts are gathered and the seas are set aflame. Among them, the girl buried alive is asked for what sin she was killed. The records are spread open, Hell is kindled and Paradise brought near, and every soul will know what it has brought. The second half swears by the stars, the night and the dawn that the Quran is the word of a noble messenger, understood as the angel Jibril, and not the word of an accursed devil. It closes with "So where are you going?" and a reminder that people will only will what Allah wills. A report in Sunan at-Tirmidhi, accepted by many scholars, commends reciting this surah together with Al-Infitar and Al-Inshiqaq to whoever wishes to see the Day of Resurrection as if with his own eyes.

Main Themes of Surah At-Takwir

Read Surah At-Takwir with Transliteration

Read Surah At-Takwir in Arabic with Latin transliteration and English translation. This Surah does not currently have a synchronized recording in the QuranMakkah audio library.

Frequently Asked Questions About Surah At-Takwir

What is Surah At-Takwir about?
Surah At-Takwir describes the collapse of the natural order on the Last Day, with the sun wrapped up, the stars fallen and the seas aflame, followed by the moment every soul learns what it has brought. It then affirms that the Quran was delivered by a noble angelic messenger to a Prophet who is not mad.
What is the question put to the girl buried alive in Surah At-Takwir?
Verses 8 and 9 refer to the pre-Islamic practice of burying infant daughters alive. On the Day of Judgment the girl herself will be asked for what sin she was killed, a question that exposes the crime of those who killed her and affirms her innocence and worth.
Who is the noble messenger in Surah At-Takwir?
Most commentators explain the noble messenger in verse 19 as the angel Jibril, described as possessing power, holding rank with the Owner of the Throne, obeyed and trustworthy. Verse 23 states that the Prophet (peace be upon him) saw him on the clear horizon.

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