Explanations are simplified from tafsirs by Ibn Kathir, Mufti Muhammad Shafi, and Maulana Wahiduddin Khan. Spot an inaccuracy? Let us know.
بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ
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1
١
idhā l-shamsu kuwwirat
When the sun is wrapped up [in darkness]
2
٢
wa-idhā l-nujūmu inkadarat
And when the stars fall, dispersing,
3
٣
wa-idhā l-jibālu suyyirat
And when the mountains are removed
4
٤
wa-idhā l-ʿishāru ʿuṭṭilat
And when full-term she-camels are neglected
5
٥
wa-idhā l-wuḥūshu ḥushirat
And when the wild beasts are gathered
6
٦
wa-idhā l-biḥāru sujjirat
And when the seas are filled with flame
7
٧
wa-idhā l-nufūsu zuwwijat
And when the souls are paired
8
٨
wa-idhā l-mawūdatu su-ilat
And when the girl [who was] buried alive is asked
9
٩
bi-ayyi dhanbin qutilat
For what sin she was killed
10
١٠
wa-idhā l-ṣuḥufu nushirat
And when the pages are spread [i.e., made public]
11
١١
wa-idhā l-samāu kushiṭat
And when the sky is stripped away
12
١٢
wa-idhā l-jaḥīmu suʿʿirat
And when Hellfire is set ablaze
13
١٣
wa-idhā l-janatu uz'lifat
And when Paradise is brought near,
14
١٤
ʿalimat nafsun mā aḥḍarat
A soul will [then] know what it has brought [with it].
15
١٥
falā uq'simu bil-khunasi
So I swear by the retreating stars -
16
١٦
al-jawāri l-kunasi
Those that run [their courses] and disappear [i.e., set]
17
١٧
wa-al-layli idhā ʿasʿasa
And by the night as it closes in
18
١٨
wal-ṣub'ḥi idhā tanaffasa
And by the dawn when it breathes [i.e., stirs]
19
١٩
innahu laqawlu rasūlin karīmin
[That] indeed, it [i.e., the Qur’ān] is a word [conveyed by] a noble messenger [i.e., Gabriel]
20
٢٠
dhī quwwatin ʿinda dhī l-ʿarshi makīnin
[Who is] possessed of power and with the Owner of the Throne, secure [in position],
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Surah At-Takwir (The Overthrowing) — Full Text
Ayah 1
إِذَا ٱلشَّمْسُ كُوِّرَتْ
When the sun is wrapped up [in darkness]
The surah opens with an absolutely cinematic sequence of the end of the world. When the sun is "folded up" — the Arabic word takwir literally means to wrap something up, like folding a turban. The sun, this massive blazing star that powers all life, will have its light rolled up and extinguished. Both the sun and the moon will be thrown away on that Day. This is the beginning of a rapid-fire list of cosmic events that paints the Day of Judgment as something so real you can almost see it.
Ayah 2
وَإِذَا ٱلنُّجُومُ ٱنكَدَرَتْ
And when the stars fall, dispersing,
And when the stars fall and scatter. These brilliant lights that decorate the sky every night will come crashing down, poured out like they were never fixed in place. The word used here (inkadarat) carries the meaning of being dumped or poured out. If the sun going dark wasn't enough, now even the stars lose their positions. The entire cosmic order that we take for granted every single day just falls apart.
Ayah 3
وَإِذَا ٱلْجِبَالُ سُيِّرَتْ
And when the mountains are removed
And when the mountains are set in motion. The mountains, which seem like the most permanent, unmovable things on earth, will be uprooted and blown away like dust or carded wool. Everything that symbolizes stability in this world — gone. The surah is stacking these images one after another to drive home just how total and absolute this destruction will be.
Ayah 4
وَإِذَا ٱلْعِشَارُ عُطِّلَتْ
And when full-term she-camels1 are neglected
And when the pregnant she-camels are left untended. This one hit the original Arab audience especially hard. A ten-month pregnant camel was one of the most prized possessions you could own — it meant wealth, milk, and more camels on the way. People would never abandon an asset like that. But when the Day of Judgment arrives, even your most valuable worldly possessions become completely meaningless. You just drop everything and run.
Ayah 5
وَإِذَا ٱلْوُحُوشُ حُشِرَتْ
And when the wild beasts are gathered
And when the wild beasts are gathered together. Animals that normally flee from each other and from humans will all be herded together in one place. The natural order of predator and prey breaks down completely. Everything is in chaos and confusion — jinns flee to humans, humans flee to jinns, domestic and wild animals all mix together. Even the animal kingdom senses that something absolutely unprecedented is happening.
Ayah 6
وَإِذَا ٱلْبِحَارُ سُجِّرَتْ
And when the seas are filled with flame1
And when the seas are set ablaze. The oceans — which cover most of our planet — will either overflow and merge together, or literally be set on fire. The word sujjirat can mean filled up, mixed together, or ignited. Some interpretations say the waters will first merge, then be set ablaze. The very element that is supposed to put out fire becomes fire itself. Nothing in this world works the way it used to anymore.
Ayah 7
وَإِذَا ٱلنُّفُوسُ زُوِّجَتْ
And when the souls are paired1
And when the souls are paired up. On that Day, people will be sorted and matched into categories based on their beliefs and deeds. Believers with believers, disbelievers with disbelievers, the righteous with the righteous, and the wicked with the wicked. You end up with the people who were most like you in this life. It is a sobering thought — the company you keep and the choices you make are literally determining your group on Judgment Day.
Ayah 8
وَإِذَا ٱلْمَوْءُۥدَةُ سُئِلَتْ
And when the girl [who was] buried alive is asked
And when the baby girl who was buried alive is asked — this is one of the most emotionally powerful verses in the Quran. In pre-Islamic Arabia, some people considered having a daughter so shameful that they would bury newborn girls alive. On the Day of Judgment, that innocent child will be brought forward and questioned. The question is directed at her to establish her complete innocence, which in turn exposes the unspeakable cruelty of those who killed her.
Ayah 9
بِأَىِّ ذَنۢبٍ قُتِلَتْ
For what sin she was killed
For what sin was she killed? This rhetorical question drives the point home — she had no sin. She was a helpless baby. The fact that Allah singles out this specific crime, out of all the injustices in human history, shows how serious it is. It also carries a powerful message: even if a crime was committed in secret with no witnesses and no one to demand justice, Allah sees everything, and on that Day, every buried truth will be dug up.
Ayah 10
وَإِذَا ٱلصُّحُفُ نُشِرَتْ
And when the pages1 are spread [i.e., made public]
And when the record books are laid open. Every person's deeds — every single thing they did, said, or intended — will be spread out for review. Nothing is hidden, nothing is lost, nothing is forgotten. Your entire life is documented in detail, and it will all be right there in front of you. This connects back to the gathering and sorting of souls: once you are placed in your group, the evidence of why you are there is presented.
Ayah 11
وَإِذَا ٱلسَّمَآءُ كُشِطَتْ
And when the sky is stripped away
And when the sky is stripped away. The word used here (kushitat) literally means to skin an animal — to peel off its hide. The sky as we know it, with its beauty, its stars, its blue expanse, will be torn off and removed like a layer of skin. Everything that made the universe look ordered and magnificent is being systematically dismantled. We are now eleven events deep into this sequence, and the intensity just keeps building.
Ayah 12
وَإِذَا ٱلْجَحِيمُ سُعِّرَتْ
And when Hellfire is set ablaze
And when the Hellfire is set ablaze, stoked and intensified. It has always existed, but on this Day it will be fueled to its full, terrifying capacity. The fire is being prepared for those whose records, now laid open, reveal a life of rejection and wrongdoing. The surah has been building toward this moment — all the cosmic destruction was setting the stage for the ultimate consequence.
Ayah 13
وَإِذَا ٱلْجَنَّةُ أُزْلِفَتْ
And when Paradise is brought near,
And when Paradise is brought near. Right after mentioning Hellfire, the surah immediately brings up Paradise — brought close and made accessible for those who earned it. It is not far away or hard to reach for the believers; it is drawn near to them as a reward. The contrast between ayah 12 and 13 is striking: two ultimate destinations, side by side, and every soul is headed for one of them.
Ayah 14
عَلِمَتْ نَفْسٌ مَّآ أَحْضَرَتْ
A soul will [then] know what it has brought [with it].1
Then every soul will know what it has brought forward. This is the conclusion of that entire sequence — all those cosmic events from ayahs 1 through 13 were building up to this single moment of reckoning. When all of that happens, every single person will see exactly what they prepared for themselves. No surprises, no excuses. Your deeds are right there, either in the form of a written record placed in your hands or taking on a visible form. The surah now shifts gears completely.
Ayah 15
فَلَآ أُقْسِمُ بِٱلْخُنَّسِ
So I swear by the retreating stars -
So I swear by the retreating stars. After that intense depiction of the Day of Judgment, Allah now takes a powerful oath. The word khunnas refers to stars (likely the visible planets) that appear to retreat and hide. They move across the sky, sometimes visible, sometimes disappearing behind the sun's light. Allah is swearing by these incredible celestial bodies to establish the truth of what comes next — a defense of the Quran and the Prophet.
Ayah 16
ٱلْجَوَارِ ٱلْكُنَّسِ
Those that run [their courses] and disappear [i.e., set]
The ones that move swiftly and hide themselves. These stars orbit and sweep through the sky, then tuck themselves away. The precision of their movements, appearing and disappearing in perfect cycles, points to the power of the One who controls them. Just as these stars operate under a divine system with flawless precision, the revelation of the Quran through the angel to the Prophet also operates under a divine system that is equally precise and trustworthy.
Ayah 17
وَٱلَّيْلِ إِذَا عَسْعَسَ
And by the night as it closes in1
And by the night as it departs. Allah swears by the night when its darkness approaches and envelops everything. The transition between night and day is one of the most constant, reliable signs in all of creation. Every single day, without fail, darkness comes and then gives way to light. This rhythm is controlled by Allah alone, and He uses it here to set the stage for confirming the truth of the Quran.
Ayah 18
وَٱلصُّبْحِ إِذَا تَنَفَّسَ
And by the dawn when it breathes [i.e., stirs]
And by the dawn as it breathes. What a beautiful image — the morning does not just arrive, it breathes. It gently exhales light into the world, pushing back the darkness. The shift from night to morning is a daily sign of Allah's power and precision. After these four oaths — the retreating stars, the sweeping planets, the departing night, and the breathing dawn — Allah is about to make a statement that He wants you to take very, very seriously.
Ayah 19
إِنَّهُۥ لَقَوْلُ رَسُولٍ كَرِيمٍ
[That] indeed, it [i.e., the Qur’ān] is a word [conveyed by] a noble messenger [i.e., Gabriel]
Indeed, this Quran is the word brought by a noble messenger. The noble messenger here refers to the Angel Jibreel (Gabriel), who carried the Quran from Allah down to the Prophet Muhammad. He is described as noble and honorable because of his incredible status among all the angels. The Quran is not the random words of a poet or a madman — it was delivered through the most trusted, most powerful angel in all of creation.
Ayah 20
ذِى قُوَّةٍ عِندَ ذِى ٱلْعَرْشِ مَكِينٍ
[Who is] possessed of power and with the Owner of the Throne, secure [in position],
Possessing great power and a high rank with the Lord of the Throne. Jibreel is not just any angel — he has immense strength and an honored position with Allah, the Lord of the Throne (the greatest structure in all of creation). When Jibreel travels through the heavens, other angels obey him and open the gates for him. He is the one entrusted with carrying the most important message in existence. The credentials of the messenger validate the message itself.
Ayah 21
مُّطَاعٍ ثَمَّ أَمِينٍ
Obeyed there [in the heavens] and trustworthy.
Obeyed there in the heavens, and trustworthy. Jibreel has authority among the angels — they follow his lead and respect his rank. And most importantly, he is completely trustworthy. There is zero chance that he altered, added to, or left out anything from what Allah revealed. The message went from Allah to Jibreel to Muhammad with absolute fidelity. Every word of the Quran arrived exactly as it was meant to.
Ayah 22
وَمَا صَاحِبُكُم بِمَجْنُونٍ
And your companion [i.e., Prophet Muḥammad (ﷺ) ] is not [at all] mad.1
And your companion Muhammad is not insane. This is a direct response to the Quraysh who tried to dismiss the Prophet by calling him crazy. Allah is saying: this man who lives among you, whose character you have known for decades, is not a madman. The word used is "your companion" — someone you know personally, who grew up in your community. You know he is truthful. You know he is sane. Your accusations have no basis.
Ayah 23
وَلَقَدْ رَءَاهُ بِٱلْأُفُقِ ٱلْمُبِينِ
And he has already seen him [i.e., Gabriel] in the clear horizon.1
And he certainly saw him — Jibreel — on the clear horizon. The Prophet actually saw the Angel Jibreel in his true, original form on the open horizon. This was not some vague dream or hallucination. It was a clear, undeniable visual experience. The Prophet was fully awake, fully aware, and he saw the angel with his own eyes stretched across the entire horizon. This firsthand encounter eliminates any doubt about whether the revelation is real.
Ayah 24
وَمَا هُوَ عَلَى ٱلْغَيْبِ بِضَنِينٍ
And he [i.e., Muḥammad (ﷺ)] is not a withholder of [knowledge of] the unseen.1
And he is not stingy with knowledge of the unseen. The Prophet does not withhold or hide any part of the revelation he receives. Whatever Allah reveals to him, he faithfully passes on to the people — all of it, whether it is good news or warnings, whether people want to hear it or not. He has no personal agenda and no reason to hold anything back. He is simply a transparent and honest conveyor of the message.
Ayah 25
وَمَا هُوَ بِقَوْلِ شَيْطَـٰنٍ رَّجِيمٍ
And it [i.e., the Qur’ān] is not the word of a devil, expelled [from the heavens].
And this Quran is not the word of an outcast devil. Another accusation gets shut down here. Some people claimed the Prophet was getting his words from jinn or devils. Allah makes it clear: the Quran has nothing to do with Shaytan or any evil force. Devils are pelted with flames when they try to approach the heavens to eavesdrop — they have no access to this message. The source is divine, the carrier is an angel, and the recipient is a genuine prophet.
Ayah 26
فَأَيْنَ تَذْهَبُونَ
So where are you going?1
So where are you going? This is one of the most direct, almost confrontational questions in the entire Quran. After laying out the reality of Judgment Day, proving the Quran is from Allah, defending the Prophet, and dismantling every excuse — Allah just asks: where exactly do you think you are headed? What path are you choosing? It is a wake-up call that cuts through all the noise and forces you to confront your own direction in life.
Ayah 27
إِنْ هُوَ إِلَّا ذِكْرٌ لِّلْعَـٰلَمِينَ
It is not except a reminder to the worlds
This is nothing but a reminder to all of the worlds — every human, every jinn, every creation that exists. The Quran is not meant for one tribe, one nation, or one time period. It is a universal message with a universal reach. It is called a "reminder" because the truth it contains is something the human soul already recognizes deep down. The Quran does not introduce something entirely foreign; it reminds you of what you already know but keep forgetting.
Ayah 28
لِمَن شَآءَ مِنكُمْ أَن يَسْتَقِيمَ
For whoever wills among you to take a right course.
For whoever among you wills to take the straight path. The door is wide open. The guidance is right here. Anyone who sincerely wants to walk the right path has everything they need in this Quran. But there is a catch — you have to actually want it. Allah is not going to force anyone. Free will is real, and the choice to accept or reject the truth is yours to make. But just because the choice is yours does not mean there are no consequences.
And you do not will except that Allāh wills - Lord of the worlds.
And you cannot will anything unless Allah, the Lord of all the worlds, wills it. The surah closes with a profound truth about the nature of free will: yes, you make choices, but your ability to choose itself comes from Allah. Your will operates within His will. This is not a contradiction — it is a reminder that you are never fully in control. It keeps you humble, it keeps you grateful, and it keeps you turning back to Allah, because even your desire to be guided is ultimately a gift from Him.