The Quran › Tafsir › Surah At-Takwir

Tafsir of Surah At-Takwir (81) — The Overthrowing · التكوير

Meccan surah, 29 ayat. Read the whole surah

Al-Mukhtasar in Interpreting the Noble Quran — Tafsir Center for Quranic Studies. QuranEnc.com (english_mokhtasar), 2026-10-30.

At-Takwir 81:1

إِذَا ٱلشَّمۡسُ كُوِّرَتۡ

When the sun is wrapped up [in darkness]

Tafsir 81:1

When the mass of the sun is gathered and its light vanishes.

At-Takwir 81:2

وَإِذَا ٱلنُّجُومُ ٱنكَدَرَتۡ

And when the stars fall, dispersing

Tafsir 81:2

When the stars fall one after the other and their light is taken away.

At-Takwir 81:3

وَإِذَا ٱلۡجِبَالُ سُيِّرَتۡ

And when the mountains are removed

Tafsir 81:3

When the mountains are moved from their places.

At-Takwir 81:4

وَإِذَا ٱلۡعِشَارُ عُطِّلَتۡ

And when full-term she-camels are neglected

Tafsir 81:4

When pregnant she-camels, which were their most valuable wealth, are neglected by being abandoned by their owners.

At-Takwir 81:5

وَإِذَا ٱلۡوُحُوشُ حُشِرَتۡ

And when the wild beasts are gathered

Tafsir 81:5

When wild animals are gathered with human beings on one plain.

At-Takwir 81:6

وَإِذَا ٱلۡبِحَارُ سُجِّرَتۡ

And when the seas are filled with flame

Tafsir 81:6

When the seas are lit until they become a fire.

At-Takwir 81:7

وَإِذَا ٱلنُّفُوسُ زُوِّجَتۡ

And when the souls are paired

Tafsir 81:7

When souls are joined with their likeness. A sinner will be joined with a sinner and a pious person will be joined with a pious person.

At-Takwir 81:8

وَإِذَا ٱلۡمَوۡءُۥدَةُ سُئِلَتۡ

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

Tafsir 81:8

When the girl buried alive is asked by Allah.

At-Takwir 81:9

بِأَيِّ ذَنۢبٖ قُتِلَتۡ

For what sin she was killed

Tafsir 81:9

For what crime were you killed by the person who killed you?

At-Takwir 81:10

وَإِذَا ٱلصُّحُفُ نُشِرَتۡ

And when the pages are made public

Tafsir 81:10

When the servants’ books of deeds are spread open, so that each person can read his book of deeds.

At-Takwir 81:11

وَإِذَا ٱلسَّمَآءُ كُشِطَتۡ

And when the sky is stripped away

Tafsir 81:11

When the sky is stripped like how the skin is stripped away from a sheep.

At-Takwir 81:12

وَإِذَا ٱلۡجَحِيمُ سُعِّرَتۡ

And when Hellfire is set ablaze

Tafsir 81:12

When the Fire is lit.

At-Takwir 81:13

وَإِذَا ٱلۡجَنَّةُ أُزۡلِفَتۡ

And when Paradise is brought near

Tafsir 81:13

When Paradise is brought near to those who are Mindful.

At-Takwir 81:14

عَلِمَتۡ نَفۡسٞ مَّآ أَحۡضَرَتۡ

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

Tafsir 81:14

When that occurs, every soul will know what actions it sent forward for that day.

At-Takwir 81:15

فَلَآ أُقۡسِمُ بِٱلۡخُنَّسِ

So I swear by the retreating stars

Tafsir 81:15

Allah took an oath by the stars that are hidden until they emerge at night.

At-Takwir 81:16

ٱلۡجَوَارِ ٱلۡكُنَّسِ

Those that run [their courses] and disappear

Tafsir 81:16

That run in their orbits and disappear when dawn rises, like a gazelle that goes into its den i.e. its home.

At-Takwir 81:17

وَٱلَّيۡلِ إِذَا عَسۡعَسَ

And by the night as it closes in

Tafsir 81:17

He took an oath by the first part of the night when it approaches, and the last part when it recedes.

At-Takwir 81:18

وَٱلصُّبۡحِ إِذَا تَنَفَّسَ

And by the dawn when it breathes

Tafsir 81:18

He took an oath by the morning when its light emerges.

At-Takwir 81:19

إِنَّهُۥ لَقَوۡلُ رَسُولٖ كَرِيمٖ

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

Tafsir 81:19

The Qur’ān that is revealed to Muhammad (peace be upon him) is Allah’s speech that was conveyed by a trusted angel, Gabriel (peace be upon him), whom Allah entrusted it to.

At-Takwir 81:20

ذِي قُوَّةٍ عِندَ ذِي ٱلۡعَرۡشِ مَكِينٖ

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

Tafsir 81:20

One who possess strength and great rank in the sight of the Lord of the Throne, may He be glorified.

At-Takwir 81:21

مُّطَاعٖ ثَمَّ أَمِينٖ

Obeyed there [in the heavens] and trustworthy

Tafsir 81:21

He is obeyed by the inhabitants of the heavens and trusted in the revelation that he conveys.

At-Takwir 81:22

وَمَا صَاحِبُكُم بِمَجۡنُونٖ

And your companion is not [at all] mad

Tafsir 81:22

Muhammad (peace be upon him), who is in your company and whose intellect, trustworthiness and truthfulness you know, is not insane as you slanderously claim.

At-Takwir 81:23

وَلَقَدۡ رَءَاهُ بِٱلۡأُفُقِ ٱلۡمُبِينِ

And he has already seen Gabriel in the clear horizon

Tafsir 81:23

Your companion had seen Gabriel in the form that he was created in the clear horizon of the sky.

At-Takwir 81:24

وَمَا هُوَ عَلَى ٱلۡغَيۡبِ بِضَنِينٖ

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

Tafsir 81:24

Your companion is not miserly with you by not conveying what he was instructed to convey to you, nor does he take any reward like how fortune-tellers take.