81: 1 When the sun is folded up,
81: 2 when the stars fall,
81: 3 when the mountains are moved,
81: 4 when the camels, ten months pregnant, are neglected,
81: 5 when the wild beasts are gathered,
81: 6 when the seas are set on fire,
81: 7 when the souls are paired,
81: 8 when the girl-child buried alive is asked,
81: 9 ‘for what sin she was killed,’
81: 10 when the records are spread,
81: 11 when the sky is stripped away,
81: 12 when Hell is set ablaze,
81: 13 and when Paradise is brought near,
81: 14 then every soul will know what it has forwarded.
Relationship with the Previous Surah
According to the arrangement of the written copy of the Quran, al-Mushaf, surah at-Takwir comes after surah Abasa. Both surahs speak about the horrors of the Day of Judgment. Surah Abasa mentions that when the Day of Judgment occurs, every person will flee from his closest relatives because of the great horror and fear he will be experiencing on that day. It also mentions that people will be divided into two parties on that day, happy and miserable ones. Then surah at-Takwir mentions some signs and horrors of the Day of Judgment.
Tafsir
81: 1 When the sun is folded up,
On the Day of Judgment, the sun will be folded and its light will be taken though it was bright and shining in the worldly life.
In the Arabic version, the word ‘kwirat,’ which is translated into folded up, is used. The scholars say that ‘kwirat’ has the following meanings: 1) The sun becomes dark. 2) The light of the sun is taken away. 3) The sun sinks in. 4) It will be folded like a turban. Thus, it will be removed and its light will be taken away.
81: 2 when the stars fall,
On the Day of Judgment, the stars will fall and scatter; thus, their light and shininess will disappear.
81: 3 when the mountains are moved,
On the Day of Judgment, the mountains will be removed from their places and they will become dust.
81: 4 when the camels, ten months pregnant, are neglected,
The ten-months-pregnant camels refer to she-camels that are in their tenth month of pregnancy. In the Arabic language, these camels are called ashra’. They are considered valuable wealth for the Arabs. They used to take care of them even in the most fearful conditions. However, these camels will be neglected and left untended because of the great horrors that people will be experiencing when the Day of Judgment takes place.
81: 5 when the wild beasts are gathered,
On the Day of Judgment, the wild beasts will be gathered from all places. They will be in the same place, but no one will attack the other, contrary to their natural disposition, i.e. they attack one another.
81: 6 when the seas are set on fire,
The scholars have the following opinions about the meaning of ‘when the seas are set on fire’: The seas will be set on fire that all their water will disappear. 2) The seas will dry up. 3) The seas will become one sea that its water will overflow.
81: 7 when the souls are paired,
On the Day of Judgment, the souls will be paired with their bodies. Umar bin al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, said, ‘[When the souls are paired] This refers to two men who do the same deed whereby they enter Paradise together or enter Hell.’
81: 8 when the girl-child buried alive is asked,
81: 9 ‘for what sin she was killed,’
On the Day of Judgment, the girl-child that is buried alive will be asked about the sin for which she was buried alive. That is because, before the advent of Islam, some Arab tribes used to bury alive girl-children for fear of disgrace or poverty. These girl-children did not commit any sin except that they were female. Thus, their killers will be asked about the sin for which they buried their girl-children alive on the Day of Judgment. The questioning is to rebuke the killers and prove their unjustness.
81: 10 when the records are spread,
On the Day of Judgment, the records of deeds will be spread. The angels used to record the deeds of the children of Adam in these records. Thus, all deeds of people will be found in these records whether big or small. These records will be closed at the time of death of the children of Adam and will be opened on the day of reckoning, the Day of Judgment.
81: 11 when the sky is stripped away,
The sky will be stripped away on the Day of Judgment and be removed. Thus, it will change completely.
81: 12 when Hell is set ablaze,
Hell will be set ablaze for punishing the disbelievers on the Day of Judgment.
81: 13 and when Paradise is brought near,
Paradise will be brought near the believers on the Day of Judgment.
81: 14 then every soul will know what it has forwarded.
When all the afore-mentioned things happen, every soul will know what it has forwarded. Every soul will know the good or evil deeds it did in the worldly life. It will be recompensed for its deeds, good or evil.
Learned lessons from Surah at-Takwir Ayah 1-14
• Terrifying things will take place when the Day of Judgment occurs. Things that people are familiar with will be changed completely. These things are mentioned to warn people and motivate them to be prepared for the Day of Judgment by believing in Allah and performing righteous deeds.
• When the Day of Judgment occurs, every soul will know the results of its deeds that it did in the worldly life and be recompensed for them.
• People should be prepared for the Day of Judgment by believing in Allah, obeying His commands, avoiding His prohibitions, and performing righteous deeds.
• The Day of Judgment will certainly take place.
• Paradise will be the abode of the believers.
• Hell will be the abode of the disbelievers.
No comments:
Post a Comment