Surah al-Takwīr (The Wrapping Up)

In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Bestower of Mercy.

[Surah al-Takwīr (81): verses 1–3]

In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Bestower of Mercy.

“When the sun is wrapped up, (1) and when the stars fall, scattering, (2) and when the mountains are set in motion. (3)”

A reciter once recited, “When the sun is wrapped up,” while Abū al-Wafā ibn Aqīl was among those present. Someone asked him: “My master, suppose that He raises the dead for resurrection and reckoning, and pairs souls with their counterparts for reward and punishment. Why, then, does He demolish buildings, set the mountains in motion, crush the earth, split the sky, scatter the stars, and wrap up the sun?”

He replied: “He built the dwelling for them only so that they might live in it and enjoy its benefits. He made it and everything within it a means of drawing lessons, reflecting, and finding evidence of Him through careful contemplation and remembrance. When their allotted residence came to an end and He removed them from the dwelling, He laid it waste because its inhabitants had departed. He thus wished to show them that the world had been inhabited by them. By transforming the state of things and bringing forth those terrors, He demonstrates His power after displaying His might, and refutes the godless and the heretical astrologers,