التكوير
At Takwir
Verses
29
Revelation
Makki
Period
Makkan
Surah No.
81 / 114
At-Takwir describes the unravelling of the cosmic order at the end of time in a rapid sequence of twelve "when" clauses: the sun is dimmed, stars fall, mountains set in motion, pregnant camels are abandoned, wild beasts are gathered, seas overflow, souls are paired, the infant girl buried alive is asked for what sin she was killed, scrolls are unrolled, the sky is stripped away, Hell is set ablaze, Paradise is brought near. The surah then defends the Quran's divine origin, affirming that Jibril – not the Prophet – is the one who brought it.
أسباب النزول
Revealed in the Makkan period when the Quraysh accused the Prophet of being possessed or of inventing the Quran. The rapid-fire imagery of cosmic dissolution was designed to jolt listeners out of their comfortable certainties. The verse about the infant girl killed at birth (wa'd) was a direct confrontation of the pre-Islamic practice of female infanticide, making the Day of Judgement the moment of justice for the most voiceless victims.
“And when the infant girl who was buried alive is asked – for what sin was she killed?”
Among the most powerful verses against female infanticide in the Quran – the question is directed not at the murderer but at the victim, as an act of divine honour: the Day of Judgement will speak for those who had no voice.
“For whoever wills among you to take a right course. And you do not will except that Allah wills – Lord of the worlds.”
The surah's theological close – human will is real but situated within divine will, affirming both human moral responsibility and divine sovereignty without eliminating either.