The surah that opens with a riveting description of The Winding Up of the sun at the end of earthly life and the dawn of eternity. It takes its name from “the winding up”, “the enfolding” or “the darkening” (takwīr) of the sun as mentioned in verse 1. The surah stress the fact that people will be confronted by their deeds on Judgement Day, asserting the truth of the Quran, and calling people to the right path. It opens with a powerful description of events on that Day.The surah is also known as: Shrouded in Darkness, The Cessation, The Compacting, The Darkening, The Enfolding, The Folding up, Wrapping Things Up.
1
إِذَا الشَّمسُ كُوِّرَت
ʾidhā sh-shamsu kuwwirat
When the sun is wound up,1Or ‘turns dark.’
2
وَإِذَا النُّجومُ انكَدَرَت
wa-ʾidhā n-nujūmu nkadarat
when the stars scatter,1Or ‘fall down.’
3
وَإِذَا الجِبالُ سُيِّرَت
wa-ʾidhā l-jibālu suyyirat
when the mountains are set moving,
4
وَإِذَا العِشارُ عُطِّلَت
wa-ʾidhā l-ʿishāru ʿuṭṭilat
when the pregnant camels are neglected,
5
وَإِذَا الوُحوشُ حُشِرَت
wa-ʾidhā l-wuḥūshu ḥushirat
when the wild beasts are mustered,
6
وَإِذَا البِحارُ سُجِّرَت
wa-ʾidhā l-biḥāru sujjirat
when the seas are set afire,
7
وَإِذَا النُّفوسُ زُوِّجَت
wa-ʾidhā n-nufūsu zuwwijat
when the souls are assorted,1That is, separated into different groups according to their character; cf. 56:7; 37:22. Or ‘mated;’ cf. 52:20.
8
وَإِذَا المَوءودَةُ سُئِلَت
wa-ʾidhā l-mawʾūdatu suʾilat
when the girl buried-alive will be asked
9
بِأَيِّ ذَنبٍ قُتِلَت
bi-ʾayyi dhanbin qutilat
for what sin she was killed.
10
وَإِذَا الصُّحُفُ نُشِرَت
wa-ʾidhā ṣ-ṣuḥufu nushirat
When the records [of deeds] are unfolded,
11
وَإِذَا السَّماءُ كُشِطَت
wa-ʾidhā s-samāʾu kushiṭat
when the sky is stripped off,
12
وَإِذَا الجَحيمُ سُعِّرَت
wa-ʾidhā l-jaḥīmu suʿʿirat
when hell is set ablaze,
13
وَإِذَا الجَنَّةُ أُزلِفَت
wa-ʾidhā l-jannatu ʾuzlifat
when paradise is brought near,
14
عَلِمَت نَفسٌ ما أَحضَرَت
ʿalimat nafsun mā ʾaḥḍarat
then a soul shall know what it has readied [for itself].
15
فَلا أُقسِمُ بِالخُنَّسِ
fa-lā ʾuqsimu bi-l-khunnasi
So I swear by the stars that return,
16
الجَوارِ الكُنَّسِ
al-jawāri l-kunnasi
the planets that hide,
17
وَاللَّيلِ إِذا عَسعَسَ
wa-l-layli ʾidhā ʿasʿasa
by the night as it approaches,
18
وَالصُّبحِ إِذا تَنَفَّسَ
wa-ṣ-ṣubḥi ʾidhā tanaffasa
by the dawn as it breathes,
19
إِنَّهُ لَقَولُ رَسولٍ كَريمٍ
ʾinnahū la-qawlu rasūlin karīmin
it is indeed the speech of a noble apostle,1Cf. 69:40.
20
ذي قُوَّةٍ عِندَ ذِي العَرشِ مَكينٍ
dhī quwwatin ʿinda dhī l-ʿarshi makīnin
powerful and eminent with the Lord of the Throne,
21
مُطاعٍ ثَمَّ أَمينٍ
muṭāʿin thamma ʾamīnin
one who is heard and trustworthy as well.
22
وَما صاحِبُكُم بِمَجنونٍ
wa-mā ṣāḥibukum bi-majnūnin
Your companion is not crazy:
23
وَلَقَد رَآهُ بِالأُفُقِ المُبينِ
wa-la-qad raʾāhu bi-l-ʾufuqi l-mubīni
certainly he saw him on the manifest horizon,
24
وَما هُوَ عَلَى الغَيبِ بِضَنينٍ
wa-mā huwa ʿalā l-ghaybi bi-ḍanīnin
and he is not miserly concerning the Unseen.
25
وَما هُوَ بِقَولِ شَيطانٍ رَجيمٍ
wa-mā huwa bi-qawli shayṭānin rajīmin
And it is not the speech of an outcast Satan.
26
فَأَينَ تَذهَبونَ
fa-ʾayna tadhhabūna
So where are you going?
27
إِن هُوَ إِلّا ذِكرٌ لِلعالَمينَ
ʾin huwa ʾillā dhikrun li-l-ʿālamīna
It is just a reminder for all the nations,
28
لِمَن شاءَ مِنكُم أَن يَستَقيمَ
li-man shāʾa minkum ʾan yastaqīma
for those of you who wish to be steadfast;1Or ‘for those of you who wish to walk straight.’
29
وَما تَشاءونَ إِلّا أَن يَشاءَ اللَّهُ رَبُّ العالَمينَ
wa-mā tashāʾūna ʾillā ʾan yashāʾa llāhu rabbu l-ʿālamīna
but you do not wishunless it is wished by Allah,the Lord of all the worlds.