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Surah 81

Surah At-Takwir (The Overthrowing)

التكوير

Also written: Takwir, Takweer

Surah At-Takwir (التكوير) is surah 81 of the 114 surahs of the Quran. It has 29 ayahs, was revealed in Mecca (Meccan), and its name means “The Overthrowing”.

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Number
81
Ayahs
29
Revelation
Meccan
Meaning
The Overthrowing

Names, meaning and Meccan/Medinan classification as listed in the quran-json dataset.

About Surah At-Takwir

At-Takwir, “The Folding Up”, is a Meccan surah that opens with a rapid series of images of the world’s end — the sun wrapped up, the stars falling, the seas set ablaze — each beginning with “when”. Its climax is the moment every soul knows what it has brought. The second half swears by the stars, the night and the dawn that the Quran is delivered by a noble, trustworthy messenger.

When it all unfolds

81:1–14 list twelve events: the sun folded up, the stars falling, mountains moved, pregnant camels — the most prized wealth of the Arabs — abandoned, wild beasts gathered, seas set alight, souls paired, the buried infant girl questioned, records spread open, the sky stripped away, Hell kindled and Paradise brought near. Then each soul will know what it has put forward.

The buried girl

81:8–9 condemn wa’d, the pre-Islamic practice of burying newborn daughters alive. Rather than questioning the killer, the verses ask the victim for what sin she was killed — a powerful way of affirming her worth and the gravity of the crime.

The noble messenger

  • Oaths (81:15–18): by the stars that recede and hide, by the night as it departs and the dawn as it breathes.
  • Gabriel (81:19–21): the Quran is the word of a noble messenger, powerful, honoured by the Lord of the Throne, obeyed and trustworthy — understood as the angel Gabriel.
  • Your companion (81:22–25): the Prophet is not mad; he saw Gabriel on the clear horizon, he does not withhold the unseen, and the Quran is not the word of an accursed devil.

The surah ends by asking “where are you going?” and calling the Quran a reminder for whoever wills to go straight (81:26–29). A narration in at-Tirmidhi says that whoever wishes to see the Day of Resurrection as if with his own eyes should recite At-Takwir, Surah Al-Infitar (82) and Surah Al-Inshiqaq (84).

Frequently asked questions

What does At-Takwir mean?
The folding up or wrapping, from the first verse describing the sun being wrapped up and its light extinguished.
Which verses mention the girl buried alive?
Verses 8 and 9 of Surah At-Takwir.
How many verses are in Surah At-Takwir?
29.
How many ayahs are in Surah At-Takwir?
Surah At-Takwir has 29 ayahs. It is surah number 81 in the Quran and is Meccan.
Can I read Surah At-Takwir in English or save it as a PDF?
Yes. This page shows the Arabic text of every ayah with the Saheeh International English meaning under it. Use “Print / Save as PDF” for a clean printable copy that you can save as a PDF file from your browser.
Is Surah At-Takwir the same as Surah Takwir?
Yes. Takwir, Takweer and At-Takwir are different English spellings of the same surah name, التكوير.

Summaries describe the surah’s content and commonly cited reports for general readers; they are not a tafsir or a religious ruling.

Making a video of Surah At-Takwir

Surah At-Takwir has 29 ayahs, so most videos use a passage from it rather than the whole surah. Choose the ayahs you want on the new-project page; one to five ayahs suit a Reel or Short, while longer passages work better in 16:9 for YouTube.

In the editor, the Online Recitations tab lists the reciters Quran Foundation provides for this surah. See how to create a Quran video for the full steps.

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Surah At-Takwir in Arabic with English meaning

Arabic: Uthmani script from The Noble Qur'an Encyclopedia (quranenc.com), Uthmani script, via quran-json (CC-BY-SA 4.0), shown as in the verified dataset; open-tanween marks use the equivalent codepoints this font draws, as in the editor. English meaning: Saheeh International (tanzil.net). A translation conveys the meaning; it is not the Quran itself.

  1. إِذَا ٱلشَّمۡسُ كُوِّرَتۡ ۝١

    81:1When the sun is wrapped up [in darkness]

  2. وَإِذَا ٱلنُّجُومُ ٱنكَدَرَتۡ ۝٢

    81:2And when the stars fall, dispersing

  3. وَإِذَا ٱلۡجِبَالُ سُيِّرَتۡ ۝٣

    81:3And when the mountains are removed

  4. وَإِذَا ٱلۡعِشَارُ عُطِّلَتۡ ۝٤

    81:4And when full-term she-camels are neglected

  5. وَإِذَا ٱلۡوُحُوشُ حُشِرَتۡ ۝٥

    81:5And when the wild beasts are gathered

  6. وَإِذَا ٱلۡبِحَارُ سُجِّرَتۡ ۝٦

    81:6And when the seas are filled with flame

  7. وَإِذَا ٱلنُّفُوسُ زُوِّجَتۡ ۝٧

    81:7And when the souls are paired

  8. وَإِذَا ٱلۡمَوۡءُۥدَةُ سُئِلَتۡ ۝٨

    81:8And when the girl [who was] buried alive is asked

  9. بِأَيِّ ذَنۢبࣲ قُتِلَتۡ ۝٩

    81:9For what sin she was killed

  10. وَإِذَا ٱلصُّحُفُ نُشِرَتۡ ۝١٠

    81:10And when the pages are made public

  11. وَإِذَا ٱلسَّمَآءُ كُشِطَتۡ ۝١١

    81:11And when the sky is stripped away

  12. وَإِذَا ٱلۡجَحِيمُ سُعِّرَتۡ ۝١٢

    81:12And when Hellfire is set ablaze

  13. وَإِذَا ٱلۡجَنَّةُ أُزۡلِفَتۡ ۝١٣

    81:13And when Paradise is brought near

  14. عَلِمَتۡ نَفۡسࣱ مَّآ أَحۡضَرَتۡ ۝١٤

    81:14A soul will [then] know what it has brought [with it]

  15. فَلَآ أُقۡسِمُ بِٱلۡخُنَّسِ ۝١٥

    81:15So I swear by the retreating stars

  16. ٱلۡجَوَارِ ٱلۡكُنَّسِ ۝١٦

    81:16Those that run [their courses] and disappear

  17. وَٱلَّيۡلِ إِذَا عَسۡعَسَ ۝١٧

    81:17And by the night as it closes in

  18. وَٱلصُّبۡحِ إِذَا تَنَفَّسَ ۝١٨

    81:18And by the dawn when it breathes

  19. إِنَّهُۥ لَقَوۡلُ رَسُولࣲ كَرِيمࣲ ۝١٩

    81:19[That] indeed, the Qur'an is a word [conveyed by] a noble messenger

  20. ذِي قُوَّةٍ عِندَ ذِي ٱلۡعَرۡشِ مَكِينࣲ ۝٢٠

    81:20[Who is] possessed of power and with the Owner of the Throne, secure [in position]

  21. مُّطَاعࣲ ثَمَّ أَمِينࣲ ۝٢١

    81:21Obeyed there [in the heavens] and trustworthy

  22. وَمَا صَاحِبُكُم بِمَجۡنُونࣲ ۝٢٢

    81:22And your companion is not [at all] mad

  23. وَلَقَدۡ رَءَاهُ بِٱلۡأُفُقِ ٱلۡمُبِينِ ۝٢٣

    81:23And he has already seen Gabriel in the clear horizon

  24. وَمَا هُوَ عَلَى ٱلۡغَيۡبِ بِضَنِينࣲ ۝٢٤

    81:24And Muhammad is not a withholder of [knowledge of] the unseen

  25. وَمَا هُوَ بِقَوۡلِ شَيۡطَٰنࣲ رَّجِيمࣲ ۝٢٥

    81:25And the Qur'an is not the word of a devil, expelled [from the heavens]

  26. فَأَيۡنَ تَذۡهَبُونَ ۝٢٦

    81:26So where are you going

  27. إِنۡ هُوَ إِلَّا ذِكۡرࣱ لِّلۡعَٰلَمِينَ ۝٢٧

    81:27It is not except a reminder to the worlds

  28. لِمَن شَآءَ مِنكُمۡ أَن يَسۡتَقِيمَ ۝٢٨

    81:28For whoever wills among you to take a right course

  29. وَمَا تَشَآءُونَ إِلَّآ أَن يَشَآءَ ٱللَّهُ رَبُّ ٱلۡعَٰلَمِينَ ۝٢٩

    81:29And you do not will except that Allah wills - Lord of the worlds