About this surah
The name. At-Takwir means "The Overthrowing," or "The Folding Up," from its opening verse describing the sun as folded up or wound over (81:1), the first in a long run of short, parallel clauses each describing a piece of the created order coming undone — stars falling, mountains set in motion, seas set aflame. It is Meccan, and builds its case for the coming Hour almost entirely through this accumulation of collapsing signs rather than through direct argument.
What it is known for. The surah is known for its verse on the female infant buried alive being asked for what sin she was killed (81:8-9), a direct condemnation of a pre-Islamic practice the Quran repeatedly opposes, made sharper here by phrasing it as a question the victim herself will be allowed to answer. It also carries a description of the Prophet's own encounter with revelation, affirming that what he brought was not the word of a devil cast out, and that he had indeed seen the angel bringing it on the clear horizon (81:19-25).
Reading it. At 29 ayahs it is a short surah, read easily in one sitting. Its long opening run of short clauses gives it a distinctive rhythm, closer to a list than to connected prose, and a first-time reader should expect that list to build toward a single conclusion — that this is the words of a noble messenger, not sent for anyone to choose or reject at will (81:19, 81:27-29) — rather than developing several separate points.
Last updated: 2026-10-23