Adapted from Tafsir Ibn Ashur

Themes and purpose:

This Makkan surah is dedicated to proving the reality of the Resurrection and divine recompense. It achieves this by detailing the catastrophic cosmic collapse that precedes the Hour. It affirms the truthfulness of the Prophet (ﷺ) and the divine origin of the Quran, countering the polytheists’ claims of madness or demonic influence.

Context of Revelation:

Era: Makkan by consensus.

Context: The surah was revealed early in the Prophet’s mission to shake the arrogant polytheists out of their denial of the Resurrection and to console the Prophet (ﷺ) against their accusation that he was mad or that the Quran was the speech of a devil.

Chronology: It is counted as the seventh surah in the order of revelation, revealed after Sūrat al-Fātiḥah and before al-Aʿlā.

Name and Ayah Count:

Name: The surah is known by three similar names: "Sūrat al-Takwīr" (The Rolling Up), "Sūrat Kuwwirat" (Rolled Up), and "Sūrat Idhā al-Shamsu Kuwwirat" (When the Sun is Rolled Up) [1].

Virtue: The Prophet (ﷺ) recommended reading this surah for anyone who wished to visualize the Day of Judgment as if seeing it with their own eyes.

Ayah Count: 29 ayahs by consensus.

Surah Overview:

• Establishing the Resurrection and detailing the cosmic and earthly terrors that precede it. [1-6]
• Affirming the certainty of the Recompense. [7, 14]
• Warning of the terrifying, sudden upheaval of the Hour. [15-18]
• Refuting the idea that the Prophet (ﷺ) is possessed or mad, and confirming that the Quran is a divine word brought by a noble Angel. [22-25]
• Affirming that the Quran is a warning and remembrance for all worlds. [27]
• Reminding the listener that the will to be guided depends on Allah, the Lord of the Worlds. [29]