Folding Up (Al-Takwir)
Verses 15-29 GROUP_1564 81.15-29
15
فَلَا أُقْسِمُ بِالْخُنَّسِ
I swear by the receding stars,
16
الْجَوَارِ الْكُنَّسِ
the planets that run their course and set,
17
وَاللَّيْلِ إِذَا عَسْعَسَ
and the night that falls,
18
وَالصُّبْحِ إِذَا تَنَفَّسَ
and the first breath of morning.
19
إِنَّهُ لَقَوْلُ رَسُولٍ كَرِيمٍ
Truly, this is the word brought by a noble messenger,
20
ذِي قُوَّةٍ عِندَ ذِي الْعَرْشِ مَكِينٍ
endowed with power and held in honour by the Lord of the Throne—
21
مُطَاعٍ ثَمَّ أَمِينٍ
who is obeyed there and is worthy of trust.
22
وَمَا صَاحِبُكُم بِمَجْنُونٍ
Your companion is not one possessed:
23
وَلَقَدْ رَآهُ بِالْأُفُقِ الْمُبِينِ
he truly beheld him [the angel] on the clear horizon.
24
وَمَا هُوَ عَلَى الْغَيْبِ بِضَنِينٍ
He is not avid of the Unseen.
25
وَمَا هُوَ بِقَوْلِ شَيْطَانٍ رَجِيمٍ
Nor is this the word of an outcast devil.
26
فَأَيْنَ تَذْهَبُونَ
So where are you going?
27
إِنْ هُوَ إِلَّا ذِكْرٌ لِّلْعَالَمِينَ
This is merely a reminder to all mankind;
28
لِمَن شَاء مِنكُمْ أَن يَسْتَقِيمَ
to every one of you who wishes to tread the straight path.
29
وَمَا تَشَاؤُونَ إِلَّا أَن يَشَاء اللَّهُ رَبُّ الْعَالَمِينَ
But you cannot will it unless God, the Lord of the Universe, so wills it [to show you that way].
No class discussions published for this verse group yet.
Commentary
(a) The occurrence of day and night on the earth and the change of position of the stars as observed by man are due to the rotation of the earth on its axis. In this context, the meaning of these verses is that the system of axial rotation of the earth is a witness to the fact that Muhammad is the prophet of God and that the Quran is the word of God which has been revealed to him through an angel. The axial rotation of the earth is one of the truly remarkable phenomena of this universe. It is, so to say, a model which makes the matter of revelation understandable to us. When you imagine that the earth, while rotating on its axis, also revolves round the sun in the vastness of outer space, you will feel as if there is a powerful remote control system which directs its movements with the utmost precision. The establishment of contact between man and God through an angel is also on a parallel with this. The controlled movement of the earth symbolically helps us in understanding the miraculous nature of man’s contact with God through the angel. (b) Angel-messenger, who brings divine revelation to man.