The End of the World
إِذَا الشَّمْسُ كُوِّرَتْ . وَإِذَا النُّجُومُ انكَدَرَتْ . وَإِذَا الْجِبَالُ سُيِّرَتْ
“When the sun will be folded up, and when the stars fall down, and when the mountains are blown away.” (81:1-3)
- These verses describe the end of the created order on the Day of Judgement.
- The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “Whoever wishes to look at the Day of Resurrection as though he is seeing it with his own eyes, let him recite Sūrah Idhā al-Shamsu Kuwwirat (Sūrah al-Takwīr), Sūrah Idhā al-Samā’u-nfaṭarat (Sūrah al-Infiṭār), and Sūrah Idhā al-Samā’u-nshaqqat (Sūrat al-Inshiqāq).” (Tirmidhī).
Reflect: Close your eyes and try to visualise the scene.
Once, a person recited these verses in the presence of Abū al-Wafā’ Ibn ʿAqīl (raḥimahullāh).
So a man said to him: “Allah has resurrected the dead for gathering and accountability, and He has paired souls with their counterparts for reward and punishment. So why will He demolish buildings, level the mountains, flatten the earth, split the sky, scatter the stars, and fold up the sun?”
Ibn ʿAqīl replied: “He only built this world as a dwelling for them to reside in and enjoy, and He made it and all that is within it a place for reflection and contemplation, so that they may be guided to Him through deep thinking and remembrance. But when the period of residence comes to an end, and He removes its inhabitants from it, He destroys it because its dwellers have departed.”
When Souls Are Brought Together
وَإِذَا النُّفُوسُ زُوِّجَتْ
“And when the souls are paired.” (81:7)
- On that Day, every soul will be reunited with those who resemble it in belief, character, and deeds.
- This meaning gives deeper weight to the Prophet’s ﷺ guidance: “Do not befriend except a believer, and let no one eat your food except one who is righteous” (Tirmidhī). The company one keeps in this world shapes one’s direction and, ultimately, one’s outcome.
- A person is gradually shaped by their companions, habits, and surroundings, and they will be gathered with those who resemble them. Thus, choosing righteous companionship is not only a worldly matter, but a matter of eternal consequence.
Reflect: Who is shaping my heart and direction in life? Do my closest companions draw me nearer to Allah or away from Him?
When the Records Are Unfolded
وَإِذَا الصُّحُفُ نُشِرَتْ
“And when the records (of deeds) are laid open.” (81:10)
- On the Day of Judgement, the hidden pages of deeds will be opened and spread out. Everything that was once concealed — actions, intentions, and secrets — will be made fully known..
- What people carefully hid from others will no longer remain hidden. Nothing escapes the knowledge of Allah, no matter how small or concealed it was in this life.
Reflect: Your life is being recorded with precision, and your true outcome is not based on appearances, but on what is written in those records of deeds.
Take a moment to listen and reflect on this heart-trembling recitation of the opening verses of Sūrah at-Takwīr. Close your eyes and visualise the scenes of the Day of Resurrection, as though they are unfolding before your very eyes.
Surah Abasa Reflections
