Surah At-Takwir: Thematic English Translation (Mustafa Çevik)

When the sun has completed its task, its light has been put out, and its work is finished; when, along with it, the stars have gone out and fallen; when the mountains have been blown from their places and ground to dust; in that Last Hour when, from its terror, you will no longer even notice your pregnant camels, your wealth, and your property, which you used to watch over so anxiously and guard so jealously... Even the wild animals will huddle together in fear, as if seeking help from one another. Moreover, on that Day the nature of the seas will change and they will be made to boil and bubble; and then people will be resurrected, grouped according to the systems of life they chose in their worldly lives, and handed their records of deeds.

On that Day the girls who were buried alive will be asked for what crime they were killed.

Every human being will be shown, as plainly as the sky, what he did and what he failed to do when he should have done it.

The fire of Hell will be kindled for the guilty who turned away from the call to the truth.

For those who believed in Allah’s call and fulfilled their responsibilities, the time to enter Paradise will be brought near.

On that Day every human being will see with his own eyes what he has prepared for his ultimate fate.

By the stars that you see at night but cannot see by day, by the planets running their courses in their orbits, by the night as it darkens, by the morning as it begins to breathe, and by the order of the universe in which you live: this Quran is a revelation brought down to your companion Muhammad by the angel whom Allah, the One who established the order of the universe, the Possessor of strength, might, and sovereignty, made trustworthy and raised to high rank.

That Prophet, through the verses conveyed by the messenger angel, is calling you, in Allah’s name, to the system of life that is the reason for your creation. Never suppose that this call is made up of words invented by Muhammad or whispered by some beings you do not know (the jinn). Your companion Muhammad is not insane.

The Prophet saw the angel who brought him Allah’s verses, which are His messages, on a clear horizon. Besides, you know very well that he is not a liar, and that he has a character that would never shrink from saying what he knows to be true.

Allah will bring those who accept the truth to which they are invited and fulfill their responsibilities to happiness, peace, and security in this world and the Hereafter; He will protect them from the evil and oppression of Satan and his followers, and through the Quran He will lead them to what is right. This Quran is not the word of Satan. That being so, where are you heading?

When you have the call of the Quran, which will bring people out of darkness into light, how can you look for the truth along other paths? Allah also knows what is before you and what is behind you.

This Quran (dhikr) is a book that makes known to people the reason for their creation and, with warnings and counsel, invites them to the life that this reason requires. It is a guide that brings into the light those who seek the truth and wish to reach what is right.

O people! As long as you do not turn to Allah’s guidance, and unless He wills it, you cannot find what is right by yourselves, nor can you reach Him, and so you cannot attain the light.