The following are reflections on At-Takwir, 'Shrouding Enfold' Sura 81 of the Qur'an.  The beauty of the archetypal metaphors woven into the nearly poetic expressions of the numinous inspirations bring the Divine and the human together in an encounter of the natural phenomenon that raises the mundane to a higher realm of perception.

 From the Lips of the Divine

Shrouding Enfold

By Zaman Stanizai

When the sun enfolds in dark matter

and mourns the loss of light within

When the stars absorb their luminosity in perpetual fading

When the mountains vanish in hazy illusions

When a she-camel, forsaken in suffering,

sees reflections of birth-pains

in the endless mirages of the horizon.

When the wild gather, abandoning wilderness

When the breadth of ocean is unable to contain

the outpour of a rising tidal wave.

When the souls encounter their deeds

joining them, like with like

When the earth’s womb rejects the live burial

of a soul conceived in innocence, calling out:

For what crime she had been killed

When deeds lay open for observation

When the firmament unfurls its veils

When the hearth’s aglow in blazing flames

And when edonic meadows spread in vernal expanse

Then, shall every soul assess its offering,

measure for measure.

Then is the time to call to witness celestial spheres

that dance away, taking refuge in nothingness

And the night as it embraces the brilliance of daybreak

And the dawn as it whispers out the breath of light

Behold, this divine writ,

is the inspired word of a messenger of light[1]

honored in Divine Presence, in trust and faith.

This earthly Companion[2] of yours is not possessed

He, indeed, beheld him on the clear horizon

He doesn’t withhold the knowledge

beyond the grasp of human perception

Nor is this the utterance from the dark

of an evil force accursed.

Where, then will you go?

This is a call to all who hear and heed,

You walk the path to His will.

He wills the will, before you

a path spreads out straight to perfection.

________________

[1]   The Angel Gabriel

[2]   Prophet Muhammad (p)

بسم الله الرحمن الرحیم


إِذَا الشَّمْسُ كُوِّرَتْ ۱

 

وَإِذَا النُّجُومُ انكَدَرَتْ ۲

 

وَإِذَا الْجِبَالُ سُيِّرَتْ ۳

 

وَإِذَا الْعِشَارُ عُطِّلَتْ ۴

 

وَإِذَا الْوُحُوشُ حُشِرَتْ ۵


وَإِذَا الْبِحَارُ سُجِّرَتْ ۶

 

وَإِذَا النُّفُوسُ زُوِّجَتْ ۷

 

وَإِذَا الْمَوْءُودَةُ سُئِلَتْ ۸

 

بِأَيِّ ذَنبٍ قُتِلَتْ ۹

 

وَإِذَا الصُّحُفُ نُشِرَتْ ۱۰


وَإِذَا السَّمَاءُ كُشِطَتْ ۱۱

 

وَإِذَا الْجَحِيمُ سُعِّرَتْ ۱۲

 

وَإِذَا الْجَنَّةُ أُزْلِفَتْ ۱۳

 

عَلِمَتْ نَفْسٌ مَّا أَحْضَرَتْ ۱۴

 

فَلَا أُقْسِمُ بِالْخُنَّسِ ۱۵

 

الْجَوَارِ الْكُنَّسِ ۱۶


وَاللَّيْلِ إِذَا عَسْعَسَ ۱۷

 

وَالصُّبْحِ إِذَا تَنَفَّسَ ۱۸

 

إِنَّهُ لَقَوْلُ رَسُولٍ كَرِيمٍ ۱۹

 

ذِي قُوَّةٍ عِندَ ذِي الْعَرْشِ مَكِينٍ ۲۰

 

مُّطَاعٍ ثَمَّ أَمِينٍ ۲۱


وَمَا صَاحِبُكُم بِمَجْنُونٍ ۲۲

 

وَلَقَدْ رَآهُ بِالْأُفُقِ الْمُبِينِ ۲۳

 

وَمَا هُوَ عَلَى الْغَيْبِ بِضَنِينٍ ۲۴


وَمَا هُوَ بِقَوْلِ شَيْطَانٍ رَّجِيمٍ ۲۵


فَأَيْنَ تَذْهَبُونَ ۲۶


إِنْ هُوَ إِلَّا ذِكْرٌ لِّلْعَالَمِينَ ۲۷


لِمَن شَاءَ مِنكُمْ أَن يَسْتَقِيمَ ۲۸


وَمَا تَشَاءُونَ إِلَّا أَن يَشَاءَ اللَّهُ رَبُّ 


الْعَالَمِينَ ۲۹