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
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.
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