586 Page Notes

  Surah Abasa (continued)

Page 586 - Related Hadith/Sunnah

Translation of the meaning by Sahih International.

Surah At-Takwir

Translation of the meaning by Sahih International.

Page 586 - Related Hadiths and Sunnah

Surah Abasa

Page 586 of the Quran begins by concluding the final two verses of Surah 'Abasa (Chapter 80), verses 41 and 42, before transitioning into Surah At-Takwir.

These final two verses serve as a devastating spiritual punchline to the chapter. After separating humanity into two distinct groups on Judgment Day, Allah paints the final physical and spiritual profile of those who rejected the truth:

“Darkness will cover them. Those are the disbelievers, the wicked ones (Al-Kafarah Al-Fajarah).”

— Quran 80:41-42

The prophetic Sunnah and authoritative explanations from the Companions explicitly unpack the heavy visual vocabulary used in these closing lines.

1. The Dual Layer of Humiliation: Dust and Darkness

In verse 40 (on the previous page), Allah states that their faces will be stained with dust (Ghabarah), and in verse 41, He adds that they will be overcome by Qatarah (black darkness or gloom).

The Sunnah explains that this is a literal, physical manifestation of their psychological state. While the believers' faces are bright, laughing, and radiant, the deniers carry the darkness of their deeds on their skin.

• The Contrast of Light: The Prophet ﷺ taught that the trace of a person's faith reflects visually on the Day of Resurrection. Believers will have limbs and faces radiant with light (Ghurran Muhajjalin) from the traces of their daily ablutions (Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 136).

• The Covering of Darkness: Conversely, early Quranic commentators in the Sunnah literature, such as Ibn Abbas, noted that Qatarah means a literal soot-like, pitch-black shadow that aggressively wraps around their faces. It represents a combination of extreme misery, public humiliation, and the physical smoke of the Hellfire that is waiting to enclose them.

2. Verse 42: The Definition of Al-Kafarah Al-Fajarah

Allah categorizes this final group with two distinct, heavy titles: Al-Kafarah (the disbelievers) and Al-Fajarah (the wicked, flagrant sinners). The Sunnah provides the crucial distinction between these two terms:

1. Al-Kafarah (The Wrong Belief)

This refers to corruption in their faith and creed. They chose to deny the existence of Allah, mock the concept of life after death, and reject the message of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.

2. Al-Fajarah (The Flagrant Actions)

The word Fajarah stems from Fujur, which means a sin committed openly, aggressively, and without a shred of shame. The Sunnah highlights that these individuals were not just privately sinful; they brazenly breached all boundaries of morality.

The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ drew a direct line to this behavior:

"Beware of lying, for lying leads to flagrant wickedness (Al-Fujur), and flagrant wickedness leads directly to the Hellfire. A man continues to tell lies and strives to lie until he is written down with Allah as a habitual liar."

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 6094 / Sahih Muslim, Hadith 2607a)

By pairing these two words together in the final verse of the Surah, the Quran establishes that their terrifying physical appearance on Judgment Day (dust and total darkness) is a perfect geometric match for how they lived their lives: corrupt on the inside (Kafarah) and toxic and shameless on the outside (Fajarah).

Summary of Reference Sources

• The Contrast of Radiant Faces vs. Darkness: Sahih al-Bukhari (Book of Ablution, Hadith 136) and Tafsir Ibn Kathir (Surah 'Abasa, 41-42).

• The Definition and Danger of Al-Fujur (Wickedness): Sahih al-Bukhari (Book of Good Manners, Hadith 6094) and Sahih Muslim (Book of Virtue and Good Manners, Hadith 2607a).

Surah At-Takwir

Page 586 of the Quran contains the entirety of Surah At-Takwir (The Folding Up, Chapter 81), verses 1 through 29.

This chapter is a masterclass in cosmic eschatology (end-times theology) and the validation of divine revelation. The first 14 verses capture the breathtaking collapse of the physical universe, while the remaining verses (15-29) fiercely validate the integrity of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and the Archangel Jibril (Gabriel) against the slanders of the Quraysh.

The prophetic Sunnah provides rich, evocative details for this specific chapter.

1. The Ultimate Virtue: Seeing Resurrection with Clear Eyes

The defining feature of Surah At-Takwir in the Sunnah is that it acts as a literal, visual window into the Last Day.

Narrated Ibn Umar:

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “Whoever wishes to look at the Day of Resurrection as if he is seeing it with his own two eyes, let him recite: 'Idha ash-shamsu kuwwirat' [Surah At-Takwir], 'Idha as-sama'un-fatarat' [Surah Al-Infitar], and 'Idha as-sama'un-shaqqat' [Surah Al-Inshiqaq].”

(Jami` at-Tirmidhi, Hadith 3333 / Musnad Ahmad — Graded Sahih)

2. Prophetic Practice: Recitation in Dawn Prayers

Because of its short, impactful verses, the Prophet ﷺ frequently selected Surah At-Takwir for the Fajr (dawn) prayer, allowing its cosmic imagery to echo in the quiet stillness of the early morning.

Narrated 'Amr bin Huraith:

"I performed the Fajr (morning) prayer behind the Prophet ﷺ, and it is as if I can still hear his voice reciting: 'Itha ash-Shamsu Kuwwirat' and then transitioning to the verses: 'So I swear by the retreating stars, those that run their courses and disappear' (Verses 15-16)."

(Sahih Muslim, Hadith 475 / Sunan an-Nasa'i, Hadith 951)

3. Hadith Explanations of Specific Verses (Verses 1–29)

Verse 1: "When the sun is wound round and its light is lost..."

The word Kuwwirat (كُوِّرَتْ) refers to folding, wrapping, or throwing down something like a turban. The Sunnah explicitly explains what physically happens to the sun when it is folded up.

The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said:

"The sun and the moon will be wound up, folded together, and completely deprived of their light, then cast into the Hellfire on the Day of Resurrection."

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 3200)

Verse 23: "And he has already seen him [Jibril] on the clear horizon."

Verses 19–24 defend the Prophet ﷺ by stating that the message brought to him was delivered by a "noble, powerful messenger" (Jibril) whom Muhammad ﷺ saw directly. The Sunnah clarifies the stunning structural magnitude of this event.

The Prophet ﷺ only ever saw the Angel Jibril in his raw, original, multi-dimensional angelic form twice. This verse on page 586 references the very first time.

Narrated Aisha:

"I asked the Prophet ﷺ about these verses. He said, 'That is Jibril; I never saw him in the actual form in which he was created except on these two occasions. I saw him descending from the sky, and his immense physical stature completely blocked the entire horizon between the earth and the sky.'"

(Sahih Muslim, Hadith 177a)

Companion Abdullah bin Mas'ud added further physical detail to what the Prophet saw on that clear horizon:

The Prophet ﷺ said:

"I saw Jibril, and he possessed six hundred wings."

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 4856 / Musnad Ahmad)

Verses 28–29: The Absolute Balance of Human and Divine Will

"For whoever wills among you to take a straight path. And you do not will except that Allah wills—Lord of the worlds." (Quran 81:28-29)

These two closing verses are highly critical in Islamic theology (Aqeedah). The Sunnah documents the historical context of how verse 29 dropped to correct a dangerous human misconception.

When verse 28 was revealed ("For whoever wills among you to take a straight path"), Abu Jahl (the archenemy of Islam in Makkah) stood up arrogantly and sneered: "The matter is completely in our hands then! If we choose to be guided, we will guide ourselves, and if we choose to stray, we will stray."

To smash this human delusion of absolute independence, Allah immediately revealed the final verse: "And you do not will except that Allah wills—Lord of the worlds."

(Recorded in Tafsir al-Tabari, Tafsir Ibn Abi Hatim, and noted globally across classical Sunnah exegesis).

The Sunnah establishes here that while humans possess a real, accountable choice (verse 28), that choice operates entirely inside the greater sovereign permission of Allah (verse 29).

Summary of Reference Sources

• Virtue and Apocalypse (Verses 1-14): Jami` at-Tirmidhi (Hadith 3333) and Sahih al-Bukhari (Hadith 3200).

• Fajr Prayer Practice (Verses 15-16): Sahih Muslim (Hadith 475).

• The Vision of Jibril (Verse 23): Sahih Muslim (Hadith 177a) and Sahih al-Bukhari (Hadith 4856).

• Historical Context on Free Will (Verses 28-29): Tafsir al-Tabari and Tafsir Ibn Kathir.