Recitation by Mishary Al-Alfasy
It is derived from the word kuwwirat in the first verse. Kuwwirat is passive
voice from takvir in the past tense, and means "that which is folded up",
thereby implying that it is a Surah in which the "folding up" has been
mentioned:
Period of Revelation
The subject matter
and the style clearly show that it is one of the earliest Surahs to be revealed
at Makkah.
Theme and Subject Matter
It has two
themes: the Hereafter and the institution of Prophethood.
In the first
six verses the first stage of the Resurrection has been mentioned when the sun
will lose its light, the stars will scatter, the mountains will be uprooted and
will disperse, the people will become heedless of their dearest possessions, the
beasts of the jungle will be stupefied and will gather together, and the seas
will boil up. Then in the next seven verses the second stage has been described
when the souls will be reunited with the bodies, the records will be laid open,
the people will be called to account for their crimes, the heavens will be
unveiled, and Hell and Heaven will be brought into full view. After depicting
the Hereafter thus, man has been left to ponder his own self and deeds, saying:
"Then each man shall himself know what he has brought with him."
After
this the theme of Prophethood has been taken up. In this the people of Makkah
have been addressed, as if to say "Whatever Muhammad (upon whom be Allah's peace
and blessings) is presenting before you, is not the bragging of a madman, nor an
evil suggestion inspired by Satan, but the word of a noble, exalted and
trustworthy messenger sent by God, whom Muhammad (upon whom be Allah's peace and
blessings) has seen with his own eyes in the bright horizon of the clear sky in
broad day light. Whither then are you going having turned away from this
teaching?"