Bryan Craft, Comparing al-Takwir and al-Infitar Integral to any religion is the question of afterlife, and the time limit imposed on the very world itself. The presence of an afterlife, as well as a defined apocalypse, within a religion allows for sense of security and purpose in one’s faith. The Surahs 81, al-Takwir, 82, al-Infitar, and 84, al-Inshiqaq of the Qur’an provide insights into the Qur’anic vision of the apocalypse. There are several key similarities and differences between the three Surahs. Each Surah lists a set of conditions that are to precede the Day of Judgement. These conditions are catastrophic in nature, and range from large scale changes such as in the sun and stars, and small scale changes, such as the individual’s soul. They are presented in the format: “when ____ happens,” and listed one after another, eventually leading to a conclusive . The surahs also inspire a level of self reflection, but while al-Takwir presents this self reflection in the form of an “unveiling,” al-Infitar addresses the judgement of one’s soul and…show more content… The three Surahs start in very similar ways. They have lists of the different events that precede the Day of Judgement. For al-Takwir, these catastrophic events range from “when the sun is overturned,” to “when the seas are boiled over.” Some of the lines even refer to different human practices, such as infanticide, and how the slain will be questioned as to what they did to deserve such a death. The words used to describe the changes are also very noticeable. While the translated state of the Surah might lead to some difference in the words from the original text, overall, the “moving” of mountains and “overturning” of the sun signify a great power, and the catastrophic level of change to be expected from this