Quran Universe
21:104

يَوۡمَ نَطۡوِي ٱلسَّمَآءَ كَطَيِّ ٱلسِّجِلِّ لِلۡكُتُبِۚ كَمَا بَدَأۡنَآ أَوَّلَ خَلۡقٖ نُّعِيدُهُۥۚ وَعۡدًا عَلَيۡنَآۚ إِنَّا كُنَّا فَٰعِلِينَ

Yawma natwee alssamaa katayyi alssijlli lilkutubi kama badana awwala khalqin nuAAeeduhu waAAdan AAalayna inna kunna faAAileena

The Day when We will fold the heaven like the folding of a [written] sheet for the records. As We began the first creation, We will repeat it. [That is] a promise binding upon Us. Indeed, We will do it.

Word by word
  1. يَوۡمَ(The) Day
  2. نَطۡوِيWe will fold
  3. ٱلسَّمَآءَthe heaven
  4. كَطَيِّlike (the) folding
  5. ٱلسِّجِلِّ(of) a scroll
  6. لِلۡكُتُبِۚfor records
  7. كَمَاAs
  8. بَدَأۡنَآWe began
  9. أَوَّلَ(the) first
  10. خَلۡقٖcreation
  11. نُّعِيدُهُۥۚWe will repeat it
  12. وَعۡدًاa promise
  13. عَلَيۡنَآۚupon Us
  14. إِنَّاIndeed,We
  15. كُنَّاWe are
  16. فَٰعِلِينَ(the) Doers
Al-Anbya · 21:104Makkah

The sky rolled up like a scroll, and creation begun again.

The One who began creation will repeat it

That Day
the heaven
rolled like
a written scroll
creation againas it began
Is it possible
too much to undoor remake
a binding promiseWe will do it

On the Day of Resurrection the heaven will be rolled up like a scroll. Ibn 'Abbas said the word means the record, rolled up. The Prophet ﷺ said people will be gathered barefoot, naked, and uncircumcised, then recited: as We began the first creation, We will repeat it.

You fold a letter, roll up a poster, close a notebook full of a year's plans. That is how easily Allah will fold the sky. He made you once from nothing; making you again is a promise He keeps.

It is hard to imagine the whole world ending and starting again.

The One who began creation will repeat it. It is His promise.

Try this

Close your notebook or laptop tonight and remember: one Day the sky will fold like this.

Related39:67
Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir

And (remember) the Day when We shall roll up the heaven like a Sijill for books. As We began the first creation, We shall repeat it. (It is) a promise binding upon Us. Truly, We shall do it (104)

The Heavens will be rolled up on the Day of Resurrection

Allah says: this will happen on the Day of Resurrection:

يَوْمَ نَطْوِي السَّمَاءَ كَطَيِّ السِّجِلِّ لِلْكُتُبِ

(And (remember) the Day when We shall roll up the heaven like a Sijill for books.) This is like the Ayah:

وَمَا قَدَرُوا اللَّهَ حَقَّ قَدْرِهِ وَالْأَرْضُ جَمِيعًا قَبْضَتُهُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ وَالسَّمَاوَاتُ مَطْوِيَّاتٌ بِيَمِينِهِ ۚ سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَىٰ عَمَّا يُشْرِكُونَ

(They made not a just estimate of Allah such as is due to Him. And on the Day of Resurrection the whole of the earth will be grasped by His Hand and the heavens will be rolled up in His Right Hand. Glorified be He, and High be He above all that they associate as partners with Him!)(39:67)

Al-Bukhari recorded that Nafi' reported from Ibn 'Umar that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

إِنَّ اللهَ يَقْبِضُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ الْأَرَضِينَ وَتَكُونُ السَّمَوَاتُ بِيَمِينِهِ

(On the Day of Resurrection, Allah will seize the earth and the heavens will be in His Right Hand.) This was recorded by Al-Bukhari, may Allah have mercy on him.

كَطَيِّ السِّجِلِّ لِلْكُتُبِ

(like a Sijill rolled up for books.) What is meant by Sijill is book. As-Suddi said concerning this Ayah: "As-Sijill is an angel who is entrusted with the records; when a person dies, his Book (of deeds) is taken up to As-Sijill, and he rolls it up and puts it away until the Day of Resurrection." But the correct view as narrated from Ibn 'Abbas is that As-Sijill refers to the record (of deeds). This was also reported from him by 'Ali bin Abi Talhah and Al-'Awfi. This was also stated by Mujahid, Qatadah and others. This was the view favored by Ibn Jarir, because this usage is well-known in the (Arabic) language. Based on the above, the meaning is: the Day when the heaven will be rolled up like a scroll. This is like the Ayah:

فَلَمَّا أَسْلَمَا وَتَلَّهُ لِلْجَبِينِ

(Then, when they had both submitted themselves (to the will of Allah), and he had laid him prostrate on his forehead.)[37:103] There are many more linguistic examples in this respect. Allah knows best.

كَمَا بَدَأْنَا أَوَّلَ خَلْقٍ نُّعِيدُهُ ۚ وَعْدًا عَلَيْنَا ۚ إِنَّا كُنَّا فَاعِلِينَ

(As We began the first creation, We shall repeat it. (It is) a promise binding upon Us. Truly, We shall do it.) means, this will inevitably come to pass on the Day when Allah creates His creation anew. As He created them in the first place, He is surely able to re-create them. This must inevitably come to pass because it is one of the things that Allah has promised, and He does not break His promise. He is able to do that. Because He says:

إِنَّا كُنَّا فَاعِلِينَ

(Truly, We shall do it.) Imam Ahmad recorded that Ibn 'Abbas said: "The Messenger of Allah ﷺ stood among us exhorting us, and said:

إِنَّكُمْ مَحْشُورُونَ إِلَى اللهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ حُفَاةً عُرَاةً غُرْلًا، كَمَا بَدَأْنَا أَوَّلَ خَلْقٍ نُعِيدُهُ وَعْدًا عَلَيْنَا، إِنَّا كُنَّا فَاعِلِينَ

(You will be gathered before Allah barefoot, naked and uncircumcised. As We began the first creation, We shall repeat it. (It is) a promise binding upon Us. Truly, We shall do it.) And he mentioned the entire Hadith. It was also recorded in the Two Sahihs, and Al-Bukhari mentioned it in his Tafsir of this Ayah.