سُورَةُ الْأَعْلَى

The text: Surah Al-A'laa (87), verses 1 to 19 بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ سَبِّحِ اسْمَ رَبِّكَ الْأَعْلَى ﴿١﴾ الَّذِي خَلَقَ فَسَوَّىٰ ﴿٢﴾ وَالَّذِي قَدَّرَ فَهَدَىٰ ﴿٣﴾ وَالَّذِي أَخْرَجَ الْمَرْعَىٰ ﴿٤﴾ فَجَعَلَهُ غُثَاءً أَحْوَىٰ ﴿٥﴾ سَنُقْرِئُكَ فَلَا تَنْسَىٰ ﴿٦﴾ إِلَّا مَا شَاءَ اللَّهُ ۚ إِنَّهُ يَعْلَمُ الْجَهْرَ وَمَا يَخْفَىٰ ﴿٧﴾ وَنُيَسِّرُكَ لِلْيُسْرَىٰ ﴿٨﴾ فَذَكِّرْ إِنْ نَفَعَتِ الذِّكْرَىٰ ﴿٩﴾ سَيَذَّكَّرُ مَنْ يَخْشَىٰ ﴿١٠﴾ وَيَتَجَنَّبُهَا الْأَشْقَى ﴿١١﴾ الَّذِي يَصْلَى النَّارَ الْكُبْرَىٰ ﴿١٢﴾ ثُمَّ لَا يَمُوتُ فِيهَا وَلَا يَحْيَىٰ ﴿١٣﴾ قَدْ أَفْلَحَ مَنْ تَزَكَّىٰ ﴿١٤﴾ وَذَكَرَ اسْمَ رَبِّهِ فَصَلَّىٰ ﴿١٥﴾ بَلْ تُؤْثِرُونَ الْحَيَاةَ الدُّنْيَا ﴿١٦﴾ وَالْآخِرَةُ خَيْرٌ وَأَبْقَىٰ ﴿١٧﴾ إِنَّ هَٰذَا لَفِي الصُّحُفِ الْأُولَىٰ ﴿١٨﴾ صُحُفِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَمُوسَىٰ ﴿١٩﴾

Listen to the recitation while following the text with your eyes, then read the meaning in the next block.

Arabic text: Tanzil Quran Text (Simple, version 1.0.2), © 2008-2010 Tanzil.net, Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 licence, reproduced without any change (http://tanzil.net). Each verse is on its own line, followed by its number; the basmala, which the Tanzil file places at the start of the first verse, is written on its own line.

The name and the context Al-A'laa means "the Most High", one of the names of Allah. The surah is Makkan. The Prophet ﷺ loved it greatly: he recited it with Al-Ghaashiya (88) in the prayer of the two Eids and in the Friday prayer (Muslim 878). He reproached Mu'aadh for lengthening the prayer he led, and advised him to recite surahs such as Al-A'laa, Ash-Shams and Al-Layl (Bukhari 705, Muslim 465). It is also reported that he recited it in the witr prayer, with Al-Kaafiruun and Al-Ikhlaaṣ [À VÉRIFIER : référence].

The meaning, passage by passage • Verses 1 to 5: "Glorify the name of your Lord, the Most High." It is He who created and proportioned, who set the measure of each thing and guided each creature to what suits it, who brought out the pasture, then made it dry and dark. • Verses 6 and 7: "We will make you recite, and you will not forget, except what Allah wills." Allah promises His Prophet ﷺ to preserve the Qur'an in his memory. He knows what is apparent and what is hidden. • Verses 8 to 13: Allah will make the easiest way easy for the Prophet ﷺ. "So remind, if the reminder benefits." The one who fears Allah will benefit from it; the most wretched will turn away from it, and will enter the great Fire, where he will neither die nor live. • Verses 14 and 15: "He has succeeded who purifies himself, mentions the name of his Lord and prays." Purifying oneself means freeing oneself from idolatry and sins. Some of the early scholars also saw in it the charity of the end of Ramadan and the Eid prayer; Ibn Kathir reports this view [À VÉRIFIER]. • Verses 16 to 19: "But you prefer the life of this world, while the Hereafter is better and more lasting." This message is already found in the earliest Scriptures: the scrolls of Ibraahiim and Muusaa.

A link with prayer In prostration we say: "Subḥaana rabbiya l-a'laa" (Glory be to my Lord, the Most High); the Prophet ﷺ said it in his prostration (Muslim 772). It is reported that when this surah was revealed, he asked that it be made the formula of prostration [À VÉRIFIER : référence]. Each prostration is therefore a small echo of the first verse.

Exercise: at your next prayer, when you say "Subḥaana rabbiya l-a'laa", think of the first verse of the surah: you are glorifying the One who created and measured everything.

Understanding the lesson

Explanation The surah begins with glorification (tasbiiḥ): declaring Allah above every defect and every likeness to His creatures. Then it shows why He deserves this glorification: He creates, He proportions, He gives each thing its measure, and He guides each creature. As-Sa'di explains that this guidance is twofold: general guidance, by which the bee makes its honey and the newborn seeks the breast, and the guidance of religion, which Allah sent through His messengers. The image of the pasture, green then dry and dark, is an image of the life of this world: beautiful, then quickly faded. It prepares the end of the surah: do not prefer what fades to what lasts. Verses 6 and 7 are a promise: Allah preserved the Qur'an in the heart of the Prophet ﷺ, then in the hearts and the writings of the Muslims. Verses 14 and 15 give the path of success in three words: purify yourself, remember Allah, pray. It is a programme for a whole life.

Lessons to draw from it • Glorify Allah with the heart, not only with the tongue, especially in prostration. • See Allah's guidance in creation, and seek it in His religion. • Remind others with wisdom, where the reminder is useful. • Success means purifying oneself, remembering Allah and praying. • Prefer what lasts (the Hereafter) to what fades (this world).

Key points to remember • Al-A'laa (87), 19 verses, Makkan; recited at the Eids and on Friday (Muslim 878). • Verses 2 and 3: create, proportion, measure, guide. • Verses 14 and 15: success. • Verse 17: "the Hereafter is better and more lasting".

The main message Glorify your Lord, the Most High, purify yourself, remember Him and pray: that is success, for the Hereafter is better and more lasting.