سُورَةُ الأَعۡلَىٰ
Surah 87 - Al-A'laa
The Most High
- 19 verses
- Juz 30
- Pages 591 to 592 of the Mushaf
Al-A'laa begins with an order addressed to a single person: to exalt the name of the Lord. Three linked relative clauses then say what that Lord has done - creating and setting in measure, appointing and guiding, bringing the pasture out before turning it to dark stubble. The text comes back to its addressee to promise that he will not forget what he recites, and a way made easy. It then widens: remind, and leave each one before the reminder. Two conducts stand against each other, that of the one who purifies himself and prays, that of the one who prefers the present life. The last two verses point to earlier writings, those of Abraham and Moses.
The main parts
The text of the surah
بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ سَبِّحِ ٱسْمَ رَبِّكَ ٱلْأَعْلَى
Exalt the name of your Lord, the Most High,
ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَ فَسَوَّىٰ
Who created and proportioned
وَٱلَّذِى قَدَّرَ فَهَدَىٰ
And who destined and [then] guided
وَٱلَّذِىٓ أَخْرَجَ ٱلْمَرْعَىٰ
And who brings out the pasture
فَجَعَلَهُۥ غُثَآءً أَحْوَىٰ
And [then] makes it black stubble.
سَنُقْرِئُكَ فَلَا تَنسَىٰٓ
We will make you recite, [O Muhammad], and you will not forget,
إِلَّا مَا شَآءَ ٱللَّهُ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ يَعْلَمُ ٱلْجَهْرَ وَمَا يَخْفَىٰ
Except what Allah should will. Indeed, He knows what is declared and what is hidden.
وَنُيَسِّرُكَ لِلْيُسْرَىٰ
And We will ease you toward ease.
فَذَكِّرْ إِن نَّفَعَتِ ٱلذِّكْرَىٰ
So remind, if the reminder should benefit;
سَيَذَّكَّرُ مَن يَخْشَىٰ
He who fears [Allah] will be reminded.
وَيَتَجَنَّبُهَا ٱلْأَشْقَى
But the wretched one will avoid it -
ٱلَّذِى يَصْلَى ٱلنَّارَ ٱلْكُبْرَىٰ
[He] who will [enter and] burn in the greatest Fire,
ثُمَّ لَا يَمُوتُ فِيهَا وَلَا يَحْيَىٰ
Neither dying therein nor living.
قَدْ أَفْلَحَ مَن تَزَكَّىٰ
He has certainly succeeded who purifies himself
وَذَكَرَ ٱسْمَ رَبِّهِۦ فَصَلَّىٰ
And mentions the name of his Lord and prays.
بَلْ تُؤْثِرُونَ ٱلْحَيَوٰةَ ٱلدُّنْيَا
But you prefer the worldly life,
وَٱلْءَاخِرَةُ خَيْرٌۭ وَأَبْقَىٰٓ
While the Hereafter is better and more enduring.
إِنَّ هَٰذَا لَفِى ٱلصُّحُفِ ٱلْأُولَىٰ
Indeed, this is in the former scriptures,
صُحُفِ إِبْرَٰهِيمَ وَمُوسَىٰ
The scriptures of Abraham and Moses.
Key verses of the surah
The first verse: an order addressed in the singular, on which all that follows depends.
بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ سَبِّحِ ٱسْمَ رَبِّكَ ٱلْأَعْلَى
Exalt the name of your Lord, the Most High,
A statement about success, which surah Ash-Shams takes up in a very close form.
قَدْ أَفْلَحَ مَن تَزَكَّىٰ
He has certainly succeeded who purifies himself
The last verse: it names Abraham and Moses, the only persons cited in the surah.
صُحُفِ إِبْرَٰهِيمَ وَمُوسَىٰ
The scriptures of Abraham and Moses.
What is surah Al-A'laa about?
About an order and what grounds it. The text asks that a name be exalted, lists the acts that warrant the order, then moves from a single addressee to any reader, separating two ways of taking a reminder.
What does surah Al-A'laa say about the reminder?
Verse 9 orders reminding where the reminder is of use. The next verses separate two reactions: one takes it in, the other turns away. The text lays nothing further on the one who carries the reminder.
How does surah Al-A'laa end?
With two verses that tie what came before to older writings, called scriptures, and referred to Abraham and Moses. It is the only place in the text where persons are named.
How is surah Al-A'laa built?
In five short moves: an order and its grounds, a promise made to the addressee, the call to remind, the contrast between purifying oneself and preferring the immediate, then a pointer to earlier writings.
Why is surah Al-A'laa called that?
“Al-A'laa” means “the Most High”. The name comes from the first verse, where the word describes the Lord whose name is to be exalted. It names the surah by the last word of its opening line, not by an episode or a subject.
How many verses does surah Al-A'laa have?
Surah Al-A'laa has 19 verses. It stands at number 87 in the order of the Mushaf, which holds 114.
The Arabic text is that of the Mushaf. The summary, the outline and the answers on this page describe the text and how it is built: they are not religious commentary.