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Surah Al-A'la

الأعلى

Surah Al-A'la is a 19-verse Meccan surah that begins with a call to glorify Allah, the Most High, and describes who benefits from reminders and who turns away.

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Meaning
The Most High
Surah
87 of 114
Verses
19
Revealed in
Mecca
Found in
Juz 30

What Surah Al-A'la is about

Surah Al-A'la, "The Most High", opens with the command to glorify the name of your Lord, the Most High. Verses 2 to 5 describe Him: He creates and proportions, measures and guides, brings out green pasture and later turns it into dark, dry stubble.

Verses 6 to 8 are addressed to the Prophet ﷺ. Allah promises to make him recite so that he will not forget, except what Allah wills, and to ease him toward the easy way. Verse 9 then gives his task, to remind, where reminding benefits. Verses 10 to 13 describe the two responses: the one who fears Allah takes the reminder, and the most wretched avoids it and faces a fire where he neither dies nor lives.

Verses 14 and 15 describe success: purifying oneself, remembering the name of one's Lord and praying. Verses 16 and 17 point to a common human tendency to prefer this life, though the Hereafter is better and more lasting. The surah ends in verses 18 and 19 by saying this same message was in the earlier scriptures, the scrolls of Abraham (Ibrahim) and Moses (Musa).

Main themes

  1. Glorifying the Most High

    The surah opens with praise and a portrait of Allah as Creator who measures, guides and governs the cycle of growth and decay. The pasture that turns to stubble is a quiet image of how all life passes.

    Verses 1–5

  2. A promise to the Prophet

    Allah assures the Prophet ﷺ that the revelation will stay with him and that his way will be made easy. His role is to remind, not to force.

    Verses 6–9

  3. Who succeeds

    Success is defined simply as self-purification, remembering Allah and prayer. The surah gently names the pull of the present life and weighs it against what lasts.

    Verses 14–17

  4. One message across scriptures

    The final verses link this teaching to the scrolls of Abraham and Moses, presenting it as the same message earlier prophets brought.

    Verses 18–19

Verses to know

سَبِّحِ ٱسۡمَ رَبِّكَ ٱلۡأَعۡلَى ﴿١﴾

Praise the name of your Lord, the Most High.
Al-A'la 87:1

The opening command to glorify the Most High. The phrase said in prostration during prayer, glory be to my Lord the Most High, uses the same wording.

قَدۡ أَفۡلَحَ مَن تَزَكَّىٰ ﴿١٤﴾ وَذَكَرَ ٱسۡمَ رَبِّهِۦ فَصَلَّىٰ ﴿١٥﴾

14Successful is he who purifies himself. 15And mentions the name of his Lord, and prays.
Al-A'la 87:14–15

A compact definition of success: purify yourself, remember your Lord's name and pray.

بَلۡ تُؤۡثِرُونَ ٱلۡحَيَوٰةَ ٱلدُّنۡيَا ﴿١٦﴾ وَٱلۡأٓخِرَةُ خَيۡرࣱ وَأَبۡقَىٰٓ ﴿١٧﴾

16But you prefer the present life. 17Though the Hereafter is better, and more lasting.
Al-A'la 87:16–17

Names the very human habit of preferring what is in front of us, and answers it calmly by saying the Hereafter is better and more lasting.

When Surah Al-A'la is recited

Sahih Muslim reports that the Prophet ﷺ used to recite Al-A'la and Al-Ghashiyah (88) in the two Eid prayers and in the Friday prayer. Reports in Sunan Abu Dawud, at-Tirmidhi and an-Nasa'i also describe him reciting Al-A'la, Al-Kafirun (109) and Al-Ikhlas (112) in the Witr prayer. For these reasons it is one of the surahs most often heard in congregational prayer.

Surah Al-A'la in Arabic and English

All 19 verses, with the Arabic, a transliteration to help you read it aloud, and the English translation by Talal Itani.

بِسۡمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ

  1. 1

    سَبِّحِ ٱسۡمَ رَبِّكَ ٱلۡأَعۡلَى

    Sabbihi isma rabbika alaAAla

    Praise the name of your Lord, the Most High.

  2. 2

    ٱلَّذِي خَلَقَ فَسَوَّىٰ

    Allathee khalaqa fasawwa

    He who creates and regulates.

  3. 3

    وَٱلَّذِي قَدَّرَ فَهَدَىٰ

    Waallathee qaddara fahada

    He who measures and guides.

  4. 4

    وَٱلَّذِيٓ أَخۡرَجَ ٱلۡمَرۡعَىٰ

    Waallathee akhraja almarAAa

    He who produces the pasture.

  5. 5

    فَجَعَلَهُۥ غُثَآءً أَحۡوَىٰ

    FajaAAalahu ghuthaan ahwa

    And then turns it into light debris.

  6. 6

    سَنُقۡرِئُكَ فَلَا تَنسَىٰٓ

    Sanuqrioka fala tansa

    We will make you read, so do not forget.

  7. 7

    إِلَّا مَا شَآءَ ٱللَّهُۚ إِنَّهُۥ يَعۡلَمُ ٱلۡجَهۡرَ وَمَا يَخۡفَىٰ

    Illa ma shaa Allahu innahu yaAAlamu aljahra wama yakhfa

    Except what Allah wills. He knows what is declared, and what is hidden.

  8. 8

    وَنُيَسِّرُكَ لِلۡيُسۡرَىٰ

    Wanuyassiruka lilyusra

    We will ease you into the Easy Way.

  9. 9

    فَذَكِّرۡ إِن نَّفَعَتِ ٱلذِّكۡرَىٰ

    Fathakkir in nafaAAati alththikra

    So remind, if reminding helps.

  10. 10

    سَيَذَّكَّرُ مَن يَخۡشَىٰ

    Sayaththakkaru man yakhsha

    The reverent will remember.

  11. 11

    وَيَتَجَنَّبُهَا ٱلۡأَشۡقَى

    Wayatajannabuha alashqa

    But the wretched will avoid it.

  12. 12

    ٱلَّذِي يَصۡلَى ٱلنَّارَ ٱلۡكُبۡرَىٰ

    Allathee yasla alnnara alkubra

    He who will enter the Gigantic Fire.

  13. 13

    ثُمَّ لَا يَمُوتُ فِيهَا وَلَا يَحۡيَىٰ

    Thumma la yamootu feeha wala yahya

    Where he will neither die, nor live.

  14. 14

    قَدۡ أَفۡلَحَ مَن تَزَكَّىٰ

    Qad aflaha man tazakka

    Successful is he who purifies himself.

  15. 15

    وَذَكَرَ ٱسۡمَ رَبِّهِۦ فَصَلَّىٰ

    Wathakara isma rabbihi fasalla

    And mentions the name of his Lord, and prays.

  16. 16

    بَلۡ تُؤۡثِرُونَ ٱلۡحَيَوٰةَ ٱلدُّنۡيَا

    Bal tuthiroona alhayata alddunya

    But you prefer the present life.

  17. 17

    وَٱلۡأٓخِرَةُ خَيۡرࣱ وَأَبۡقَىٰٓ

    Waalakhiratu khayrun waabqa

    Though the Hereafter is better, and more lasting.

  18. 18

    إِنَّ هَٰذَا لَفِي ٱلصُّحُفِ ٱلۡأُولَىٰ

    Inna hatha lafee alssuhufi aloola

    This is in the former scriptures.

  19. 19

    صُحُفِ إِبۡرَٰهِيمَ وَمُوسَىٰ

    Suhufi ibraheema wamoosa

    The scriptures of Abraham and Moses.

Surah Al-A'la PDF

The whole surah on printable pages: Arabic, transliteration and English side by side. Free to download, print and share.

Download the PDF

Questions about Surah Al-A'la

Why is Surah Al-A'la recited in Friday prayer?

Sahih Muslim reports that the Prophet ﷺ recited Al-A'la and Al-Ghashiyah in the Friday prayer and in the Eid prayers, so many imams follow that practice.

How many verses are in Surah Al-A'la?

Surah Al-A'la has 19 verses. It is the 87th surah and a Meccan surah.

What are the scrolls of Abraham and Moses mentioned in Surah Al-A'la?

Verses 18 and 19 say the surah's message about purification and the Hereafter was also in the earlier scriptures given to Abraham and Moses. The Quran does not describe those scrolls in further detail here.