87:1
سَبِّحِ اسْمَ رَبِّكَ الْاَعْلَی
Exalt the name of your Lord, the Most High,
Surah 87 of 114 · Makkah · Juz 30
Surah Al-A'la
The Most High
الأعلى19 ayahs
Revealed in Makkah
Translation: Saheeh International
About Surah Al-A'la
The surah opens with a command to glorify: exalt the name of your Lord, the Most High (87:1). That phrase gives it the name Al-A'la. It belongs to the early Makkan period, when the message was still mostly warning and reassurance rather than law, and it runs to nineteen short ayahs in the thirtieth juz. What holds it together is a movement from what God does in creation, to what He is doing through revelation, to what a person then chooses to do with it.
The first verses trace that work quickly: He created and proportioned, measured out and guided, brings out the pasture and then turns it to dark stubble (87:2, 87:3, 87:4, 87:5). The Prophet is then promised that he will be made to recite and will not forget (87:6), and told simply to remind, since the reminder reaches whoever fears God (87:9, 87:10). The closing lines are the sharpest: you prefer the worldly life, while the Hereafter is better and more lasting (87:16, 87:17), and this, the surah says, was already in the earlier scriptures, the scriptures of Abraham and Moses (87:18, 87:19). A hadith in Muslim reports that the Prophet, peace be upon him, used to recite it together with Al-Ghashiyah in the Friday prayer and at both Eid prayers.
بِسْمِ اللّٰهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِیْمِ
87:2
الَّذِیْ خَلَقَ فَسَوّٰی
Who created and proportioned
87:3
وَالَّذِیْ قَدَّرَ فَهَدٰی
And who destined and [then] guided
87:4
وَالَّذِیْۤ اَخْرَجَ الْمَرْعٰی
And who brings out the pasture
87:5
فَجَعَلَهٗ غُثَآءً اَحْوٰی ۟ؕ
And [then] makes it black stubble.
87:6
سَنُقْرِئُكَ فَلَا تَنْسٰۤی
We will make you recite, [O Muḥammad], and you will not forget,
87:7
اِلَّا مَا شَآءَ اللّٰهُ ؕ اِنَّهٗ یَعْلَمُ الْجَهْرَ وَمَا یَخْفٰی ۟ؕ
Except what Allāh should will. Indeed, He knows what is declared and what is hidden.
87:8
وَنُیَسِّرُكَ لِلْیُسْرٰی
And We will ease you toward ease.
87:9
فَذَكِّرْ اِنْ نَّفَعَتِ الذِّكْرٰی ۟ؕ
So remind, if the reminder should benefit;
87:10
سَیَذَّكَّرُ مَنْ یَّخْشٰی
He who fears [Allāh] will be reminded.
87:11
وَیَتَجَنَّبُهَا الْاَشْقَی
But the wretched one will avoid it –
87:12
الَّذِیْ یَصْلَی النَّارَ الْكُبْرٰی
[He] who will [enter and] burn in the greatest Fire,
87:13
ثُمَّ لَا یَمُوْتُ فِیْهَا وَلَا یَحْیٰی ۟ؕ
Neither dying therein nor living.
87:14
قَدْ اَفْلَحَ مَنْ تَزَكّٰی
He has certainly succeeded who purifies himself
87:15
وَذَكَرَ اسْمَ رَبِّهٖ فَصَلّٰی ۟ؕ
And mentions the name of his Lord and prays.
87:16
بَلْ تُؤْثِرُوْنَ الْحَیٰوةَ الدُّنْیَا
But you prefer the worldly life,
87:17
وَالْاٰخِرَةُ خَیْرٌ وَّاَبْقٰی ۟ؕ
While the Hereafter is better and more enduring.
87:18
اِنَّ هٰذَا لَفِی الصُّحُفِ الْاُوْلٰی
Indeed, this is in the former scriptures,
87:19
صُحُفِ اِبْرٰهِیْمَ وَمُوْسٰی
The scriptures of Abraham and Moses.
Surah Al-A'la in the Quran, with the Arabic in IndoPak Nastaleeq, 19 ayahs, translation, word by word meaning and recitation. Recite it offline on your phone with the free Android app.