Surah Al-A'la: Meaning, Translation and Transliteration

Surah Al-A'la, "The Most High", is a surah many Muslims hear every week without knowing its name. The Prophet ﷺ recited it in the Friday prayer, in both Eid prayers and in witr. It opens with a command to glorify Allah, and it closes with a short summary of what every prophet taught: purify yourself, remember your Lord, pray, and don't prefer this world over the next.

This article gives the full surah in Arabic, a transliteration and the English translation, then explains it section by section.

The full surah

سَبِّحِ ٱسۡمَ رَبِّكَ ٱلۡأَعۡلَى ٱلَّذِي خَلَقَ فَسَوَّىٰ وَٱلَّذِي قَدَّرَ فَهَدَىٰ وَٱلَّذِيٓ أَخۡرَجَ ٱلۡمَرۡعَىٰ فَجَعَلَهُۥ غُثَآءً أَحۡوَىٰ سَنُقۡرِئُكَ فَلَا تَنسَىٰٓ إِلَّا مَا شَآءَ ٱللَّهُۚ إِنَّهُۥ يَعۡلَمُ ٱلۡجَهۡرَ وَمَا يَخۡفَىٰ وَنُيَسِّرُكَ لِلۡيُسۡرَىٰ فَذَكِّرۡ إِن نَّفَعَتِ ٱلذِّكۡرَىٰ سَيَذَّكَّرُ مَن يَخۡشَىٰ وَيَتَجَنَّبُهَا ٱلۡأَشۡقَى ٱلَّذِي يَصۡلَى ٱلنَّارَ ٱلۡكُبۡرَىٰ ثُمَّ لَا يَمُوتُ فِيهَا وَلَا يَحۡيَىٰ قَدۡ أَفۡلَحَ مَن تَزَكَّىٰ وَذَكَرَ ٱسۡمَ رَبِّهِۦ فَصَلَّىٰ بَلۡ تُؤۡثِرُونَ ٱلۡحَيَوٰةَ ٱلدُّنۡيَا وَٱلۡأٓخِرَةُ خَيۡرٞ وَأَبۡقَىٰٓ إِنَّ هَٰذَا لَفِي ٱلصُّحُفِ ٱلۡأُولَىٰ صُحُفِ إِبۡرَٰهِيمَ وَمُوسَىٰ

Transliteration

1. Sabbiḥis-ma rabbikal-aʿlā
2. Alladhī khalaqa fa-sawwā
3. Walladhī qaddara fa-hadā
4. Walladhī akhrajal-marʿā
5. Fa-jaʿalahū ghuthāʾan aḥwā
6. Sanuqriʾuka fa-lā tansā
7. Illā mā shāʾallāh, innahū yaʿlamul-jahra wa mā yakhfā
8. Wa nuyassiruka lil-yusrā
9. Fa-dhakkir in nafaʿatidh-dhikrā
10. Sayadhdhakkaru man yakhshā
11. Wa yatajannabuhal-ashqā
12. Alladhī yaṣlan-nāral-kubrā
13. Thumma lā yamūtu fīhā wa lā yaḥyā
14. Qad aflaḥa man tazakkā
15. Wa dhakaras-ma rabbihī fa-ṣallā
16. Bal tuʾthirūnal-ḥayātad-dunyā
17. Wal-ākhiratu khayrun wa abqā
18. Inna hādhā lafiṣ-ṣuḥufil-ūlā
19. Ṣuḥufi Ibrāhīma wa Mūsā

English translation (Saheeh International)

Exalt the name of your Lord, the Most High, who created and proportioned and who destined and [then] guided and who brings out the pasture and [then] makes it black stubble. We will make you recite, [O Muḥammad], and you will not forget, except what Allāh should will. Indeed, He knows what is declared and what is hidden. And We will ease you toward ease. So remind, if the reminder should benefit; he who fears [Allāh] will be reminded. But the wretched one will avoid it [He] who will [enter and] burn in the greatest Fire, neither dying therein nor living. He has certainly succeeded who purifies himself and mentions the name of his Lord and prays. But you prefer the worldly life, while the Hereafter is better and more enduring. Indeed, this is in the former scriptures, the scriptures of Abraham and Moses. (87:1-19)

If you learned to read the Quran in the IndoPak script, here is the same surah as it appears in a South Asian mushaf:

سَبِّحِ اسۡمَ رَبِّكَ الۡاَعۡلَىۙ الَّذِىۡ خَلَقَ فَسَوّٰى ۙ وَالَّذِىۡ قَدَّرَ فَهَدٰى ۙ وَالَّذِىۡۤ اَخۡرَجَ الۡمَرۡعٰى ۙ فَجَعَلَهٗ غُثَآءً اَحۡوٰىؕ سَنُقۡرِئُكَ فَلَا تَنۡسٰٓىۙ اِلَّا مَا شَآءَ اللّٰهُؕ اِنَّهٗ يَعۡلَمُ الۡجَهۡرَ وَمَا يَخۡفٰىؕ وَنُيَسِّرُكَ لِلۡيُسۡرٰى ۖۚ فَذَكِّرۡ اِنۡ نَّفَعَتِ الذِّكۡرٰىؕ سَيَذَّكَّرُ مَنۡ يَّخۡشٰىۙ وَيَتَجَنَّبُهَا الۡاَشۡقَىۙ الَّذِىۡ يَصۡلَى النَّارَ الۡكُبۡرٰىۚ ثُمَّ لَا يَمُوۡتُ فِيۡهَا وَلَا يَحۡيٰىؕ قَدۡ اَفۡلَحَ مَنۡ تَزَكّٰىۙ وَذَكَرَ اسۡمَ رَبِّهٖ فَصَلّٰى ؕ بَلۡ تُؤۡثِرُوۡنَ الۡحَيٰوةَ الدُّنۡيَاۖ وَالۡاٰخِرَةُ خَيۡرٌ وَّ اَبۡقٰىؕ اِنَّ هٰذَا لَفِى الصُّحُفِ الۡاُوۡلٰىۙ صُحُفِ اِبۡرٰهِيۡمَ وَمُوۡسٰى

You can read and listen to Surah Al-A'la with its translation, or read it with the Urdu translation.

About the surah

Al-A'la is the 87th surah of the Quran, with 19 verses, in the 30th juz. Its name comes from the last word of the first verse, al-aʿlā, "the Most High". Many people know it by its first word, Sabbiḥ.

It is Meccan, and an early one. Al-Baraʾ ibn ʿAzib, who lived in Madinah, said that by the time the Prophet ﷺ arrived there after the Hijrah, he had already learned "Sabbiḥisma rabbikal-aʿlā" and other surahs like it from the Companions sent ahead (Sahih al-Bukhari 4941).

When the Prophet ﷺ recited it:

• Friday and Eid. He recited Al-A'la and Al-Ghashiyah in the two Eid prayers and in the Friday prayer (Sahih Muslim 878).
• Witr. He recited Al-A'la, Al-Kafirun and Al-Ikhlas in the three rakʿahs of witr (Jami' al-Tirmidhi 462; Sunan Abi Dawud 1423).
• As a "short" surah for the congregation. When Muʿadh ibn Jabal led the night prayer with a very long surah and a worker left, the Prophet ﷺ told him: "Why didn't you pray with Sabbiḥisma rabbikal-aʿlā, Wash-shamsi wa ḍuḥāhā and Wal-layli idhā yaghshā?" (Sahih al-Bukhari 705).

Verses 1-5: Glorify your Lord, the Most High

سَبِّحِ ٱسۡمَ رَبِّكَ ٱلۡأَعۡلَى ٱلَّذِي خَلَقَ فَسَوَّىٰ وَٱلَّذِي قَدَّرَ فَهَدَىٰ وَٱلَّذِيٓ أَخۡرَجَ ٱلۡمَرۡعَىٰ فَجَعَلَهُۥ غُثَآءً أَحۡوَىٰ

Exalt the name of your Lord, the Most High, who created and proportioned and who destined and [then] guided and who brings out the pasture and [then] makes it black stubble. (87:1-5)

Sabbiḥ means to declare Allah far above every flaw and every comparison. The phrase rabbiyal-aʿlā is what Muslims say in every prostration: subḥāna rabbiyal-aʿlā, "Glory be to my Lord, the Most High". A report in Abu Dawud says that when this verse was revealed the Prophet ﷺ said, "Put it in your prostration" (Sunan Abi Dawud 869); al-Albani graded its chain weak, but the words of sujud themselves are established.

The next verses describe His work in four steps: He created, then proportioned; He measured out each thing's nature, then guided it to what it is for. A bee knows how to build its hive and a newborn knows how to nurse. Then He brings out green pasture and turns it into dark, dry stubble: a picture of how quickly this world's life withers.

Verses 6-13: You will not forget

سَنُقۡرِئُكَ فَلَا تَنسَىٰٓ إِلَّا مَا شَآءَ ٱللَّهُۚ إِنَّهُۥ يَعۡلَمُ ٱلۡجَهۡرَ وَمَا يَخۡفَىٰ وَنُيَسِّرُكَ لِلۡيُسۡرَىٰ

We will make you recite, [O Muḥammad], and you will not forget, except what Allāh should will. Indeed, He knows what is declared and what is hidden. And We will ease you toward ease. (87:6-8)

The Prophet ﷺ used to hurry to repeat the revelation as it came, afraid of forgetting it. Allah promised him: We will make you recite, and you will not forget, except what Allah wills. And nuyassiruka lil-yusrā, "We will ease you toward ease": his way, his law and his religion would be easy.

Then: "So remind, if the reminder should benefit." Whoever fears Allah will take the reminder. The most wretched will avoid it, and will burn in the greatest Fire, "neither dying therein nor living" (verse 13): no rest of death and no real life.

Verses 14-19: He has succeeded who purifies himself

قَدۡ أَفۡلَحَ مَن تَزَكَّىٰ وَذَكَرَ ٱسۡمَ رَبِّهِۦ فَصَلَّىٰ بَلۡ تُؤۡثِرُونَ ٱلۡحَيَوٰةَ ٱلدُّنۡيَا وَٱلۡأٓخِرَةُ خَيۡرٞ وَأَبۡقَىٰٓ

He has certainly succeeded who purifies himself and mentions the name of his Lord and prays. But you prefer the worldly life, while the Hereafter is better and more enduring. (87:14-17)

Here is success in three steps: purify yourself (tazakkā: from shirk, from sin, and with charity, from the same root as zakāh), remember your Lord's name, and pray. Some early scholars connected these verses with zakat al-fitr and the Eid prayer, since the charity is given first and the prayer comes after.

Then the diagnosis: "But you prefer the worldly life, while the Hereafter is better and more enduring." The Hereafter is better in quality and it lasts forever, while the best of this world is mixed with trouble and ends.

إِنَّ هَٰذَا لَفِي ٱلصُّحُفِ ٱلۡأُولَىٰ صُحُفِ إِبۡرَٰهِيمَ وَمُوسَىٰ

Indeed, this is in the former scriptures, the scriptures of Abraham and Moses. (87:18-19)

This message is not new. It was in the scriptures given to Ibrahim and Musa, peace be upon them. Every prophet called people to the same thing.

Living by Surah Al-A'la

• Mean it in sujud. Subḥāna rabbiyal-aʿlā is this surah's first verse in your own mouth. Say it slowly.
• Accept your Lord's guidance. He measured out your nature and guided you; the Quran is part of that guidance.
• Purify, remember, pray. Verses 14-15 are a daily checklist.
• Check what you prefer. When this world and the next pull in different directions, choose what lasts.
• Recite it in witr and at Jumu'ah. It is a sunnah to follow, and an easy surah to learn.

Open Surah Al-A'la to read and listen to it with its translation.