Sūrah Al-Aʿlā The Most High
الأعلى
19 verses, Makkī. Glorify the name of your Lord, the Most High. He created and proportioned and determined and guided. We will make you recite and you will not forget except what Allah wills. And We will ease you toward ease. Remind for the reminder benefits the believers. The one who feared is the one who purified himself and remembered his Lord.
Surah Overview
Key Themes from Ibn Kathīr
The divine guarantee of memorisation (87:6): "We will make you recite, and you will not forget except what Allah wills." Ibn Kathīr: the first part the Prophet ﷺ will not forget what is revealed to him is the divine assurance of perfect prophetic memory. The exception ("except what Allah wills") refers to the abrogation of some verses when Allah abrogated a verse, He caused the Prophet to forget it intentionally. This is the Qurʾān's own explanation of the phenomenon of abrogated recitations.
Tazkiyah and ṣalāh as the path to felicity (87:14–15): "He has certainly succeeded who purifies himself and mentions the name of his Lord and prays." Ibn Kathīr: Ibn Kathīr lists two interpretations of tazakkā: (1) purifying oneself of sins through tawbah; (2) giving zakāt al-fiṭr before the ʿĪd prayer. Both meanings connect the one who has purified his wealth (zakāt) and purified his soul (tawbah) then prays has achieved the complete act of worship.
- Subḥāna Rabbiya l-Aʿlā in prostration (87:1): Ibn Kathīr cites that when this surah was revealed, the Prophet ﷺ said: "Make this the wording of your prostration (sujūd)." Hence "Subḥāna Rabbiya l-Aʿlā" (Glory be to my Lord, the Most High) became the established dhikr of sujūd the connection between this verse and the daily prayer.
- Four divine acts (87:2–3): Created (khalaqa) every thing brought into existence. Proportioned (sawwā) made perfectly balanced. Determined (qaddara) assigned every creature its nature, capacity, and lifespan. Guided (hadā) shown the path of each creature to fulfil its nature. Ibn Kathīr: guidance here includes both the instinctive guidance of animals and the revelational guidance of humans.
- The Hereafter is better (87:17): "But you prefer the worldly life while the Hereafter is better and more enduring." Ibn Kathīr: the worldly life is preferred by most people because it is immediate and visible the hereafter is better in quality and infinite in duration. The test of faith is preferring what is unseen but better over what is seen but inferior.
- This is in the earlier scriptures (87:18–19): "Indeed this is in the former scriptures the scriptures of Ibrāhīm and Mūsā." Ibn Kathīr: the Qurʾān's teachings on purification, prayer, and the transience of the dunya were already in the earlier scriptures. Islam confirms and completes what came before.
- The easing toward ease (87:8): "And We will ease you toward ease." Ibn Kathīr: the divine promise of facilitation the sharīʿah is designed to be workable, not burdensome. Every command of Allah is accompanied by the divine enabling grace to fulfil it.