Surah Al-A’la - The Most High
(Revealed at Mecca)
19 Verses in 1 Section
Sections of Surah Al-A’la
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He who purifieth his self is successful.
Al-A’la - He Who Purifieth His Self Is Successful
The disbelievers committed to hell, shall neither die nor live, The life in the hereafter the best and lasting, This is in the past sacred books, the Books of Abraham and Moses.
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ
“In the name of God the Beneficent the Merciful”
سَبِّحِ اسْمَ رَبِّكَ الْأَعْلَى
“Hallow thou the name of thy Lord, the Most High” (87:1)
الَّذِي خَلَقَ فَسَوَّىٰ
“He Who createth and fashioneth1(all things)” (87:2)
وَالَّذِي قَدَّرَ فَهَدَىٰ
“And He Who planned, and guideth them” (87:3)
وَالَّذِي أَخْرَجَ الْمَرْعَىٰ
“And He Who bringeth forth the herbage” (87:4)
فَجَعَلَهُ غُثَاءً أَحْوَىٰ
“And then reduceth it to dusty stubble” (87:5)
سَنُقْرِئُكَ فَلَا تَنْسَىٰ
“And We make thee to read so that thou shouldst not forget” (87:6)
إِلَّا مَا شَاءَ اللَّهُ ۚ إِنَّهُ يَعْلَمُ الْجَهْرَ وَمَا يَخْفَىٰ
“Save what willeth God2; Verily He knoweth the declared and what is hidden” (87:7)
وَنُيَسِّرُكَ لِلْيُسْرَىٰ
“We shall ease (thy way) unto an ease (for thee)” (87:8)
فَذَكِّرْ إِنْ نَفَعَتِ الذِّكْرَىٰ
“And thou go on reminding, for it profiteth (mankind) reminding it3“ (87:9)
سَيَذَّكَّرُ مَنْ يَخْشَىٰ
“He that feareth (God) will mind the warning” (87:10)
وَيَتَجَنَّبُهَا الْأَشْقَى
“And will avoid it, the most reprobate one” (87:11)
الَّذِي يَصْلَى النَّارَ الْكُبْرَىٰ
“Who shall be committed to great fire” (87:12)
ثُمَّ لَا يَمُوتُ فِيهَا وَلَا يَحْيَىٰ
“Then he shall die not therein, nor shall he live (in it)4“ (87:13)
قَدْ أَفْلَحَ مَنْ تَزَكَّىٰ
“Indeed he (alone) succeedeth who purifieth himself5“ (87:14)
وَذَكَرَ اسْمَ رَبِّهِ فَصَلَّىٰ
“And remembereth the Name of his Lord and (regularly) prayeth” (87:15)
بَلْ تُؤْثِرُونَ الْحَيَاةَ الدُّنْيَا
“Nay! prefer ye the life of this world” (87:16)
وَالْآخِرَةُ خَيْرٌ وَأَبْقَىٰ
“Although the hereafter is better and more lasting” (87:17)
إِنَّ هَٰذَا لَفِي الصُّحُفِ الْأُولَىٰ
“Verily, this is in the scriptures earlier” (87:18)
صُحُفِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَمُوسَىٰ
“The Scriptures of Abraham and Moses” (87:19)
Commentary
Verse 1
The word “Rabb” in the Arabic language covers a very wide field implying: nourishing, sustaining, protecting from harm, providing opportunities and means for the fullest possible development and taking care as the Owner and the Guardian of a being. The word ‘Lord’ of the English language is to be used helplessly for the unavailability of any other word to suit the sense of the term “Rabb” . Hence, wherever ‘Lord’ has been used in the place of the Arabic “Rabb” it is to mean all the qualities of the “Rabb” as used in the Qur’anic language.
This verse pleased the Holy Prophet so much that very often he repeated it and the First Holy Imam, Ali Ibn Abu Talib, used often to recite this Surah in his prayers6. (MS.).
It is narrated by Oqbat Ibn Aamir that when the last Verse of Chapter 56:96 was revealed, the Holy Prophet said, ‘Put it in your ‘Roko’, i.e., Bowing during prayers, i.e., recite in it that state and when this verse was received, he said ‘Recite it in your ‘Sujood,’ i.e., Prostration. ‘Ism’, i.e., name - means the aspect by which a being is identified, recognised and known. God’s Name means, the attributes of His Excellence through which He is known to His creature, as His Essence, far beyond being known to anyone directly, save to Himself. The glorification of His Name means, when using the names, one should be alive to the fact that there is no resemblance whatsoever in reality be ween the use of these attributes about the Absolute One and the use of the same, about the finite and dependent beings. (A.P.)
Verse 2
The existence of man has several different aspects7. Each time a reference has been made in the Holy Qur’an to the creation of man, it refers to a particular aspect of it. Man has been referred to, as having been brought into existence from nothing. His creation being passed through process after process in his being endowed with the various faculties and then being endowed with the conscience. Here the reference is to the perfect proportion in which everything is given to man.
Verse 3
Everything has been provided in the degree essential to suit the need of every individual.
Everything in the world has been controlled by fixed laws of growth and decay, and affected the necessary guidance through instincts, conscience, revealed scriptures, Apostles and the Holy Imam.
The divine guidance is according to a planned process. (A.P.)
Verse 5
In the decay of the vegetable world, a regular resurrection of the decayed matter has also been ordained by preserving the seeds and the roots to keep the supply of the stuff continuous.
Verse 6
The Holy Qur’an was revealed in stages8 to facilitate people learning the truth gradually leaving the margin of time for the people to remember each commandment so that the knowledge of it may have a gradual growth.
This indicates that the Holy Prophet was divinely endowed with the wonderful memory to remember the very text of the Word of God even though it was revealed to him only once.
There is another aspect of the meaning ‘Tansa’, i.e., forget or forsake. It may mean, that the Holy Prophet was divinely protected against any forgetfulness.
The Holy Prophet was made to read - by God and the divine agencies. Hence, he never forgets. The tradition which indicates that the Holy Prophet while conducting a congregational prayer, forgot performance of certain necessary parts of the prayer and it was brought to his notice by some of the praying ones behind him is totally spurious and against this verse. Some would take the exception in the next verse 7 as the proof of the possibility of the Holy Prophet forgetting his duty but this would affect the Holy Prophet being the absolute example to be followed by mankind. Therefore, exception here is the same as the exception in 11:108 which is just to assert that everything depends on His will whether He exercises it or not, is a different matter or the exception refers to the orders which later on have been abrogated by Him. Otherwise, the Holy Prophet is saved from forgetting his duties. (A.P.)
Verse 8
The declaration is prophetic about the easy march of Islam from success to success, in its spread.
Verse 9
Commentators consider ‘In’ here as to mean certainty and not conditional, but it may also mean ‘when’ or ‘if’ denoting condition but in the sense that reminding should be when there is some use, either for or against. It would mean that reminding should correspond with the capacity of the audience either to accept or to reject it. (A.P.)
Verse 13
This is the state in which the wicked in Hell will be committed to. There will be no death in Hell for death means the extinction of life, i.e., the state of absence from a state, the sinner will be there in Hell suffering the consequences of his own deeds and motives9.
Verse 14
‘Aflaha’, i.e., successful achievement of the cherished goal, attainment of the Eternal Bliss or Salvation.
The purification of the self means to be pure and clean against any disobedience or rebellion against any of God’s commands, to keep the soul always in submission to the Divine Will and never allowing it to get astray from the path of righteousness and piety.
Verse 16
Man is often beguiled by the powerful attraction front the enjoyment of the pleasures of this world which are the common tools of Satan to lead man astray.
Verse 18
Every scripture that was revealed prior to the Holy Qur’an to the earlier apostles, contained only the truth about God, be that in any language for the apostles were sent in the languages of the respective people. See 14:4 and naturally the scriptures given to the apostles must have been in the language spoken and understood by the respective people.
The contents from verse 14 downwards, i.e., it is the gist of what all the prophets came or and man’s attitude towards their teachings. (A.P.)
Verse 19
The book given to Abraham has not been definitely named. According to the Old Testament also, Abraham is recognised as one of the Apostles of God10. Mr. G. H. flux has brought out a translation of Greek text, in the name of the Testament of Abraham, published by the CPCK, London in 1927. The Greek version might be a translation from the Hebrew language.
The Book of Moses referred to here, its original is called Taurat or the Pentateuch.
