Section 1: Verses 1–19
Thematic progression across verses 1–19
سَبِّحِ ٱسۡمَ رَبِّكَ ٱلۡأَعۡلَى 1
Sabbihisma Rabbikal A'laa
Praise the Name of your Lord, the Most High
ٱلَّذِي خَلَقَ فَسَوَّىٰ 2
Allazee khalaqa fasawwaa
He who creates and regulates
وَٱلَّذِي قَدَّرَ فَهَدَىٰ 3
Wallazee qaddara fahadaa
He who measures and guides
وَٱلَّذِيٓ أَخۡرَجَ ٱلۡمَرۡعَىٰ 4
Wallazeee akhrajal mar'aa
He who produces the pasture
فَجَعَلَهُۥ غُثَآءً أَحۡوَىٰ 5
Faja'alahoo ghusaaa'an ahwaa
And then turns it into light debris
سَنُقۡرِئُكَ فَلَا تَنسَىٰٓ 6
Sanuqri'uka falaa tansaaa
We will make you read, so do not forget
إِلَّا مَا شَآءَ ٱللَّهُۚ إِنَّهُۥ يَعۡلَمُ ٱلۡجَهۡرَ وَمَا يَخۡفَىٰ 7
Illaa maa shaaa'al laah; innahoo ya'lamul jahra wa maa yakhfaa
Except what God wills. He knows what is declared, and what is hidden
وَنُيَسِّرُكَ لِلۡيُسۡرَىٰ 8
Wa nu-yassiruka lilyusraa
We will ease you into the Easy Way
فَذَكِّرۡ إِن نَّفَعَتِ ٱلذِّكۡرَىٰ 9
Fazakkir in nafa'atizzikraa
So remind, if reminding helps
سَيَذَّكَّرُ مَن يَخۡشَىٰ 10
Sa yazzakkaru maiyakhshaa
The reverent will remember
وَيَتَجَنَّبُهَا ٱلۡأَشۡقَى 11
Wa yatajannabuhal ashqaa
But the wretched will avoid it
ٱلَّذِي يَصۡلَى ٱلنَّارَ ٱلۡكُبۡرَىٰ 12
Allazee yaslan Naaral kubraa
He who will enter the Gigantic Fire
ثُمَّ لَا يَمُوتُ فِيهَا وَلَا يَحۡيَىٰ 13
Summa laa yamootu feehaa wa laa yahyaa
Where he will neither die, nor live
قَدۡ أَفۡلَحَ مَن تَزَكَّىٰ 14
Qad aflaha man tazakkaa
Successful is he who purifies himself
وَذَكَرَ ٱسۡمَ رَبِّهِۦ فَصَلَّىٰ 15
Wa zakaras ma Rabbihee fasallaa
And mentions the name of his Lord, and prays
بَلۡ تُؤۡثِرُونَ ٱلۡحَيَوٰةَ ٱلدُّنۡيَا 16
Bal tu'siroonal hayaatad dunyaa
But you prefer the present life
وَٱلۡأٓخِرَةُ خَيۡرࣱ وَأَبۡقَىٰٓ 17
Wal Aakhiratu khairunw wa abqaa
Though the Hereafter is better, and more lasting
إِنَّ هَٰذَا لَفِي ٱلصُّحُفِ ٱلۡأُولَىٰ 18
Inna haazaa lafis suhu fil oolaa
This is in the former scriptures
صُحُفِ إِبۡرَٰهِيمَ وَمُوسَىٰ 19
Suhufi Ibraaheema wa Moosaa
The Scriptures of Abraham and Moses
Quran-Anchored Prophetic Context
Authentic narrations in the active corpus that explicitly cite, name, or explain verses in Surah Al-A'laa.
حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ بَشَّارٍ، حَدَّثَنَا غُنْدَرٌ، حَدَّثَنَا شُعْبَةُ، عَنْ أَبِي إِسْحَاقَ، قَالَ سَمِعْتُ الْبَرَاءَ بْنَ عَازِبٍ ـ رضى الله عنهما ـ قَالَ أَوَّلُ مَنْ قَدِمَ عَلَيْنَا مُصْعَبُ بْنُ عُمَيْرٍ وَابْنُ أُمِّ مَكْتُومٍ، وَكَانَا يُقْرِئَانِ النَّاسَ، فَقَدِمَ بِلاَلٌ وَسَعْدٌ وَعَمَّارُ بْنُ يَاسِرٍ، ثُمَّ قَدِمَ عُمَرُ بْنُ الْخَطَّابِ فِي عِشْرِينَ مِنْ أَصْحَابِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم ثُمَّ قَدِمَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم، فَمَا رَأَيْتُ أَهْلَ الْمَدِينَةِ فَرِحُوا بِشَىْءٍ فَرَحَهُمْ بِرَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم، حَتَّى جَعَلَ الإِمَاءُ يَقُلْنَ قَدِمَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَمَا قَدِمَ حَتَّى قَرَأْتُ {سَبِّحِ اسْمَ رَبِّكَ الأَعْلَى} فِي سُوَرٍ مِنَ الْمُفَصَّلِ.
The first people who came to us (in Medina) were Mus`ab bin `Umar and Ibn Um Maktum who were teaching Qur'an to the people. Then their came Bilal. Sa`d and `Ammar bin Yasir. After that `Umar bin Al-Khattab came along with twenty other companions of the Prophet. Later on the Prophet (ﷺ) himself (to Medina) and I had never seen the people of Medina so joyful as they were on the arrival of Allah's Apostle, for even the slave girls were saying, "Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) has arrived!" And before his arrival I had read the Sura starting with:-- "Glorify the Name of your Lord, the Most High" (87.1) together with other Suras of Al-Mufassal.