Sūrah 87 · Meccan

How Sūrah Al-A'laa was revealed.

Where and when it came down, what it teaches, and the hadith about it — all on one calm page.

Read Al-A'laa → The revelation story
Where revealed Meccan

Revealed in the Meccan period, before the migration to Madīnah.

Order of revelation #8

Its place in the traditional order in which the sūrahs were revealed.

Length 19 ayahs

1 reading sections in the Muṣḥaf.

The revelation story

How and when it came down.

This Makkan surah opens with the command to glorify Allah, establishing His unique singularity through the ordered system of creation. Its primary purpose is to console and strengthen the Prophet (ﷺ) with the promise of effortless retention of the Quran and to affirm that the final message is the enduring, core truth found in all earlier scriptures.

Themes and purpose:

This Makkan surah opens with the command to glorify Allah, establishing His unique singularity through the ordered system of creation. Its primary purpose is to console and strengthen the Prophet (ﷺ) with the promise of effortless retention of the Quran and to affirm that the final message is the enduring, core truth found in all earlier scriptures.

Context of Revelation:

Era: Makkan by consensus.

Context: The surah was revealed during the early Makkan period when the Prophet (ﷺ) was concerned about memorizing and retaining the rapidly descending revelation.

Chronology: It is counted as the eighth surah in the order of descent, after Sūrat al-Takwīr and before al-Layl.

Name and Ayah Count:

Name: The surah is known by two main names: "Sūrat al-Aʿlā" (The Most High), and sometimes "Sūrat Sabbiḥ" (Glorify), both in reference to its opening ayah.

Virtue: The Prophet (ﷺ) customarily recited this surah (along with al-Ghāshiyah) in the Friday and ‘Eid prayers.

Ayah Count: 19 ayahs by consensus.

Surah Overview:

  • Glorifying Allah and establishing His sole authority in creating, perfecting, decreeing, and guiding all things. [1-3]
  • Affirming the Prophet's (ﷺ) mission and granting him the miracle of easy memorization (he will recite it, and he will not forget). [6]
  • Consoling the Prophet (ﷺ) by reminding him that his message is designed for the pious and will be rejected only by the wretched who choose the worldly life. [8-11]
  • Proving the reality of the Resurrection through the analogy of the revival of dead nature. [4-5, 13]
  • Affirming that those who attain salvation are those who purify their souls, remember Allah, and perform prayer. [14-16]
  • Concluding by affirming that the eternal truths of the surah were contained in the original scriptures of Prophets Abraham and Moses. [18-19]

Sūrah background — via the Quran Foundation Content API. Shown as supplied by the provider. We do not edit, summarise or generate it.

Hadith about this sūrah

What the hadith say.

These 4 narrations in Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī are connected to specific āyāt of this sūrah — a linkage reviewed by the Quran Foundation. Open any one to read it in full, in Arabic and English.

  1. Relates to āyah1
    Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 3925

    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.‏

    Narrated Al-Bara bin Azib: 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.

    Open at Sunnah.com →

    Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 4941

    حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدَانُ، قَالَ أَخْبَرَنِي أَبِي، عَنْ شُعْبَةَ، عَنْ أَبِي إِسْحَاقَ، عَنِ الْبَرَاءِ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ قَالَ أَوَّلُ مَنْ قَدِمَ عَلَيْنَا مِنْ أَصْحَابِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم مُصْعَبُ بْنُ عُمَيْرٍ وَابْنُ أُمِّ مَكْتُومٍ فَجَعَلاَ يُقْرِئَانِنَا الْقُرْآنَ، ثُمَّ جَاءَ عَمَّارٌ وَبِلاَلٌ وَسَعْدٌ ثُمَّ جَاءَ عُمَرُ بْنُ الْخَطَّابِ فِي عِشْرِينَ ثُمَّ جَاءَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَمَا رَأَيْتُ أَهْلَ الْمَدِينَةِ فَرِحُوا بِشَىْءٍ فَرَحَهُمْ بِهِ، حَتَّى رَأَيْتُ الْوَلاَئِدَ وَالصِّبْيَانَ يَقُولُونَ هَذَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ قَدْ جَاءَ‏.‏ فَمَا جَاءَ حَتَّى قَرَأْتُ ‏﴿‏سَبِّحِ اسْمَ رَبِّكَ الأَعْلَى‏﴾‏ فِي سُوَرٍ مِثْلِهَا‏.‏

    Narrated Al-Bara: The first of the companions of the Prophet (ﷺ) who came to us (in Medina), were Mus`ab bin `Umar and Ibn Um Maktum, and they started teaching us the Qur'an. Then came `Ammar, Bilal and Sa`d. Afterwards `Umar bin Al-Kkattab came along with a batch of twenty (men): and after that the Prophet (ﷺ) came. I never saw the people of Medina so pleased with anything as they were with his arrival, so that even the little boys and girls were saying, "This is Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) who has come." He (the Prophet (ﷺ) ) did not come (to Medina) till I had learnt Surat Al-Ala and also other similar Suras.

    Open at Sunnah.com →

    Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 4995

    حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو الْوَلِيدِ، حَدَّثَنَا شُعْبَةُ، أَنْبَأَنَا أَبُو إِسْحَاقَ، سَمِعَ الْبَرَاءَ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ قَالَ تَعَلَّمْتُ ‏﴿‏سَبِّحِ اسْمَ رَبِّكَ‏﴾‏ قَبْلَ أَنْ يَقْدَمَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم‏.‏

    Narrated Al-Bara': I learnt, 'Glorify the Name of your Lord the Most High' (Surat al-A'la) No 87, before the Prophet (ﷺ) came (to Medina) .

    Open at Sunnah.com →

    Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 6106

    حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عَبَادَةَ، أَخْبَرَنَا يَزِيدُ، أَخْبَرَنَا سَلِيمٌ، حَدَّثَنَا عَمْرُو بْنُ دِينَارٍ، حَدَّثَنَا جَابِرُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، أَنَّ مُعَاذَ بْنَ جَبَلٍ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ كَانَ يُصَلِّي مَعَ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم ثُمَّ يَأْتِي قَوْمَهُ فَيُصَلِّي بِهِمُ الصَّلاَةَ، فَقَرَأَ بِهِمُ الْبَقَرَةَ ـ قَالَ ـ فَتَجَوَّزَ رَجُلٌ فَصَلَّى صَلاَةً خَفِيفَةً، فَبَلَغَ ذَلِكَ مُعَاذًا فَقَالَ إِنَّهُ مُنَافِقٌ‏.‏ فَبَلَغَ ذَلِكَ الرَّجُلَ، فَأَتَى النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَقَالَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ إِنَّا قَوْمٌ نَعْمَلُ بِأَيْدِينَا، وَنَسْقِي بِنَوَاضِحِنَا، وَإِنَّ مُعَاذًا صَلَّى بِنَا الْبَارِحَةَ، فَقَرَأَ الْبَقَرَةَ فَتَجَوَّزْتُ، فَزَعَمَ أَنِّي مُنَافِقٌ‏.‏ فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏"‏ يَا مُعَاذُ أَفَتَّانٌ أَنْتَ ـ ثَلاَثًا ـ اقْرَأْ ‏﴿‏وَالشَّمْسِ وَضُحَاهَا‏﴾‏ وَ‏﴿‏سَبِّحِ اسْمَ رَبِّكَ الأَعْلَى‏﴾‏ وَنَحْوَهَا ‏"‏‏.‏

    Narrated Jabir bin `Abdullah: Mu`adh bin Jabal used to pray with the Prophet (ﷺ) and then go to lead his people in prayer. Once he led the people in prayer and recited Surat-al-Baqara. A man left (the row of the praying people) and offered (light) prayer (separately) and went away. When Mu`adh came to know about it, he said. "He (that man) is a hypocrite." Later that man heard what Mu`adh said about him, so he came to the Prophet and said, "O Allah's Messenger! We are people who work with our own hands and irrigate (our farms) with our camels. Last night Mu`adh led us in the (night) prayer and he recited Sura-al-Baqara, so I offered my prayer separately, and because of that, he accused me of being a hypocrite." The Prophet called Mu`adh and said thrice, "O Mu`adh! You are putting the people to trials? Recite 'Washshamsi wad-uhaha' (91) or'Sabbih isma Rabbi ka-l-A'la' (87) or the like."

    Open at Sunnah.com →

The link between each āyah and these narrations is the Quran Foundation's reviewed reference map. The wording is reproduced verbatim from a public-domain edition of Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī and is not edited, summarised or generated; every narration also opens at Sunnah.com so it can be checked against another copy.

Learning to pray as you read? How to pray step by step, how to perform wuḍūʾ, and how many rakʿahs each prayer has.