Surah Al-A'laa 87
سُورَةُ الأَعۡلَىٰ“The Most High”19 Ayat
سَبِّحِ ٱسْمَ رَبِّكَ ٱلْأَعْلَى
Exalt the name of your Lord, the Most High,
ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَ فَسَوَّىٰ
Who created and proportioned
وَٱلَّذِى قَدَّرَ فَهَدَىٰ
And who destined and [then] guided
وَٱلَّذِىٓ أَخْرَجَ ٱلْمَرْعَىٰ
And who brings out the pasture
فَجَعَلَهُ غُثَآءً أَحْوَىٰ
And [then] makes it black stubble.
سَنُقْرِئُكَ فَلَا تَنسَىٰٓ
We will make you recite, [O Muhammad], and you will not forget,
إِلَّا مَا شَآءَ ٱللَّهُ إِنَّهُ يَعْلَمُ ٱلْجَهْرَ وَمَا يَخْفَىٰ
Except what Allah should will. Indeed, He knows what is declared and what is hidden.
وَنُيَسِّرُكَ لِلْيُسْرَىٰ
And We will ease you toward ease.
فَذَكِّرْ إِن نَّفَعَتِ ٱلذِّكْرَىٰ
So remind, if the reminder should benefit;
سَيَذَّكَّرُ مَن يَخْشَىٰ
He who fears [Allah] will be reminded.
وَيَتَجَنَّبُهَا ٱلْأَشْقَى
But the wretched one will avoid it -
ٱلَّذِى يَصْلَى ٱلنَّارَ ٱلْكُبْرَىٰ
[He] who will [enter and] burn in the greatest Fire,
ثُمَّ لَا يَمُوتُ فِيهَا وَلَا يَحْيَىٰ
Neither dying therein nor living.
قَدْ أَفْلَحَ مَن تَزَكَّىٰ
He has certainly succeeded who purifies himself
وَذَكَرَ ٱسْمَ رَبِّهِ فَصَلَّىٰ
And mentions the name of his Lord and prays.
بَلْ تُؤْثِرُونَ ٱلْحَيَوٰةَ ٱلدُّنْيَا
But you prefer the worldly life,
وَٱلْءَاخِرَةُ خَيْرٌ وَأَبْقَىٰٓ
While the Hereafter is better and more enduring.
إِنَّ هَٰذَا لَفِى ٱلصُّحُفِ ٱلْأُولَىٰ
Indeed, this is in the former scriptures,
صُحُفِ إِبْرَٰهِيمَ وَمُوسَىٰ
The scriptures of Abraham and Moses.
The Virtues of Surat Al-A'la
This Surah was revealed in Makkah before the migration to Al-Madinah. The proof of this is what Al-Bukhari recorded from Al-Bara' bin 'Azib, that he said, "The first people to come to us (in Al-Madinah) from the Companions of the Prophet were ﷺ Mus'ab bin 'Umayr and Ibn Umm Maktum, who taught us the Qur'an; then 'Ammar, Bilal and Sa'd came. Then 'Umar bin Al-Khattab came with a group of twenty people, after which the Prophet ﷺ came. I have not seen the people of Al-Madinah happier with anything more than their happiness with his coming (to Al-Madinah). This was reached to such an extent that I saw the children and little ones saying, 'This is the Messenger of Allah who has come.' Thus, he came, but he did not come until after I had already recited (i.e., learned how to recite)
سَبِّحِ اسْمَ رَبِّكَ الْأَعْلَى
(Glorify the Name of your Lord, the Most High.)(87:1)
as well as other Surahs similar to it."
It has been confirmed in the Two Sahihs that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said to Mu'adh,
هَلَّا صَلَّيْتَ بِــ
سَبِّحِ اسْمَ رَبِّكَ الْأَعْلَى
وَالشَّمْسِ وَضُحَاهَا
وَالَّيْلِ إِذَا يَغْشَىٰ
(Why didn't you recite "Glorify the Name of your Lord, the Most High,"; "By the sun and its brightness," and "By the night when it envelopes.")
Imam Ahmad recorded from An-Nu'man bin Bashir that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ recited
سَبِّحِ اسْمَ رَبِّكَ الْأَعْلَى
وَ
هَلْ أَتَاكَ حَدِيثُ الْغَاشِيَةِ
Surat Al-A'la (chapter 87) and Surat Al-Ghashiyh (chapter 88) in the two 'Id prayers. If the 'Id prayer fell on Friday, he would recite them in both prayers ('Id and Salat Al-Jumu'ah). Muslim also recorded this in his Sahih, as well as Abu Dawud, At-Tirmidhi, An-Nasa'i and Ibn Majah. The wording of Muslim and the Sunan compilers says, "He used to recite
سَبِّحِ اسْمَ رَبِّكَ الْأَعْلَى
وَ
هَلْ أَتَاكَ حَدِيثُ الْغَاشِيَةِ
Surat Al-A'la (chapter 87) and Surat Al-Ghashiyh (chapter 88) for the two 'Ids and Jumu'ah. If they occurred on the same day, he would recite them in both of them."
In his Musnad, Imam Ahmad recorded on the authority of Ubayy bin Ka'b, Abdullah bin 'Abbas, 'Abdur-Rahman bin Abza, and the Mother of the believers, 'A'ishah, that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to recite
سَبِّحِ اسْمَ رَبِّكَ الْأَعْلَى
وَ
قُلْ يَا أَيُّهَا الْكَافِرُونَ
وَ
قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ
(Glorify the Name of your Lord, the Most High.) and (Say: 'O you who disbelieve.') and (Say: 'He is Allah, the One.') 'A'ishah added in her version that he would also recite the Mu'awwidhatayn (Al-Falaq and An-Nas).
Source: Tafsir Ibn Kathir (abridged) — the surah's virtues, naming and revelation context.