Surah 87. Al-A'la

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Verses [Section]: 1-19[1]

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Quran Text of Verse 1-1987. Al-A'laبِسْمِ اللّٰهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِیْمِسَبِّحِGlorifyاسْمَ(the) nameرَبِّكَ(of) your Lordالْاَعْلَیۙthe Most High الَّذِیْThe One Whoخَلَقَcreatedفَسَوّٰی۪ۙthen proportioned وَ الَّذِیْAnd the One Whoقَدَّرَmeasuredفَهَدٰی۪ۙthen guided وَ الَّذِیْۤAnd the One Whoاَخْرَجَbrings forthالْمَرْعٰی۪ۙthe pasture فَجَعَلَهٗAnd then made itغُثَآءًstubbleاَحْوٰیؕdark سَنُقْرِئُكَWe will make you reciteفَلَاso notتَنْسٰۤیۙyou will forget اِلَّاExceptمَاwhatشَآءَwillsاللّٰهُ ؕAllahاِنَّهٗIndeed, Heیَعْلَمُknowsالْجَهْرَthe manifestوَ مَاand whatیَخْفٰیؕis hidden وَ نُیَسِّرُكَAnd We will ease youلِلْیُسْرٰیۚۖto the ease فَذَكِّرْSo remindاِنْifنَّفَعَتِbenefitsالذِّكْرٰیؕthe reminder سَیَذَّكَّرُHe will pay heedمَنْ(one) whoیَّخْشٰیۙfears (Allah) وَ یَتَجَنَّبُهَاAnd will avoid itالْاَشْقَیۙthe wretched one الَّذِیْThe one whoیَصْلَیwill burnالنَّارَ(in) the Fireالْكُبْرٰیۚ[the] great ثُمَّThenلَاnotیَمُوْتُhe will dieفِیْهَاthereinوَ لَاand notیَحْیٰیؕwill live قَدْCertainlyاَفْلَحَhas succeededمَنْ(one) whoتَزَكّٰیۙpurifies (himself) وَ ذَكَرَAnd remembersاسْمَ(the) nameرَبِّهٖ(of) his Lordفَصَلّٰیؕand prays 87. Al-A'la Page 592بَلْNay!تُؤْثِرُوْنَYou preferالْحَیٰوةَthe lifeالدُّنْیَاؗۖ(of) the world وَ الْاٰخِرَةُWhile the Hereafterخَیْرٌ(is) betterوَّ اَبْقٰیؕand ever lasting اِنَّIndeedهٰذَاthisلَفِیsurely (is) inالصُّحُفِthe Scripturesالْاُوْلٰیۙ[the] former صُحُفِ(The) Scripturesاِبْرٰهِیْمَ(of) Ibrahimوَ مُوْسٰی۠and Musa

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Translation of Verse 1-19In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

(87:1) Glorify the name of your Lord, the Most High,¹

(87:2) Who created all things and fashioned them in good proportion;²

(87:3) Who determined³ and guided them,⁴

(87:4) Who brought forth the pasture,⁵

(87:5) and then made it into a blackish straw.⁶

(87:6) We shall make you recite and then you will not forget,⁷

(87:7) except what Allah should wish.⁸ He knows all that is manifest and all that is hidden.⁹

(87:8) We shall ease you to follow the way of Ease.

(87:9) So render good counsel if good counsel will avail.¹⁰

(87:10) He who fears (Allah) shall heed it,¹¹

(87:11) but the wretched will turn away from it.

(87:12) He will be cast into the Great Fire.

(87:13) Then he will neither die in it, nor live.¹²

(87:14) He who purified himself shall prosper,¹³

(87:15) remembering his Lord's name¹⁴ and praying.¹⁵

(87:16) No; but you prefer the present life,¹⁶

(87:17) whereas the Hereafter is better and more enduring.¹⁷

(87:18) This, indeed, was in the ancient Scrolls,

(87:19) the Scrolls of Abraham and Moses.¹⁸

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Commentary

1. The literal translation of the opening verse is: “Glorify the name of your Lord, Most High”. This is, however, open to several meanings, and it appears that all are intended. (i) Such names should be used for remembering Allah as befit Him. By the same token, such names should not be used of Him as do not do justice to His glory or which are vitiated by some defect, imperfection or blasphemy or which misrepresent His being and attributes. The safest course of action in this. regard is to employ only those divine names that feature in the Qur’an itself or that are properly and carefully rendered into world languages. (ii) Names used of creatures should not be attributed to Allah. Likewise, divine names should not be given to creatures. Some attributes that are not special to Allah may be ascribed to human beings, as for example, being clement, merciful, noble, seeing or hearing. Yet these should not be used in the same way for human beings as they are employed for Allah. (iii) Allah’s name should be mentioned with utmost respect. It should not be taken in jest or while attending the call of nature or committing a sin. Nor should it be mentioned in a gathering of those who might commit blasphemy or in the company of those engaged in obscene acts who are liable to disregard His name. His name should not be taken before those who might resent it. Itis reported that Imam Malik, while excusing himself from a beggar, did not tell the same that Allah would help him. For, on being refused help and asked to invoke Allah, he might utter something irreverent about Allah.

It is recorded in Hadith collections on the authority of ‘Uqbah ibn ‘Amir Juhani that the formula subhana rabbi al-a’ld recited during prostration in Prayer, was prescribed by the Prophet (peace be upon him) with reference to this Surah’s opening verse. As to the other formula, subhana rabbi al-‘azim, chanted during the rukit’ in Prayer, the Prophet (peace be upon him) derived it from the concluding verse of Surah al-Waqi‘ah. (Ahmad, Abu Dawud, Ibn Majah, Bukhari, Iqamat al-Salat, Ibn Hibban, Hakim and Ibn al-Mundhir.)

2. God created everything in the Universe from the earth to the heavens and endowed each with right proportion and balance, giving it the best possible form. The same point is reiterated elsewhere in the Qur’an thus: “Allah excelled in the creation of all that He created,” (al-Sajdah 32: 7). The perfect shape of all the objects in the universe points to their creation by the Supreme Designer. This could not have been achieved by a chance happening or by the collaboration of many creators. The beauty, balance and coordination in the numerous objects of the universe underscore Allah’s creative power.

3. “...your Lord...determined”, that is, before creating anything Allah decided what its role would be in the world, and what its size, shape, qualities, and location would be. Allah also decided the means and opportunities that should be provided to it for its existence, sustenance and function; how it should come into existence, how long it should remain in existence, and how, after accomplishing its task, its existence should come to an end. This scheme, in its totality, is known in Arabic as taqdir, meaning God’s determination of all things. Prior to creation, Allah had an elaborate, grand plan in place. All that followed was totally in accordance with this divine plan. (For further discussion see Towards Understanding the Qur’an, Vol. IV, al-Hijr 15: nn. 13-14, pp. 286-287; Vol. VIL, al-Furqan 25: n. 8, p. 6; al-Qamar 54: n. 25, and ‘Abasa 80: n. 12.) 4. That is, God did not simply bring a thing into existence and then abandon it. On the contrary, God informed each created object what the mode of its function would be. In other words, apart from being their Creator, Allah is also their Guide. After having brought things into existence, He has instructed these in a befitting mode further details see Towards Understanding the Qur'an, Vol. IV, al-Nahl of their functions. His guidance is at work in the movement of the earth, the sun, the moon and the planets, with each performing their assignment. His guidance, though on a different plan, is also there for water, wind, light and other insensate objects. These too, discharge their duty accordingly. Plants, under divine instruction, take root, derive their nourishment as ordained by Allah, and blossom with their branches, fruits and flowers. Each part plays its role. There is divine guidance for the animal world as well, of which the manifestations may be seen in everyday life. Even an atheist is bound to concede that animals possess some special knowledge to which man cannot have access through his sense perception, or through his equipment and instruments.

Man is blessed with divine guidance at various levels. At one - level he has been endowed with guidance for his physical existence’ and survival. Because of the same, a newly born baby immediately learns to suck milk from its mother’s breast. All parts of the human body, be these the eye, the ear, the nose, the heart, the lungs, the liver, intestines, nerves, veins and arteries, perform their assigned roles, even without any conscious effort on man’s part. The human body is geared in such a way that it copes with all the changes in the body in childhood, adolescence, youth and old age. These body changes are beyond man’s control.

At yet another level man enjoys divine guidance, which helps him make choices, draw upon reason and opt for a certain way of life. Man has been granted free will in this sphere. He may disregard divine guidance yet he cannot deny that such an arrangement exists. For, since Allah has invested man with authority, He has instructed him also on how to use it and how to shun its abuse. (For further details see Towards Understanding the Qur'an, Vol. IV, al-Nahl 16:nn. 9-10, 14. and 56, pp. 314-317, 317-318 and 341-342; Vol. V, Ta Ha E 20:n. 23, pp. 193-194; al-Rahman 55: nn. 2-3, and al-Dahr 76: n. 5.)

5. al-mar’a is used of fodder. However, in the above context it represents all that grows from the earth.

6. Allah causes both spring and autumn. Man is a witness to | both of these spectacles on a regular basis. At one point in time, Allah lets lush green vegetation dominate the scene, which is a joy to behold. At another, however, He reduces the same greenery to blackish straw, which is carried away by winds and water. Man should not, therefore, take only spring as granted; it is bound to’ be followed by autumn. This point is also reiterated in Yunus 10: 24; al-Kahf 18: 45 and al-Hadid 57: 20.

7. Hakim and Ibn Marduwayh related this report on the authority of Sa‘d ibn Abi Waqqas and ‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Abbas respectively: “This refers to the early period of revelation. At times the Prophet (peace be upon him) would start rehearsing the verses while Gabriel was in the process of communicating: them to him. He did so lest he might forget them. For this reason, Allah asked him not to rehearse the revelation while it was being communicated to him; he should rather do no more than listen attentively. He was assured that after a portion of revelation had been made, Allah would make him recite it after which he would then never forget,” (Hakim, Mustadrak, Vol. II; Bab al-Tafsir). This is the third instance in the Qur’an in which the Prophet (peace be. | upon him) has been instructed on how to receive divine revelation. The other two instances are Ta Ha 20: 114 and al-Qiyamah 75: 16-19. It is conclusively established by these verses that the entire Qur’an was committed to the Prophet’s memory in miraculous fashion. He could not, therefore, forget any part of it. Nor could he alter any of its words.

8. This admits both of the above interpretations: True, if the Prophet (peace be upon him) had committed the entire Qur’an to memory this was not because of his own capacity to do so. It was rather because of Allah’s special grace and succor. For, if Allah had so wanted, He could have erased from the Prophet’s memory, either wholly or partially, whatever had been revealed to him. At another place, the Qur’an says: “Had We willed, We could take away what We have revealed to you...” (Bani Isra’il 17: 86).

As to its other interpretation, the Prophet (peace be upon him) as a human being could momentarily forget a small part of it. This is the exception to the above divine promise. The above point is illustrated by the following Hadith cited by Bukhari: “Once while leading Fajr Prayer the Prophet (peace be upon him) missed a verse. After the Prayer was over, Ubayy ibn Ka’b enquired whether that verse had been abrogated. To this he replied: ‘No I forgot it momentarily” (Bukhari, Kitab al-Salat).

9. In the above context, this general statement signifies: that Allah was aware of the Prophet’s rehearsing the verses while Gabriel was in the process of communicating them to him. Likewise, He knew that the Prophet (peace be upon him) did so lest he forget them. Accordingly, he is assured that Allah knows all that is manifest and all that is hidden.

10. These two verses are generally regarded by Qur’an scholars as independent of each other. For them, Verse 8 proclaims that it is easy to act on the Shari‘ah, and Verse 9 directs the Prophet (peace be upon him) to give good counsel if it may benefit people. In our opinion, however, both of these verses are thematically interlinked. The latter is, in a sense, an extension of the former. This is to emphasize that Allah does not want to place any undue burden on the Prophet (peace be upon him) as regards preaching the message of true faith. He does not want him to embark on such impossible tasks as making the deaf hear and the blind see. Instead, He wants the Prophet (peace be upon him) to engage in the relatively easier task of giving good counsel to those who, in his opinion, are capable of benefiting from it. However, he need not pursue those whom he knows, on the basis of personal experience, to be incapable of benefiting from good counsel. His public call will help identify those who are inclined towards good counsel. He should, therefore, focus his attention on these noble souls and impart training to them. He should not waste his time and energy on those who are not interested in good counsel. Almost the same truth is stated in surah ‘Abasa thus:

Now he who waxes indifferent, you attend to him, though you are not to blame if he would not cleanse himself. But he who comes to you running and fears (Allah), you pay no heed to him. No, indeed; this is only a reminder. So whoso wills may give heed to it. (‘Abasa 80: 5-12)

11. A God-conscious person who fears punishment in the Hereafter will constantly review his way of life lest he fall into error. He is more likely to pay heed to good counsel as it will help him discern between guidance and evil, and his ultimate success and failure.

12. The wretched will neither die nor live in the sense that death will not put an end to their punishment and their life will be too miserable to be called life. This punishment will be meted out to those who refuse to believe in Allah, do not listen to the Prophet’s counsel and persist in unbelief, polytheism or atheism until their last breath. As for believers who are consigned to Hell on account of their evil deeds, Ahadith state that death will overtake them at the end of their sentence. Then intercession-for them will be accepted.

Their charred bodies will be placed at the rivers of Paradise and the dwellers of Paradise will be asked to pour water over them which will revive them instantly. This report, attributed to the Prophet (peace be upon him), has been cited by Muslim and Bazzar on the authority of Abi Sa‘id Khudri and Abu Hurayrah respectively.

13. “Purifying” signifies abandoning unbelief and polytheism, embracing faith, adorning one’s conduct with good deeds while giving up-bad deeds. “Prosperity” here does not refer to one’s affluence in this world. The allusion is to one’s abiding success in the Hereafter. One may have wealth in this life or not. (For a detailed discussion see Towards Understanding the Qur'an, Vol. IV, Yunus 10: n. 23, pp. 21-24; Vol. VI, al-Mu’'minun 23: nn. 1, 11 and 50, pp. 77-78, 86-87 and 105-107 and Vol. VIII, Luqman 31: n. 4, p.122.)

14. The reference here is to remembering Allah both in one’s heart and verbally. Both of these constitute, in Qur’anic parlance, remembrance of Allah.

15. Not only does a true believer remember Allah, he also demonstrates his belief by offering Prayers. His prayer betokens his ‘readiness to obey Allah all the time. These verses mention remembering Allah and praying in a particular order, of one following the other. Accordingly, Prayer commences with reciting the formula Allahu akbar. This internal evidence proves that the detailed method of Prayer as prescribed by the Prophet (peace be upon him) is based wholly on the Qur’an. Only he, being the Messenger, could cull all the relevant points from the Qur’an for laying down the elaborate components, sequence and postures of Prayer.

16. Man adopts a narrow, materialistic outlook on life, pursuing ‘only worldly goals and comforts. He takes worldly gains as the objective of his life and laments over what he fails to get.

17. Life-after-Death is preferable to this life on these two counts: (i) Its bounties are abiding and (ii) It is eternal, as compared to this ephemeral life.

18. This is the second Qur’anic allusion to the Scrolls of Prophets Abraham and Moses; the other being in Verses 36-37 of Surah al-Najm.