87. Sūrat al-Aʿlá

٨٧۔ سُورَةُ الأعلی

The Most High (Meccan)

quran:87:1In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful.

Exalt the name of your Lord, the Most High,  

Glorify the Name of your Lord, that is, exalt your Lord above what does not befit Him (ism ˹in isma rabbika, ‘the Name of your Lord’˺ is extra), the Most High (an adjective qualifying rabbika, ‘your Lord’),
القرآن:٨٧:١بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

سَبِّحِ اسْمَ رَبِّكَ الْأَعْلَى  

{سبح اسم ربك} أي نزه ربك عما لا يليق به واسم زائد {الأعلى} صفة لربك.
quran:87:2

Who created and proportioned  

Who created and proportioned, His creature, making it of well-proportioned parts, without irregularities,
القرآن:٨٧:٢

الَّذِي خَلَقَ فَسَوَّىٰ  

{الذي خلق فسوى} مخلوقه، جعله متناسب الأجزاء غير متفاوت.
quran:87:3

And who destined and ˹then˺ guided  

and Who determined, what He wants, and guided, to what He had determined of good or evil,
القرآن:٨٧:٣

وَالَّذِي قَدَّرَ فَهَدَىٰ  

{والذي قدَّر} ما شاء {فهدى} إلى ما قدره من خير وشر.
quran:87:4

And who brings out the pasture  

and Who brought forth the pasture, ˹Who˺ caused herbage to grow,
القرآن:٨٧:٤

وَالَّذِي أَخْرَجَ الْمَرْعَىٰ  

{والذي أخرج المرعى} أنبت العشب.
quran:87:5

And ˹then˺ makes it black stubble.  

then made it, after verdancy, blackened stubble, desiccated broken chaff.
القرآن:٨٧:٥

فَجَعَلَهُ غُثَاءً أَحْوَىٰ  

{فجعله} بعد الخضرة {غُثاء} جافا هشيما {أحوى} أسود يابسا.
quran:87:6

We will make you recite, ˹O Muhammad˺, and you will not forget,  

We will have you recite, the Qur’ān, so that you will not forget, what you recite,
القرآن:٨٧:٦

سَنُقْرِئُكَ فَلَا تَنْسَىٰ  

{سنقرئك} القرآن {فلا تنسى} ما تقرؤه.
quran:87:7

Except what Allah should will. Indeed, He knows what is declared and what is hidden.  

except what God may will, that you forget, by abrogating its recitation and its ruling — the Prophet (s) used to recite aloud while Gabriel recited, fearing to forget, and so it is as though it was said to him, ‘Do not hasten in it; you will not forget and so do not weary yourself by reciting it aloud’; assuredly He, exalted be He, knows what is overt, of words and deeds, and what is hidden, of both of these.
القرآن:٨٧:٧

إِلَّا مَا شَاءَ اللَّهُ ۚ إِنَّهُ يَعْلَمُ الْجَهْرَ وَمَا يَخْفَىٰ  

{إلا ما شاء الله} أن تنساه بنسخ تلاوته وحكمه، وكان ﷺ يجهر بالقراءة مع قراءة جبريل خوف النسيان فكأنه قيل له: لا تعجل بها إنك لا تنسى فلا تتعب نفسك بالجهر بها {إنه} تعالى {يعلم الجهر} من القول والفعل {وما يخفى} منهما.
quran:87:8

And We will ease you toward ease.  

And We will ease your way to the easy way, the uncomplicated Law, namely, Islam.
القرآن:٨٧:٨

وَنُيَسِّرُكَ لِلْيُسْرَىٰ  

{ونيسِّرك لليسرى} للشريعة السهلة وهي الإسلام.
quran:87:9

So remind, if the reminder should benefit;  

So remind, admonish by the Qur’ān, in case the reminder should be of benefit, to the one whom you might remind, the one mentioned in ˹the following verse˺ ‘he ˹who fears˺ will be reminded’, in other words, even if it might not be of benefit, for it is of benefit to some but of no benefit to others.
القرآن:٨٧:٩

فَذَكِّرْ إِنْ نَفَعَتِ الذِّكْرَىٰ  

{فذكر} عظ بالقرآن {إن نفعت الذكرى} من تذكرة المذكور في سيذكر، يعني وإن لم تنفع ونفعها لبعض وعدم النفع لبعض آخر.
quran:87:10

He who fears ˹Allah˺ will be reminded.  

He who fears, God, exalted be He, will be reminded, by it, as in the verse: So admonish by the Qur’ān him who fears My threat ˹Q. 50:45˺;
القرآن:٨٧:١٠

سَيَذَّكَّرُ مَنْ يَخْشَىٰ  

{سيذكر} بها {من يخشى} يخاف الله تعالى كآية " فذكر بالقرآن من يخاف وعيد ".
quran:87:11

But the wretched one will avoid it -  

but the wretched one (al-ashqā means al-shaqī), that is to say, the disbeliever, will shun it, that is, the reminder, in other words, he will leave it aside, not looking at it,
القرآن:٨٧:١١

وَيَتَجَنَّبُهَا الْأَشْقَى  

{ويتجنبها} أي الذكرى، أي يتركها جانبا لا يلتفت إليها {الأشقى} بمعنى الشقي أي الكافر.
quran:87:12

˹He˺ who will ˹enter and˺ burn in the greatest Fire,  

he who will be roasted in the greater Fire, the Fire of the Hereafter, the lesser fire being that of this world;
القرآن:٨٧:١٢

الَّذِي يَصْلَى النَّارَ الْكُبْرَىٰ  

{الذي يصلى النار الكبرى} هي نار الآخرة والصغرى نار الدنيا.
quran:87:13

Neither dying therein nor living.  

then he will neither die therein, and find rest, nor live, a enjoyable life.
القرآن:٨٧:١٣

ثُمَّ لَا يَمُوتُ فِيهَا وَلَا يَحْيَىٰ  

{ثم لا يموت فيها} فيستريح {ولا يحيى} حياة هنيئة.
quran:87:14

He has certainly succeeded who purifies himself  

Successful, winner, indeed is he who purifies himself, ˹who˺ cleanses himself by means of ˹his adherence to˺ faith,
القرآن:٨٧:١٤

قَدْ أَفْلَحَ مَنْ تَزَكَّىٰ  

{قد أفلح} فاز {من تزكى} تطهر بالإيمان.
quran:87:15

And mentions the name of his Lord and prays.  

and mentions the Name of his Lord, saying Allāhu akbar, ‘God is Great’, and prays, the five prayers — and such are the concerns of ˹one working towards˺ the Hereafter, ˹concerns˺ which the Meccan disbelievers shun.
القرآن:٨٧:١٥

وَذَكَرَ اسْمَ رَبِّهِ فَصَلَّىٰ  

{وذكر اسم ربه} مكبرا {فصلَّى} الصلوات الخمس وذلك من أمور الآخرة وكفار مكة مُعرضون عنها.
quran:87:16

But you prefer the worldly life,  

Nay, but you prefer (or read yu’thirūna, ‘they prefer’) the life of this world, to the Hereafter,
القرآن:٨٧:١٦

بَلْ تُؤْثِرُونَ الْحَيَاةَ الدُّنْيَا  

{بل تؤثرون} بالفوقانية والتحتانية {الحياة الدنيا} على الآخرة.
quran:87:17

While the Hereafter is better and more enduring.  

whereas the Hereafter, and the Paradise it entails, is better and more lasting.
القرآن:٨٧:١٧

وَالْآخِرَةُ خَيْرٌ وَأَبْقَىٰ  

{والآخرة} المشتملة على الجنة {خير وأبقى}.
quran:87:18

Indeed, this is in the former scriptures,  

Truly this, the success of those who purify themselves, and the Hereafter being better, is in the former scrolls, the ones revealed before the Qur’ān,
القرآن:٨٧:١٨

إِنَّ هَٰذَا لَفِي الصُّحُفِ الْأُولَىٰ  

{إن هذا} إفلاحُ من تزكى وكون الآخرة خيرا {لفي الصحف الأولى} أي المنزلة قبل القرآن.
quran:87:19

The scriptures of Abraham and Moses.  

the scrolls of Abraham and Moses, the ten scrolls of Abraham and the Torah of Moses. Meccan, consisting of 26 verses.
القرآن:٨٧:١٩

صُحُفِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَمُوسَىٰ  

{صحف إبراهيم وموسى} وهي عشر صحف لإبراهيم والتوراة لموسى.