Al-Ala

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 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 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 الاّعْلَى 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 said to Mu`adh, Why didn't you recite, سَبِّحِ اسْمَ رَبِّكَ الاّعْلَى وَالشَّمْسِ وَضُحَـهَا وَالَّيْلِ إِذَا يَغْشَى - Glorify the Name of your Lord, the Most High, (Surah 87); - By the sun and its brightness, (Surah 91); - By the night when it envelopes. (Surah 92); Imam Ahmad recorded from An-Nu`man bin Bashir that the Messenger of Allah recited سَبِّحِ اسْمَ رَبِّكَ الاّعْلَى هَلْ أَتَاكَ حَدِيثُ الْغَاشِيَةِ Al-A`la (Surah 87) and Al-Ghashiyh (Surah 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 الاّعْلَى هَلْ أَتَاكَ حَدِيثُ الْغَاشِيَةِ Al-A`la (Surah 87) and Al-Ghashiyh (Surah 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 used to recite سَبِّحِ اسْمَ رَبِّكَ الاّعْلَى قُلْ يأَيُّهَا الْكَـفِرُونَ قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ - Glorify the Name of your Lord, the Most High. and - Say: `O you who disbelieve.' (Surah 109) and - Say: `He is Allah, the One.' (Surah 112) A'ishah added in her version that he would also recite the Mu`awwidhatayn (Al-Falaq and An-Nas).