Al-A'la, "The Most High," is the eighty-seventh surah — 19 verses revealed in Mecca.1 The Prophet ﷺ used to recite it, with Al-Ghashiyah, in the prayers of both Eids and of Friday,4 and he named it among the surahs suitable for leading a congregation that includes "the old, the weak and the needy."5
What it is about
It opens with a command of praise: "Exalt the name of your Lord, the Most High, who created and proportioned and who destined and [then] guided and who brings out the pasture and [then] makes it black stubble." It then gives the Prophet ﷺ a promise about the revelation itself: "We will make you recite, [O Muhammad], and you will not forget, except what Allah should will... And We will ease you toward ease."2
The second half is about who benefits from the reminder. "He who fears [Allah] will be reminded. But the wretched one will avoid it." Then comes its central verse: "He has certainly succeeded who purifies himself and mentions the name of his Lord and prays. But you prefer the worldly life, while the Hereafter is better and more enduring." The surah ends by placing this message in a long line: "Indeed, this is in the former scriptures, the scriptures of Abraham and Moses."3
Why it matters
Al-A'la is heard often in Muslim worship, in Friday and Eid prayers alike. Its short definition of success — purifying oneself, remembering God and praying — and its warning against preferring this world sum up the ethics of the early surahs, which it presents as the message of Abraham and Moses too. To read Al-A'la in Arabic with translations and recitation, open it on Quran.com.