Setting
Surah The Most High [Al-Ala] in English
سَبِّحِ ٱسْمَ رَبِّكَ ٱلْأَعْلَى ﴿١﴾
Celebrate the Name of your Lord, the Most Exalted,
ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَ فَسَوَّىٰ ﴿٢﴾
who created and proportioned,
وَٱلَّذِى قَدَّرَ فَهَدَىٰ ﴿٣﴾
who determined and guided,
وَٱلَّذِىٓ أَخْرَجَ ٱلْمَرْعَىٰ ﴿٤﴾
who brought forth the pasture
فَجَعَلَهُۥ غُثَآءً أَحْوَىٰ ﴿٥﴾
and then turned it into a black scum.
سَنُقْرِئُكَ فَلَا تَنسَىٰٓ ﴿٦﴾
We shall have you recite [the Quran], then you will not forget [any of it]
إِلَّا مَا شَآءَ ٱللَّهُ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ يَعْلَمُ ٱلْجَهْرَ وَمَا يَخْفَىٰ ﴿٧﴾
except what Allah may wish. Indeed, He knows the open and what is hidden.
وَنُيَسِّرُكَ لِلْيُسْرَىٰ ﴿٨﴾
And We shall ease you into facility.
فَذَكِّرْ إِن نَّفَعَتِ ٱلذِّكْرَىٰ ﴿٩﴾
So admonish, for admonition is indeed beneficial:
سَيَذَّكَّرُ مَن يَخْشَىٰ ﴿١٠﴾
he who fears [God] will take admonition,
وَيَتَجَنَّبُهَا ٱلْأَشْقَى ﴿١١﴾
and the most wretched will shun it
ٱلَّذِى يَصْلَى ٱلنَّارَ ٱلْكُبْرَىٰ ﴿١٢﴾
—he who will enter the Great Fire,
ثُمَّ لَا يَمُوتُ فِيهَا وَلَا يَحْيَىٰ ﴿١٣﴾
then he will neither live in it, nor die.
قَدْ أَفْلَحَ مَن تَزَكَّىٰ ﴿١٤﴾
‘Felicitous is he who purifies himself,
وَذَكَرَ ٱسْمَ رَبِّهِۦ فَصَلَّىٰ ﴿١٥﴾
celebrates the Name of his Lord, and prays.
بَلْ تُؤْثِرُونَ ٱلْحَيَوٰةَ ٱلدُّنْيَا ﴿١٦﴾
But you prefer the life of this world,
وَٱلْءَاخِرَةُ خَيْرٌۭ وَأَبْقَىٰٓ ﴿١٧﴾
while the Hereafter is better and more lasting.’
إِنَّ هَٰذَا لَفِى ٱلصُّحُفِ ٱلْأُولَىٰ ﴿١٨﴾
This is indeed in the former scriptures,
صُحُفِ إِبْرَٰهِيمَ وَمُوسَىٰ ﴿١٩﴾
the scriptures of Abraham and Moses.