The Prophet ﷺ recited Surah Al-A’la in the prayers of the two Eids and of Friday together with Al-Ghashiyah, and in the witr with Al-Kafirun and Al-Ikhlas; he also recommended it to Mu’adh, who made the congregational prayer too long. A surah of the Mufassal, it turns the soul towards the Hereafter and frees it from worldly attachments.
The Prophet ﷺ recited Al-A’la and Al-Ghashiyah at the two Eids and on Friday; and when Eid fell on a Friday, he recited them in both prayers.
Authentic (sahih)Muslim (878), Abu Dawud (1122) and At-Tirmidhi (533)
The Prophet ﷺ recited Al-A’la, “Say: O disbelievers” and “Say: He is Allah, One” in the witr, then said three times after the salam: “Subhana-l-Maliki-l-Quddus.”
Authentic (sahih)Abu Dawud (1423), An-Nasa’i and Ibn Majah (1171)
When Mu’adh prolonged the Isha prayer with Al-Baqarah, the Prophet ﷺ said to him: “Are you causing trouble for people?”, and told him to recite Ash-Shams, Ad-Duha, Al-Layl and Al-A’la.
It belongs to the Mufassal, given to the Prophet ﷺ as an extra by which he was favoured over the other prophets, according to the hadith of Wathilah ibn al-Asqa’: “… and I was favoured with the Mufassal.”
Arabic text, translation, reference and authenticity grade of each hadith.
كان رسول الله ﷺ يقرأ في العيدين وفي الجمعة بـ ﴿سَبِّحِ اسْمَ رَبِّكَ الْأَعْلَى﴾ و ﴿هَلْ أَتَاكَ حَدِيثُ الْغَاشِيَةِ﴾ قال: وإذا اجتمع العيد والجمعة في يوم واحد يقرأ بهما أيضًا في الصلاتين
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to recite in the two Eids and on Friday “Glorify the name of your Lord, the Most High” and “Has there reached you the report of the Overwhelming?”. And when Eid and Friday fell on the same day, he recited them in both prayers as well.
كان رسول الله ﷺ يقرأ في الوتر بـ ﴿سَبِّحِ اسْمَ رَبِّكَ الْأَعْلَى﴾ و ﴿قُلْ يَاأَيُّهَا الْكَافِرُونَ﴾ و ﴿قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ﴾ فإذا سلم قال: سبحان الملك القدوس ثلاث مرات
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to recite in the witr “Glorify the name of your Lord, the Most High”, “Say: O disbelievers” and “Say: He is Allah, One”. When he ended with the salam, he said three times: “Glory be to the King, the Most Holy (Subhana-l-Maliki-l-Quddus).”
يا معاذ أفتان أنت؟ اقرأ بكذا، واقرأ بكذا … اقرأ: ﴿وَالشَّمْسِ وَضُحَاهَا﴾ ﴿وَالضُّحَى﴾ و ﴿وَاللَّيْلِ إِذَا يَغْشَى﴾ و ﴿سَبِّحِ اسْمَ رَبِّكَ الْأَعْلَى﴾
Mu’adh had led the Isha prayer, beginning Al-Baqarah, and a man left the prayer. The Prophet ﷺ said: “O Mu’adh, are you causing trouble for people? Recite such and such… Recite: ‘By the sun and its brightness’, ‘By the morning brightness’, ‘By the night when it covers’ and ‘Glorify the name of your Lord, the Most High’.”
Main purpose: To turn the soul towards the life to come and free it from worldly attachments.
Al-A’la is Meccan according to most scholars (some say Medinan), the 87th surah in the order of the Qur’an, with nineteen verses. It is also called “Sabbih isma rabbika-l-a’la”: in the two Sahihs, the Prophet ﷺ said to Mu’adh, who prolonged the congregational prayer: “Are you causing trouble, O Mu’adh? Why did you not pray with Sabbih isma rabbika-l-a’la, Wa-sh-shamsi wa duhaha and Wa-l-layli idha yaghsha?” It opens with the command to declare Allah free of every imperfection.
The full Arabic text: introduction, virtues, themes, and a study of the chain and authenticity of each hadith.
