The Prophet Muhammad, may the mercy and blessings of Allah be upon him, loved this sura of the Koran. We know this from a chain of narrations relating to his friend, cousin and son-in-law Ali ibn Abi Talib. The Prophet Muhammad often read Sura al-A "la and the previous sura at-Tariq during prayers on Fridays or on Islamic holidays. This short sura, containing 19 verses, was sent down in Mecca, and it brings good news to Prophet Muhammad. God promises to help it is his mission to spread the word of Islam and personally ensure that the prophet Muhammad does not forget anything that is written in the Koran. Sura al-A "la includes the basic principles of Islam and is a confirmation that these principles are well rooted in previously sent down messages.

Verses 1-3 Praise of God

The sura begins with the praise of God. The first verse says: "Praise the name of your Lord, the Most High." Sura al-A "la takes its name from this first verse. Praise means to exalt God and recognize His omnipotence. Thus, we are pointed to two characteristic features of God - His power and greatness. It is He who creates and measures. Everything that God created , has the necessary proportions and is perfected in order to play a certain role in life on this earth.God has determined and fixed everything with its size, its value, its certain qualities, characteristics and timing.Each of His creations He directed to achieve His purpose and to satisfy their needs.

Verses 4 and 5 Changing the picture of the world

After the praise, God brought out of the earth everything that grows on it. God is the One who brought out the pasture and then turned it into brown litter. Each green and beautiful plant, subsequently, according to the laws of the Lord, dries up, darkens, is eaten by animals and again turns into soil, fertilizing it. Everything in this world has a purpose. Consider, for example, soil regeneration. Soil that is biologically dead collects minerals to begin the regeneration process again.

Verses 6 and 7 Prophet Muhammad will not forget

God addresses the Prophet Muhammad, saying that He will let him read the Koran, and he (Prophet Muhammad) will not forget. Forgetfulness is a characteristic of man, but Prophet Muhammad need not worry that he will forget the revelations when they are sent down to him. God promised that He would take responsibility and ensure that no revelation was lost or forgotten. This is glad tidings for the prophet and for Muslims in general. The preservation of the Qur'an is God's bounty and mercy towards mankind. God's decisions are based on his unlimited awareness and knowledge.

Verses 8 and 9 "I will bless you on the easiest way"

More good news quickly followed. God promises to ease the path of Prophet Muhammad. God says, "I will bless you on the easiest and most convenient path." This is either the path to Islam, which is invariably easy and true, or the path to Paradise. God created the universe with ease, it easily follows the appointed path and easily approaches the final goal. It is well known that throughout his life the Prophet Muhammad always chose the easier legitimate alternative solutions in any situation in which he found himself.

The religion of Islam makes sure that the path to Paradise is easy for every person who lives in harmony with the Universe. Prophet Muhammad is told to remind people through the Scriptures if he sees that they are listening and heeding. There will always be those in every place and in every generation who will benefit from a warning.

Verses 10 - 13 Great Fire

Those who are pious will benefit from the reminder. And to avoid, to shun these reminders, will be the most unfortunate. He is the one who will enter Hell and will be baked in the fire, having tasted all the "charm" of the endless hell of the Underworld, if he does not have time to be radically transformed before the soul leaves the body. Once there, he will not be able to die in order to free himself from all this horror, nor to live. His stay in Hell will be unbearable. The one who turns away and does not heed the warnings, who seeks only worldly goods and ignores the reminder of what will happen next, must certainly live with a feeling of constant anxiety. The great fire is the fire of Hell, and the suffering in it is endless.

Verses 14 - 17 Remembrance and prayer

In the worldly and eternal abode, the one who does not ignore the warnings and is spiritually cleansed will succeed. God asks us to listen to the message and calls us to be cleansed of everything sinful. To do this, you need to remember God and pray. God shows the difference between listening to the message and being saved and ignoring the message and becoming miserable. He says that people prefer only worldly things, although eternity is better and has no end.

Verses 18 and 19 One origin

At the end of this surah, it is emphasized that the message of Islam is not new. About how to become successful in both worlds, and that the eternal is incomparable with the earthly, it was said even earlier, before the revelation of the Holy Quran, in the first scrolls, including the scrolls of the prophets Abraham and Moses.

(18) Verily, this is written in the first scrolls -

(19) the scrolls of Ibrahim [Abraham] and Musa [Moses].

The beautiful commandments and narrations mentioned in this blessed sura are recorded in the scrolls of Ibrahim and Musa - the scrolls of the two most glorious messengers after Muhammad. These commandments were sent down in the laws of all the prophets, for they concern prosperity in both lives and are beneficial in any age and in any place. Praise for this belongs to Allah alone!

(16) But no! You prefer the worldly life

(17) although the Last Life is better and longer.

You put the life here above the Hereafter, and thereby change the poisoned, restless and transient life into eternal life. It surpasses worldly life in all qualities and lasts for a whole eternity, while the world here will certainly collapse and disappear. A conscious and believing person will never prefer the bad to the beautiful and will not agree to suffer forever for the pleasure that can be experienced in a short hour. Therefore, the cause of all misfortunes is precisely love for this world and preference for its eternal world.

(14) He succeeded who was cleansed,

(15) remembered the name of his Lord and prayed.

Such a person cleansed his soul from polytheism, injustice and vicious disposition and adorned his heart with the frequent remembrance of Allah. He did what He was pleased with, and, first of all, he performed prayer, which is the measure of faith. This is the true meaning of this verse.

As for the opinion of those who believe that it is about the cleansing alms that Muslims serve on the holiday of breaking the fast, and the festive prayer, before which Muslims must distribute this alms, such an interpretation, although it coincides with the text of the verse, is acceptable, does not fully reflect its meaning.

(13) He will not die there, nor will he live.

A painful punishment will befall him, and he will see neither peace nor rest. He will desire death for himself, but he will not see it, as the Almighty said: “They will not be finished with so that they can die, and their torment will not be eased” (35:36).

(10) He who fears will receive it,

(11) and the most unfortunate will turn away from it,

(12) who will enter the Greatest Fire.

People are divided into those who benefit from the reminder and those who do not heed it. The former fear Allah, because the fear of Him and the knowledge of the coming reward make the slave move away from everything that He hates and strive for good. And the second will find themselves in a blazing Flame that will devour human hearts.

(9) Instruct the people if the reminder is beneficial.

Teach people the sharia of Allah and His scriptures if they accept your teaching and listen to your preaching, regardless of whether you achieve your goal in whole or in part. From this verse it is understood that if a reminder does not bring benefit, but only increases harm, then it should not be communicated to people. On the contrary, Allah forbids doing so.

(6) We will let you read the Qur'an and you will not forget anything,

(7) except what Allah wills. He knows the manifest and that which is hidden.

O Muhammad! Rejoice in the great news! We will keep all the revelations sent down to you in Scripture, we will collect them in your heart, and you will not forget any of this. But if your All-Wise Lord decides that you should forget part of the revelation for the sake of the common good and great benefit, then this will happen. Verily, He knows everything that benefits His servants. He commands whatever He wills and judges as He wills.

1. Sheikh Sadiq narrated that Imam Sadiq (A) said:

Whoever reads the Surah "The Highest" in the obligatory or desirable prayer, he will be told on the Day of Judgment: "Enter Paradise through any door you wish."

(“Sawabu l-amal”, p. 152).

2. Tabarsi said that he transmitted Ayashi from Abu Hays:

I prayed behind Ali (A) for twenty nights and he only recited Surah 'The Most High'. And he said: “If you knew what is in this sura, each of you would read it twenty times every day. And the one who reads it is as if reading the scrolls of Musa and Ibrahim, who was faithful (to the promise)."

(“Majmu bayan”, volume 10, p. 326).

3. In the "Hawasu l-Quran" it is reported that the Messenger of Allah (S) said:

Whoever reads this surah - Allah will give him a reward according to the number of letters sent down to Ibrahim (A), Musa (A) and Muhammad (C). If you read it into a sore ear, it will become healthy. If you read it on hemorrhoids, it will disappear and be cured.

Ayats 1-15

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيمِِ

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In the name of Allah, the Merciful, the Merciful!

1. Praise the name of your Lord, the Most High,

2. Who created and measured,

3. Who distributed and directed

4. and who brought forth pasture,

5. and made it brown rubbish!

6. We will let you read and you will not forget,

7. Unless Allah wills, indeed, He knows what is manifest and what is hidden!

8. And We will make it easy for you for the easiest.

9. Remember, if remembrance is useful.

10. The one who is fearful will remember.

11. And the most unfortunate one will turn away from him,

12. who will burn in the greatest fire.

13. He will not die there and will not live.

14. He profited who was cleansed,

15. remembered the name of his Lord and prayed.

1. Sheikh Tusi reported from Uqba ibn Amir Juhni that he said:

When the verse was sent down: Praise the name of your great Lord"(56: 74), the Messenger of Allah (S) told us: "Read this during your bows from the waist." And when the ayat was sent down: "", he said: "Read it in sajd."

(“Tahzib”, volume 2, p. 313).

Translator's note: This refers to the words “subhana rabbia l-azimi wa bihamdi” in the half-bow and the words “subhana rabbia l-aalya va bihamdi” in the prostration.

2. Ibn Farsi narrated that Imam Sadiq (A) narrated from Imam Sajjad (A):

In the Throne there is a semblance of everything that Allah has created on land and water, and this is the interpretation of the words of Allah: “ There is no thing without We not having its treasuries(15:21). Between one pillar of the Throne and the other is the path of a swift bird for a thousand years. The throne is clothed every day with seventy thousand flowers of light, and no creation from the creations of Allah can look at it. And all things in the Throne are like a ring in the desert. Allah has an angel whose name is Hazkail, he has eighteen thousand wings, between the wing and the wing is five hundred years. One day he thought: "Is there anything higher than the Throne?". And Allah added wings to him, so that their number became thirty-six thousand, and between the wing and the wing - five hundred years. And Allah inspired him in a revelation: “O angel, fly!”. And he flew, and flew for twenty thousand years, and during all this time he did not even reach one support of the Throne. Then Allah added more wings and strength to him and ordered him to fly. And he flew for thirty thousand years, and also did not reach the support of the Throne. And Allah inspired him: “O angel! If you, with all your wings and all your strength, flew like this until the Day of Judgment, you still would not have reached the support of the Throne." The angel said: "Praise be to the Most High God!" Praise the name of your Lord supreme". And the Prophet (S) said: "Read this during your prostrations."

(“Rosetu l-vaizin”, p. 56).

3. Ali ibn Ibrahim Kummi cited:

« Who created and measured, Who distributed and directed”- measured things according to His definition, and then led to them whomever He wished. " And who brought forth the pasture"- that is, plants -" and made it"- after its removal - " brown rubbish- it becomes dry and dark after ripening. " We'll let you read it and you won't forget"- that is, We will teach you, and you will not forget -" unless Allah wills"For He Who does not forget is Allah.

4. He also cited:

« And We will make it easy for you for the easiest. Remember- O Muhammad - " if remembrance is useful. Remember the one who is fearful“We will remind you of it. " And turn away from him"- that is, from what he is reminded of -" the most unfortunate who will burn in the fire of the greatest- in fire on the Day of Judgment. " He will not die there and will not be alive- in this fire. He will be there as Allah said: And death comes to him from all places, but he is not dead"(14:17). " Gained profit he who was cleansed"- that is, he gave zakat fitra before the onset of the holiday prayer (on the day of breaking the fast).

(“Tafsir” Qummi, volume 2, p. 413).

5. Sheikh Tusi reported that Imam Sadiq (A) said:

Completion of fasting is the issuance of zakat, just like the completion of prayer is salavat to the Prophet (S). The one who fasted and did not give zakat intentionally - he does not have a fast, just like the one who performs namaz and does not say salawat to the Prophet (S) after him intentionally - he does not have namaz. Allah mentioned Zakat Fitrah before prayer, saying: The one who got clean (gave zakat), remembered the name of his Lord and prayed made a profit.

(“Tahzib”, volume 2, p. 159).

6. Sheikh Kuleini brought from Ubaydullah ibn Abdullah Dihkan:

I entered Imam Reza (A) and he said to me: “What is the meaning of the words of Allah:“ He remembered the name of his Lord and prayedˮ?”. I said, "Whenever a person remembers the name of his Lord, he should stand up and pray."

The Imam (A) said: “Then Allah would have placed a heavy duty on him!” I said: "Let me be your victim, what is their meaning?" He said: "Whenever a person remembers the name of his Lord, he should say salawat to Muhammad and his family."

("Kafi", Volume 2, C 359).

7. A Li ibn Ibrahim Kummi reported that Imam Ali (A) was asked about the meaning of the words of Allah: “ Praise the name of your Lord supreme»:

It was written at the foot of the Throne two thousand years before Allah created the heavens and the earth: "There is no god but Allah, the One, without partners, and Muhammad is His slave and messenger, and Ali is the successor of Muhammad."

(“Tafsir” Qummi, volume 2, p. 413).

Ayats 16-19

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16. Yes, you prefer the immediate life,

17. and the latter is better and longer.

18. Verily, this is in the scrolls of the first,

19. scrolls of Ibrahim and Musa!

1. Sheikh Kuleini reported that Imam Sadiq (A) said:

« Yes, you prefer the next life"- that is, their wilayat (leadership of the enemies of Ahl ul-Bayt) -" the latter is better and longer”- vilayat of the ruler of the believers (A).

(“Kafi”, volume 1, p. 345).

2. He also cited that Imam Kazim (A) said:

The vilayat of the commander of the believers (A) is written in all the scrolls of the prophets. Allah did not send any prophet except with the prophethood of Muhammad (i.e. with the news of the prophethood of Muhammad or through the medium of the prophethood of Muhammad) and with the succession of Ali.

(“Kafi”, volume 1, p. 345).

3. Humaid ibn Ziyad reported from Abu Basir that Imam Baqir (A) said about the words of Allah: “And whatever the Messenger has given you, then take it, and whatever he has forbidden you, refrain from it. "(59:7):

"O Abu Muhammad! We have scrolls about which Allah said: scrolls of Ibrahim and Musaˮ».

He asked: “May I be your victim, are the scrolls the tablets?”

He said yes.

(“Tavilu l-ayat”, volume 2, p. 785).

4. Shaykh Saduk reported from Abu Dharr:

I entered the Messenger of Allah (S) when he was sitting alone in the mosque. And he said to me: “O Abu Dharr! A mosque befits a greeting." I asked, "What is this greeting?" He said: "Two rak'ahs of prayer." I said, “O Messenger of Allah! You told me about prayer. What is prayer? He said: “Namaz is the best of what is prescribed. And whoever wishes, diminishes, and whoever wishes, increases.

I asked: “O Messenger of Allah! What deeds are most loved by Allah? He said: "Faith in Allah and diligence in His path." I asked, "What's the best night?" He said, "The middle of the dark night." I asked: "What is the best prayer?" He said: "Namaz, in which there is a long kunut." I asked: “What charity (sadaqah) is best?” He said, "The one that is given according to one's ability to the poor in secret." I asked, "What is fasting?" He said: “The duty for which Allah will ask, and the reward from Him is manifold.” I asked: "Whose jihad is better?" He said: "Jihad of the one whose horse is wounded and whose blood is shed." I asked: "Which of the verses sent down to you is the greatest?" He said: "Ayat of the Throne (Kursi)." And then he said: “O Abu Dharr! The seven heavens in relation to the Throne are like a ring in relation to the desert, and the Throne (arsh) in relation to the Throne is like a desert in relation to this ring.

I said, “O Messenger of Allah! How many prophets are there? He said, "One hundred and twenty-four thousand." I asked: "And how many messengers?" He said, "Three hundred and thirty." I asked, "Who was the first prophet?" He said, "Adam." I asked, "Was he a messenger?" He said, “Yes. Allah created him with his right hand and breathed into him from his spirit. And then he said: “O Abu Dharr! Four of the prophets were Assyrians: Adam, Sheis, Ahnuh - and this is Idris, and he was the first to write with a cane - and Nuh (A). Four were Arabs: Hud, Salih, Shueib and your prophet Muhammad. The first of the prophets of the people of Israel was Musa (A), and the last was Isa (A), and in total there were six hundred prophets. I asked: “O Messenger of Allah! How many books has Allah sent down? He said, “One hundred and four books. Allah sent down fifty scrolls to Sheis, thirty scrolls to Idris, twenty scrolls to Ibrahim, and He sent down the Torah, the Gospel, Psalms and Furqan.

I asked: “O Messenger of Allah! What were the scrolls of Ibrahim? He said, “They were all parables. And among them is this one: “O proud king! I did not send you to bring down one part of the earth upon another. I sent you to turn away the call of the oppressed from Me, for I will not leave him, even if he were an unbeliever. And for the reasonable, until he loses his mind: let you have hours - an hour when you call on your Lord, and an hour when you think about yourself, and an hour when you think about what your Lord has given you , and the hour when you use what has fallen to your lot from what is permitted. For this hour is the help of those hours and rest for the hearts. And for the wise: may you be discerning your time, accepting your inheritance, keeping your tongue. For whoever counts his words among his deeds speaks little, and only where necessary. And for the reasonable: look for three things - prosperity in life, luggage for the future world and pleasure from what is not forbidden.

I said, “O Messenger of Allah! What were the scrolls of Musa? He said, “They were all teachings. And from among them: “I wonder at him who is convinced of death: why does he rejoice? I marvel at him who is convinced of Fire: why is he laughing? I wonder at the one who sees the near world and its changeability: why does he trust it? I wonder at the one who is convinced of predestination: what does he strive for? And I wonder at the one who has become confident in the calculation: why does he not do good deeds? I said, “O Messenger of Allah! Is there anything in what Allah sent down to you that was in the scrolls of Ibrahim and Musa? He said, "O Abu Dharr! Have you not read the verses: Indeed, this is in the scrolls of the first, the scrolls of Ibrahim and Musa!ˮ».

I asked: “O Messenger of Allah! Give me instructions!" He said, "I am instructing you about the fear of God, for it is the head of every work." I said, "Add me." He said: "Read the Qur'an and remember Allah much, for this will cause you to be remembered in heaven and your light on earth." I said, "Add me." He said: "Be silent for a long time, for this drives away the shaitans and helps in the cause of religion." I said, "Add me." He said, "Beware of laughing too much, for that kills the heart and removes the light of the face." I said, "Add me." He said, "Love the poor and sit in their company." I said, "Add me." He said, "Speak the truth, however bitter it may be." I said, "Add me." He said: “Do not be afraid in the way of Allah of the reproaches of the one who reproaches.” I said, "Add me." He said: "Let what you know about yourself keep you from people, and do not accuse them of what you yourself do." And then he said: “Three things are enough for a man to sin: so that he knows about people what he does not know about himself, reproaches them for what he himself does, and torments them in what does not concern him.” And then he said: “O Abu Dharr! The best mind is meditation, the best righteousness is temperance, and the best lineage is a good disposition.”

("Hisal", S. 523).