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سُورَةُ الأَعۡلَىٰ · 87:16
MeccanRevelation order ٨Juzʾ ٣٠Page ٥٩٢

بَلْ تُؤْثِرُونَ ٱلْحَيَوٰةَ ٱلدُّنْيَا

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Saheeh International · EN

But you prefer the worldly life,

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Bio

Introduction

This is āyah 16 of Sūrat Al-A'laa (The Most High), the 8th sūrah in the traditional order of revelation. It was revealed in the Meccan period and sits within Juzʾ 30. Meccan verses tend to address faith, the oneness of God, and the hereafter.

This introduction is a starting point — the community and Bilal will enrich it over time.

Bio

Revelation & occasion

Asbāb al-Nuzūl
Period
Meccan
Order revealed
8 of 114
Surah
Al-A'laa (87)

No specific occasion of revelation (Asbāb al-Nuzūl) is recorded for this āyah in al-Wāḥidī's collection. Many verses were revealed without a single triggering event.

Commentary

Tafsir

4 works

Hafiz Ibn Kathir

Indeed whosoever purifies himself shall achieve success (14)And remembers the Name of his Lord, and performs Salah (15)Rather you prefer the life of this world (16)Although the Hereafter is better and more lasting (17)Verily, this is in the former Scripture (18)The Scriptures of Ibrahim and Musa (19) A Statement Concerning the People of Success Allah says, قَدْ أَفْلَحَ مَن تَزَكَّىٰ (Indeed whosoever purifies himself shall achieve success.) meaning, he purifies himself from despised characteristics and he follows what Allah has revealed to the Messenger ﷺ. وَذَكَرَ اسْمَ رَبِّهِ فَصَلَّىٰ (And remembers the Name of his Lord, and performs Salah.) meaning, he establishes the prayer in its appointed time, seeking the pleasure of Allah, obedience to His command, and implementation of His Law. We have already reported from the Commander of the believers, 'Umar bin 'Abdul-'Aziz, that …
Provenance

Chains of transmission

Oral — isnād

  1. ~610–632 CERevelation & memorisation

    Received by the Prophet ﷺ and preserved by the ḥuffāẓ (memorisers) among the Companions.

  2. 1st century AHMutawātir transmissionawaiting curation

    Carried by mass-transmission through the generations of qurrāʾ.

  3. TodayLiving chainsawaiting curation

    Continuous ijāzah chains link reciters today back to the Prophet ﷺ.

Verified isnād chains for this āyah will be added by curators.

Written — the manuscript record

  1. ~650 CEʿUthmānic codicesawaiting curation

    The standardised muṣḥaf sent to the great cities (e.g. the Topkapı and Samarqand codices).

  2. 8th–10th c.Early Ḥijāzī & Kūfic foliosawaiting curation

    Surviving leaves in Birmingham, Sanaa, Paris (BnF) and beyond.

  3. Modern printModern printawaiting curation

    The 1924 Cairo edition → today: the standard printed muṣḥaf used worldwide.

A curated chain of manuscript images for this exact āyah — roughly one per century — is coming. Help us source and verify them.

The wall

And now — what do you think?

The text, its history and the classical commentary are laid out above. Share your own understanding, ask a question, or reason with others.

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Provenance

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