❀ Saying “Subḥāna Rabbiyal-Aʿlā” After Reciting Sūrah al-Aʿlā – A Practice Proven from the Ṣaḥābah ❀
Based on: Fatāwā ʿIlmiyyah, Vol. 1, Kitāb aṣ-Ṣalāh, Page 401
❖ Question:
Is it Sunnah or legislated to say “Subḥāna Rabbiyal-Aʿlā” after reciting the verse
“سَبِّحِ اسْمَ رَبِّكَ الْأَعْلَىٰ” from Sūrah al-Aʿlā during prayer?
✿ Ruling Based on the Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ
It is not authentically established from the Prophet ﷺ himself that he would say “Subḥāna Rabbiyal-Aʿlā” specifically after reciting this verse.
📚 Reference: Shahādat, Islamabad – Volume: Issue 12, Page 14, December 2000
✿ Practice of the Companions (Ṣaḥābah)
While the Prophet ﷺ is not reported to have done so, several Companions of the Prophet did engage in this practice, and no one among the Ṣaḥābah is reported to have opposed it.
✔ ➊ ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAbbās رضي الله عنهما
He used to repeat the verse itself:
“سَبِّحِ اسْمَ رَبِّكَ الْأَعْلَىٰ”
📚 Source: Muṣannaf Ibn Abī Shaybah, Vol. 2, Page 509
Chain: Ṣaḥīḥ
✔ ➋ Abū Mūsā al-Ashʿarī رضي الله عنه
When he recited the verse during Jumuʿah prayer, he would say:
“سُبْحَانَ رَبِّيَ الْأَعْلَىٰ”
📚 Source: Muṣannaf Ibn Abī Shaybah, Vol. 2, Page 598
Chain: Ṣaḥīḥ
✔ ➌ Other Companions:
This practice is also reported from:
◈ ʿAbdullāh ibn az-Zubayr رضي الله عنه
◈ ʿImrān ibn Ḥuṣayn رضي الله عنه
These reports collectively support the permissibility and validity of this utterance after the verse, especially in prayer.
✦ Important Note Regarding the Congregant (Muqtadī)
In audible prayers (jahriyyah):
✔ It is obligatory for the follower to recite only Sūrah al-Fātiḥah.
✘ In the remaining recitation by the imām, the muqtadī must remain silent.
✅ Final Conclusion:
✔ It is correct and supported by multiple Ṣaḥābah to say:
“سُبْحَانَ رَبِّيَ الْأَعْلَىٰ”
after reciting the verse
“سَبِّحِ اسْمَ رَبِّكَ الْأَعْلَىٰ” in Sūrah al-Aʿlā.
✔ Though not explicitly from the Prophet ﷺ, it remains a valid practice in light of sound athār from the Companions.
✔ Muqtadīs (followers) in congregational prayers should remain silent during the Imām’s recitation (other than al-Fātiḥah).
📅 Published in Shahādat, October 2003
ھٰذا ما عندي، واللہ أعلم بالصواب
