Al-Musabbihat

Al-Musabbihat (Arabic: الْمُسَبِّحَاتِ) are those Surahs of the Quran that begin with statements of Allah's glorification: 'Subhana', 'Sabbaha', and 'Yusabbihu'. According to Islamic scholar Muhammad Shafi (1897–1976) the collective name of the series Al-Musabbihat refers to the following five or seven Surahs:

• Al-Hadid (57th)^[1]
• Al-Hashr (59th)^[2]
• As-Saff (61st)
• Al-Jumua (62nd)
• At-Taghabun (64th)^[3]

Sometime it also includes:

• Al-Isra (17th)
• Al-Ala (87th)

Among the first five Surahs, the first three, namely Al-Hadid, Al-Hashr and As-Saff, commence with the past perfect tense 'sabbaha' "purity has been proclaimed" whilst the last two, namely Al-Jumu'ah and At-Taghabun, commence with the imperfect tense yusabbihu [purity is proclaimed]. This implies that the purity of God should be declared at all times, the past, the present and the future.^[4]

According to Hadith Muhammad would recite the Al-Musabbihat before he went to sleep and said: "Indeed there is an Ayah in them that is better than one thousand Ayat."^[5] Ibn Kathir commented that this verse referred to is "Huwal awwallu wal aakhiru wazzaahiru wal baatinu wahuwa bi-kulli shai-in aleem." (Al-Hashr 59:24).^[6]

See also

• Al-Fatiha (the first surah in the Quran)
• Al-Mu'awwidhatayn (the last two surahs of the Quran)
• Muqattaʿat (surahs in the Quran that begin with disconnected letters)