1. U N D E R S TA N I N G
SURAH
QURAISH
MEANING AND
MESSAGE
2. • 1-For the accustomed security
of the Quraysh
• 2-Their accustomed security
[in] the caravan of winter and
summer
• 3-Let them worship the Lord
of this House,
• 4-Who has fed them, [saving
them] from hunger and made
them safe, [saving them] from
fear.
3. P E R I O D O F R E V E L A T I O N
•Great majority of the commentators are agreed that it is
Makki
• A manifest evidence of this are the words Rabba hadh-
al-Bait (Lord of this House) of this Surah itself.
•Moreover, its subject matter so closely relates to that of
Surah Al-Fil that probably it was revealed immediately
after it
4. W E R E S U R A H F E E L A N D S U R A H
Q U R A I S H O N E S U R A H ?
• Some of the earliest scholars regard the two Surahs as one entity.
• This view is strengthened by the traditions which say that in the Quran
copy belonging to Ubayy bin Ka'b(RA) these two were written as
one Surah
• This view is not acceptable because in the Quran copy which Uthman
(RA) had officially written by the cooperation of a large number of the
Companions and sent to the centers of Islamic lands, the Bismillah was
written between these two Surahs
5. P R O P H E T M O H A M M A D FA M I LY T R E E
Qusayy
Abd
Munaf
Hashim
Al
Muttalib
Abd
Shams
Naufil
Abd dar
6. Q U R A I S H U N I T E D B Y Q U S A Y Y
• The tribe of Quraish was scattered throughout Hijaz until the time of Qusayy bin
Kilab, the ancestor of the Holy Prophet (upon whom be Allah's peace).
• First of all, Qusayy gathered it in Makkah and this tribe was able to gain authority
over the Ka'bah. On that very basis Qusayy was called mujammi (uniter,
assembler) by his people.
• This man by his sagacity and wisdom founded a city state in Makkah and made
excellent arrangements for the welfare of the pilgrims coming from all over
Arabia
• As a result the Quraish were able to gain great influence among the Arabian
tribes and lands.
7. Q U R A I S H T R A D E J O U R N E Y S
• After Qusayy the offices of the state of Makkah were divided between his sons, Abdi Manaf and
Abd ad-Dar, but of the two Abdi Manaf gained greater fame even during his father's lifetime and
was held in high esteem throughout Arabia.
• Abdi Manaf had four sons: Hashim, Abdi Shams, Al-Muttalib, and Naufal.
• Of these Hashim, father of Abdul Muttalib and grandfather of the Holy Prophet, first conceived the
idea to take part in the trade that passed between the eastern countries and Syria and Egypt
through Arabia
• Idea was to purchase the necessities of life for the Arabians so that the tribes living by the trade
route bought these from them and
• Moreover, the merchants living in the interior of the country were attracted to the market of Makkah.
8.
9. H A S H I M ' S T R A D E S C H E M E
• Hashim taking advantage of this prepared the trade scheme and made his three
brothers partners in it.
• Thus, Hashim obtained trade privileges from the Ghassanide king of Syria, Abdi
Shams from the Negus,
• Al-Muttalib from the Yamanite nobles and
• Naufal from the governments of Iraq and Iran, and their trade began to flourish.
• That is how the four brothers became famous as traders and began to be called
ashab al-ilaf (generators of love and affection) on account of their friendly
relations with the tribes and states of the surrounding lands.
10. Q U R A I S H I N F L U E N C E
• Contact with the culture and civilization of different countries so enhanced the level of their
knowledge and wisdom that no tribe in Arabia could match and equal them.
• They became the most affluent tribe, and Makkah became the most important commercial center
of the Arabian peninsula.
• Another great advantage that accrued from these international relations was that they brought
from Iraq tile script which later was used for writing down the Quran.
• No other Arabian tribe could boast of so many literate people as Quraish.
• For these very reasons the Holy Prophet (upon whom be peace) said: "Quraish are the leaders of
men." (Musnad Ahmad: Marwiyat Amr bin al As).
• And according to a tradition from Ali (RA) in Baihaqi, the Holy Prophet said: "First the leadership
of the Arabians was in the hands of the people of Himyar, then Allah withdrew it from them and
gave it to Quraish
11. D E S T R U C T I O N O F A B R A H A ' S A R M Y B Y
B I R D S E N H A N C E D Q U R A I S H ' S I M A G E
• Allah showed this manifestation of His power that the swarms of birds destroyed
60,000 Abyssinian troops brought by Abrahah by pelting then, with stones, and from
Makkah to Yaman they went on falling and dying by the wayside
• Faith that Ka'bah indeed was Allah's House increased manifold,
• Now the Arabs were convinced that Quraish were under Allah's special favor
• They visited every part of Arabia fearlessly and passed through every land with their
trade caravans unharmed.
• No one could dare touch them with an evil intention.
• Even if they had a non-Quraishite under their protection, he too was allowed to pass
unharmed.
12. T H E M E A N D S U B S T A N C E
• In the four brief sentences of this Surah, Quraish were simply asked to
consider:
• "When you know this House (i. e. the Ka'bah) is Allah's House, and not
of the idols
• When you fully know that it is Allah alone Who has granted you peace
by virtue of this House,
• He made your trade and commerce flourish and saving you from
destitution favored you with prosperity
• You should then worship and serve Him alone."
13. F O R T H E A C C U S T O M E D
S E C U R I T Y O F T H E Q U R A Y S H -
• Meaning of this (Ilaf) is what they would gather during their journey in the winter to Yemen and in the
summer to Ash-Sham through trade and other than that.
• Then they would return to their city in safety during their journeys due to the respect that the people had
for them because they were the residents of Allah’s sanctuary.
• Therefore, whoever knew them would honor them.
• Even those who came to them and traveled with them, would be safe because of them. This was their
situation during their journeys and travels during their winter and summer. In reference to their living in
the city, then it is as Allah said,
• أ
◌
َ
و
َ
ﻟ
َ
م
ْ
ﯾ
َ
ر
َ
و
ْ
ا
ْ
أ
َ
ﻧ
ﱠ
ﺎ
ﺟ
َ
ﻌ
َ
ﻠ
ْ
ﻧ
َ
ﺎ
ﺣ
َ
ر
َ
ﻣ
ﺎ
ً
ء
ا
ﻣ
ِ
ﻧ
ﺎ
ً
و
َ
ﯾ
ُ
ﺗ
َ
ﺧ
َ
ط
ﱠ
ف
ُ
ا
ﻟ
ﻧ
ﱠ
ﺎ
س
ُ
ﻣ
ِ
ن
ْ
ﺣ
َ
و
ْ
ﻟ
ِ
ﮭ
ِ
م
ْ
• “Have they not seen that We have made it a secure sanctuary, while men are being snatched away from all
around them.” (29:67).
14. B E A M A Z E D AT
U N I T I N G O F Q U R A I S H
•Ibn Jarir said,
•“The correct opinion is that the letter Lam is a
prefix that shows amazement. It is as though He
(Allah) is saying, `You should be amazed at the
uniting (or taming) of the Quraish and My favor
upon them in that.”
15. F O R S TA B I L I Z I N G A N D
U N I F Y I N G T H E Q U R A I S H
• The term /ilaf/ is an infinitive which means 'uniting together', and the term /ulfat/
means 'a gathering with intimacy and union'.
• The purpose of using it is for the familiarity and union amongst the Quraish tribe
• Together with all the citizens of Mecca, had settled there because of the honor,
importance and security of the Holy Ka'ba
• Every year, many people from Arabia and the Arabian Peninsula came to that city for
pilgrimage,
• also taking profit from some commercial and literacy exchanges.
• All of them were obtained under the existence of that peculiar security.
16. T H E Y A R E A C C U S T O M E D ِ
T O T H E I R J O U R N E Y S I N
W I N T E R A N D S U M M E R
• In the summer, they used to go to Syria which had moderate weather and in winter to
Yemen where they enjoyed a warm climate, for the purposes of trade, and
• It was by Allah's Grace that they travelled safe and undisturbed on their journeys,
• Otherwise, the routes were not safe and none could travel without being plundered
and suffering death and destruction or suffering heavy losses.
• Of course, for the same love, they did not leave Mecca to settle in these places.
• The main cause of their opposition, to the advent of Islam, was the fear of losing their
supremacy in the political and economic fields
17. S O L E T T H E M W O R S H I P َ -
T H E L O R D O F T H I S H O U S E ”.
• When the Quraish had been granted such great blessings;
• Security in trade for gaining profit
• In life for being honored,
• Inspite of their land being only a desert,provides them with every kind
of good food through merchandise and the pilgrimage.
• Allah had protected them from Abrahah.
They should have gratefully worshipped one Allah (SWT).
18. " W H O F E D T H E M A G A I N S T
H U N G E R A N D S E C U R E D
T H E M F R O M F E A R "
• This was an open admonition to the Quraish who,
• At the start of the message of the holy Prophet (S), had been
the most persistent enemies of the apostle of Allah and the
message of the Unity of the Lord which he preached.
• It was as well as a warning inviting their attention to the Mighty
power of Allah Who could also destroy them and humiliate
them as He did with their mighty foe, Abrahah.
19. A L L A H ' S W A R N I N G
• Allah says in Surah 16:
• و
َ
ﺿ
َ
ر
َ
ب
َ
ا
'
ﱠ
ُ
ﻣ
َ
ﺛ
َ
ﻼ
ً
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َ
ر
ْ
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َ
ﺔ
ً
ﻛ
َ
ﺎ
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َ
ت
ْ
ء
َ
ا
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ِ
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َ
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ً
ﻣ
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ط
ْ
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َ
ﺋ
ِ
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ً
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َ
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ْ
ﺗ
ِ
ﯾ
ﮭ
َ
ﺎ
ر
ِ
ز
ْ
ﻗ
ُ
ﮭ
َ
ﺎ
ر
َ
ﻏ
َ
د
ً
ا
ﻣ
ِّ
ن
ﻛ
ُ
ل
ِّ
ﻣ
َ
ﻛ
َ
ﺎ
ن
ٍ
ﻓ
َ
ﻛ
َ
ﻔ
َ
ر
َ
ت
ْ
ﺑ
ِ
ﺄ
َ
ﻧ
ْ
ﻌ
ُ
م
ِ
ا
'
ﱠ
ِ
ﻓ
َ
ﺄ
َ
ذ
َ
ا
ﻗ
َ
ﮭ
َ
ﺎ
ا
'
ﱠ
ُ
ﻟ
ِ
ﺑ
َ
ﺎ
س
َ
ا
ﻟ
ْ
ﺟ
ُ
و
ع
ِ
و
َ
ا
ﻟ
ْ
ﺧ
َ
و
ْ
ف
ِ
ﺑ
ِ
ﻣ
َ
ﺎ
ﻛ
َ
ﺎ
ﻧ
ُ
و
ا
ْ
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َ
ﺻ
ْ
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َ
ﻌ
ُ
و
ن
َ –
• و
َ
ﻟ
َ
ﻘ
َ
د
ْ
ﺟ
َ
ﺂ
ء
َ
ھ
ُ
م
ْ
ر
َ
ﺳ
ُ
و
ل
ٌ
ﻣ
ِّ
ﻧ
ْ
ﮭ
ُ
م
ْ
ﻓ
َ
ﻛ
َ
ذ
ﱠ
ﺑ
ُ
و
ه
ُ
ﻓ
َ
ﺄ
َ
ﺧ
َ
ذ
َ
ھ
ُ
م
ُ
ا
ﻟ
ْ
ﻌ
َ
ذ
َ
ا
ب
ُ
و
َ
ھ
ُ
م
ْ
ظ
َ
ـ
ﻠ
ِ
ﻣ
ُ
و
ن
َ
• And Allah puts forward the example of a township, that dwelt secure and well-content:
its provision coming to it in abundance from every place, but it denied the favors of
Allah. So, Allah made it taste extreme of hunger and fear, because of that which they
used to do.
• And verily, there had come unto them a Messenger from among themselves, but they
denied him, so the torment overtook them while they were wrongdoers. (16:112-113)
20. L E S S O N S F R O M S U R A H Q U R A I S H
• Allāh blessed the Quraysh with security when they sent caravans on business trips,
all year round. No one would attack them because of their ties with the House of
Allāh.
• Allāh sends us blessings and bounties, and expects of us to worship and obey Him
alone in return.
• Allāh also blessed the Quraysh in that much would be brought to them in terms of
sustenance, whilst those in surrounding places would suffer. We too witness this
when visiting Makkah: we find all kinds of food, drink and other items, at even the
most busiest of periods.
• Always show gratitude by remaining obedient to him.