Surah Quraysh

It is also called "Surah Li-ilafi Quraysh." It is Meccan according to the opinion of the majority, and Medinan according to the opinion of al-Dahhak and Ibn al-Sa'ib. Its verses are five in the Hijazi count and four otherwise.

Its connection to the preceding surah is too evident to be obscured; indeed, a group has stated that they are one surah. They argued that Ubayy ibn Ka'b did not separate them in his codex with the Basmala, based on what was narrated from 'Amr ibn Maymun al-Azdi, who said: "I prayed the Maghrib prayer behind 'Umar ibn al-Khattab—may Allah the Exalted be pleased with him—and he recited in the first rak'ah 'Atin' [Surah al-Tin], and in the second 'Alam Tara' [Surah al-Fil] and 'Li-ilafi Quraysh' without separating them with the Basmala."

It has been answered that a group has established the separation in Ubayy's codex, and the one who affirms takes precedence over the one who denies. Furthermore, the report of Ibn Maymun, even if its authenticity is granted, may be due to his failure to hear it, or perhaps 'Umar recited it silently.

Evidence for it being an independent surah is what al-Bukhari recorded in his Tarikh, as well as al-Tabarani, al-Hakim (who authenticated it), Ibn Mardawayh, and al-Bayhaqi in al-Khilafiyat, on the authority of Umm Hani bint Abi Talib, that the Messenger of Allah—may Allah the Exalted grant him peace—said: "Allah the Exalted favored Quraysh with seven qualities that He did not give to anyone before them, nor will He give to anyone after them: I am among them—and in another phrasing: Prophethood is among them, the Caliphate is among them, the guardianship [of the Ka'bah] is among them, the providing of water is among them, they were granted victory over the People of the Elephant, and they worshipped Allah the Exalted for seven years—and in another phrasing: ten years—during which no one else worshipped Him. And a surah of the Quran was revealed concerning them, in which no one else is mentioned: 'Li-ilafi Quraysh'."

A similar account to the latter came in two other reports: one from al-Zubayr ibn al-'Awwam in a marfu' form, and the second from Sa'id ibn al-Musayyib from him—may Allah the Exalted grant him peace. The independence of the surah is also supported by the fact that its verses do not follow the pattern of the verses preceding it. You know that after the establishment of the tawatur (consecutive transmission) of the separation, there is no need for anything of what is mentioned.

(In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful)

Li-Īlāfi Qurayshin (For the taming/familiarization of Quraysh): Al-Īlāf, according to al-Khafaji, is the verbal noun (maṣdar) of allaftu ash-shay’a (I tamed/assembled the thing) and ālaftuhu, derived from al-alf (intimacy/union). It is—as al-Raghib stated—a gathering characterized by cohesion (ilti’ām). Al-Harawi stated in al-Gharībayn that al-īlāf refers to covenants made between them and the kings; thus, Hashim would secure a covenant with the King of al-Sham, al-Muttalib with Chosroes, and ‘Abd Shams and Nawfal with the Kings of Egypt and Abyssinia. He said: The meaning of yu’ālif is to make a covenant and to associate. Its verb form is ālafa (on the scale of fā‘ala), and its verbal noun is ilāf—without a yā’—following the pattern of qitāl (fighting), like the triliteral kataba which forms kitāban. The verb may also come on the scale of af‘ala, like āmana, with its verbal noun being īlāf, like īmān. Construing al-īlāf as meaning "covenants" is contrary to the view of the majority, as is not hidden to one who examines it. In al-Baḥr, it is stated that īlāf is the verbal noun of ālafa (quadriliteral), while ilāf is the verbal noun of alifa (triliteral). It is said: alifa ar-rajulu al-amra alfan wa ilāfan (the man became accustomed to the matter), and ālafa ghayrahu iyyāhu (he caused another to become accustomed to it). Sometimes ālafa comes as a transitive verb taking one object, as in alifa (he became intimate). From this is the saying:

Among those familiar with the sand [dunes], a dark-skinned, noble [gazelle], The rays of the forenoon sun become clear on her neck.

The various readings regarding this will be mentioned, God Almighty willing.

Quraysh are the descendants of al-Naḍr ibn Kināna; this is the soundest and most established opinion according to al-Qurṭubi. It is said that the jurists hold this view based on the apparent meaning of what was narrated: that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was asked who Quraysh were, and he replied, "The descendants of al-Naḍr." It is also said they are the descendants of Fihr ibn Mālik ibn al-Naḍr, an opinion narrated from the majority. Indeed, al-Zubayr ibn Bakkār said that the genealogists—both from Quraysh and others—agreed that Quraysh only diverged from the line of Fihr. Many state that his name was Quraysh and Fihr was his title, and he was known as Abu Ghālib. It is also said they are the descendants of Makhlad ibn al-Naḍr, but this is weak. Some historical accounts claim al-Naḍr ibn Kināna had no descendants except Mālik. Weaker still—and in fact a Rāfiḍī claim intended to deny the legitimacy of the caliphate of the two Sheikhs—is the claim that they are the descendants of Quṣayy ibn Ḥakīm. Others say the name was ‘Urwa, with the title Kilāb (dogs) due to his frequent hunting or his mukālabah—meaning his fighting/clashing—with enemies. Quṣayy gathered Quraysh in the Sanctuary (al-Ḥaram) and they took it [the Sanctuary] after having been scattered elsewhere. This is what the poet meant by his words:

Our father Quṣayy was called "The Gatherer," By him, God gathered the tribes of Fihr.

Thus, it does not support the claim [the Rāfiḍī claim] at all. Originally, the word is derived from taqarrush—opening the qāf—which is the name of a sea creature, the mightiest of them, which eats but is not eaten, and rises but is not surpassed. This is how Ibn ‘Abbās answered Mu‘āwiyah when he asked him why Quraysh were named Quraysh. That creature is called qirsh, as mentioned in the words of the scholar [Ibn ‘Abbās], and it is also called quraysh. To this refers the saying of Tubba‘, as narrated by Abu al-Walīd al-Azraqī, and the scholar [Ibn ‘Abbās] also recited it for Mu‘āwiyah, though he attributed it to al-Jumaḥī. It is Quraysh that inhabit the sea:

By it, Quraysh were named Quraysh, They eat the lean and the fat, And leave not for any winged creature a feather. Thus, in the lands, there is a tribe of Quraysh, They eat up the lands, a ravenous eating. And they have, at the end of time, a prophet, Who will increase the killing and the fury among them.

Al-Farrā’ said it comes from taqarrush, meaning seeking wealth; they were named so because of their trade. Others said it is from taqrīsh, meaning searching/scrutinizing, such as the saying of al-Ḥārith ibn Ḥilliza: "O you censurer who searches (muqarrish) us at ‘Amr’s, is there any survival for us?" They were named so because their ancestor would search for those in need to fulfill their needs; likewise, they would search for those in poverty to support them. It is also said it comes from taqarrush, meaning gathering, as in the saying: "Brothers who gathered (qarrashū) sins against us in a time of their age and antiquity." They were named so because of their gathering after being scattered. If the diminutive is from the augmented [form], it is a diminutive of syncopation (tarkhīm); if from a simple triliteral, it is in its original form. In any case, it is for glorification, like the example:

And every people, there will enter among them, A little disaster, from which the fingertips turn yellow.

The relative noun (nisbah) is Qurashī and Qurayshī, as in al-Qāmūs. They unanimously agreed to treat it as diptote (ṣarf) here, observing the meaning of the tribe (ḥayy). It is also permissible to treat it as non-diptote, observing the meaning of the clan/tribe (qabīlah), due to the generality and femininity. To this refers the saying:

And sufficed Quraysh the momentous affairs, and he who led them.

Sībawayh said regarding words like Ma‘add, Quraysh, and Thaqīf that these are primarily for tribes (aḥyā’); however, if they are made as proper nouns for tribes, it is permissible and good. The lām in Li-Īlāfi is for causation (ta‘līl). The prepositional phrase, according to al-Khalīl, is connected to his command: "Let them worship (falyabudū)." This is because the speech carries a conditional meaning, as the sense is: God’s blessings are countless, so if they do not worship Him for His other blessings, let them worship Him for this great blessing. Since it is not in the response to a formal condition, it is effectively redundant; thus, there is no impediment to placing the object of what follows it before it. His saying, the Exalted...