Beams of Illumination From the Divine Revelation (juz' 'amma - the Last Section of the Qur'an)

Sura 3 : Surat Quraysh the Quraysh

In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Most Merciful

Surat Quraysh is related to the previous surah, and traditionally many people recite the two surahs together as one.

This surah is concerned with the state of the people of Quraysh, as though the protection that came to them grew out of the uniting and the joining together of their hearts, for the purpose of enabling the Quraysh to become content and reconciled among themselves.

1 For the protection of the Quraysh

Ilaf is a verbal noun which means "keeping, pro­tecting." Alifa, the verbal root, means "to be acquaint­ed, be familiar, to be or get accustomed to," as well as "to be fond of." It has the additional connotation of uniting. Allafa bayna qulu­bihim means "he brought together their hearts," because that familiarity, that contentment with each other, that comradeship, grew out of knowledge.

2 Their protection during their trading cara­vans in the winter and the summer

This ayah refers to the fact that the people of Quraysh would gather to outfit their winter and summer caravans. Outwardly they practiced constant movement, travelling during the winter and sum­mer seasons. In the winter they headed south to the Yemen, and in the summer they travelled north to Syria. Winter and summer repre­sent the dual aspects of life. Night and day were created for us so that we may sleep peacefully at night and work during the day in order that we, as human beings, can function, fluctuating constantly be­tween two levels, between opposites.

3 So let them worship the Lord of this house,

The event of the elephant brought about the destruction of Abraha's army and enabled those of the Quraysh who were in iman, who were the keepers of the Ka'bah, known as the people of Bani Hashim, to continue to worship the Lord of the House, the Lord of the Ka'bah.

4 Who feeds them against hunger and gives them security from fear.

This refers to those who have received the outer, gross, existential necessities, so that their physical hunger as well as their hunger for knowledge and the Source of certainty is satisfied, and therefore their fear is alleviated. They are brought into the peace of iman, into the state of trust in the perfection of all that befalls them, and thus they are able to keep the door of worship open for the benefit of the rest of their society. There are many traditions which say that as long as there are people whose worship is true, their community, their society, will be safe, and that Allah's protection of them will be according to the extent of their tawakkul (dependence on Allah).