(p-259) Surah Quraish's purpose is to indicate the opposite of what the elephant indicated, which is the destruction of the stubborn deniers who oppose the reform of the devoted worshippers. This is a great glad tidings for Quraish specifically, by manifesting their honor in both abodes. Its name, Quraish, clearly indicates that. The expression 'Quraish' instead of 'your people' or 'the Banu Hashim' for example indicates that they will overpower all people with strength, as the name suggests, and without strength, as indicated by what was done for their sake in the story of the elephant: 'In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.' All perfection belongs to Him. 'The Most Gracious' is the One with general blessings through creation and expression, for He is the One of favors. 'The Most Merciful' is the One of retribution by distancing and specificity with whom He wills, by granting happiness through closeness and reverence.

When what He, glorified and exalted is He, did - by preventing this great army - which, from its strength, is the obedience of the greatest of what Allah has created of the wild animals, as we know it for Him - from entering the Sacred Sanctuary, which is the manifestation of His power and the place of His magnificent greatness and honor, and the reminder of His friend, blessings and peace be upon him, and what was from the fulfillment of His great friendship - a great and evident honor for Quraysh, an immediate protection for them from having their homes violated and their children taken captive, due to their being the children of His friend, and the servants of His House, and the inhabitants of His Sanctuary, and those who take pride in Him and are devoted to Him. And from having their place of honor and their place of safety and their livelihood and their refuge destroyed, He reminded them, glorified and exalted is He, of what is in it of the immediate blessing, as a second honor by looking at the outcome. He said, indicating that whoever is arrogant towards Him, He will break him, and whoever humbles himself before Him and serves Him, He will honor him and exalt him: "For the accustomed security of Quraysh" meaning for this matter and nothing else, we did that, which is their being accustomed to it, which is their familiarity with their land that brings about their tranquility and the awe of people for them. And this is necessary for their familiarity first within themselves. So if they have the familiarity with their Sanctuary due to what they have obtained of honor and power therein, by which He defended them, along with what He has protected them from after calamities, and they have familiarity among themselves, then some of them are familiar with one another. Their matter became strong, so they became familiar with others, meaning they made it so that what they were accustomed to became familiar to what they had made customary for it, or the 'lam' may be related to the act of worship by the indication of "So let them worship" [Quraysh: 3], meaning let them worship Us for the sake of what We have established of their familiarity and their accustomed security. And in both cases, the familiarity is a reason for worship or for what necessitates gratitude through worship. And in this is an indication of the completeness of His power, glorified and exalted is He, and that if He intends something, He facilitates its cause, for all planning is for Him. He lowers whom He wills, even if he is mighty, and raises whom He wills, even if he is lowly, so that the belief in that may yield His love and devotion to His worship and reliance upon Him in every benefit and protection. And Quraysh is the offspring of Al-Nadr ibn Kinana, and their name and the name of their tribe is derived from 'al-qirsh' [and 'al-taqarrush'] which means to earn and gather. It is said: So-and-so 'yaqraash' for his family and 'yaqtarish' meaning he earns. And Al-Baghawi said: And Abu Rayhana said: Muawiya asked Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both: Why were they named this? He said: For a creature that is in the sea, it is the greatest of creatures, it is called 'al-qirsh', it does not pass by anything of the worthless and valuable except that it eats it, and it eats and is not eaten, and it rises and is not surpassed. He said: And do the Arabs know this in their poetry? He said: Yes, and he recited for Al-Jumahi:

And Quraysh is the one that dwells in the sea with it

It was named Quraysh for this reason.

It dominated with its height in the depths of the sea over

All the other armies, armies.

Al-Zamakhshari said: It is a great creature that wreaks havoc on ships and cannot be endured except by fire. The diminutive form is for the purpose of magnification - this is the end of it. It was said: They were named thus for their gathering to the Sacred House after their dispersion. For indeed, Quraysh - as has been mentioned - is the gathering, and the gathering for them was far away. Quraysh also means the strong. It was said: It is from the word 'taqarraša' (تَقَرَّشَ) meaning when a man distances himself from the impurities of matters. And when the spears 'taqarashat' (تَقارَشَت) in war - it means that some of them entered into [others].

The entire essence is for strength and mixing, and the expression with this name is for their praise. And just as He, glorified and exalted is He, has made their praise flow upon tongues, He made them a place of praise. The Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, said: "Indeed, Allah has chosen Kinana from the children of Ismail, and He has chosen Quraysh from Kinana, and He has chosen Banu Hashim from Quraysh, and He has chosen me from Banu Hashim." And he, blessings and peace be upon him, said: "The leaders are from Quraysh." The scholars said: This is because noble lineage leads to good morals, and good morals lead to a pure heart, and a pure heart is a help in understanding knowledge. And by understanding knowledge, one attains the highest ranks in [this world and] the Hereafter.

And the name here is directed towards the meaning of the living so that the name with its essence indicates the gathering, and by its derivation indicates life, indicating the perfection of their lives outwardly and inwardly. Sibawayh said regarding Ma'ad, Quraysh, and Thaqif: He derived these living beings more. And if you made it a name for the tribes - meaning you restricted it - then it is permissible and good. And what indicates the connection of the 'lam' (ل) with an action is shown by the elephant, that the two surahs in the Mushaf of Ubayy, may Allah be pleased with him, are one surah without [any] separation. And that Abd al-Razzaq and Ibn Abi Shaybah narrated from Abu Ishaq from Amr ibn Maymun who said: Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, led us in the Maghrib prayer and recited in the first [rak'ah] with 'By the fig and the olive,' and in the second [rak'ah] 'Did you not see how' and 'For the alliance of Quraysh.'

And Imam Abu Ja'far ibn al-Zubayr said: There is a hidden connection between them, meaning that He, glorified and exalted is He, did that with the companions of the elephant and prevented them from His House and His Sanctuary for the unity of Quraysh, who are the inhabitants of the Sanctuary and the residents of the Sacred House of Allah. And to unite them with these two journeys so that they may remain in Mecca and their area may be safe - this is the end.