Today's verse

بِسْمِ اللّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيْم

Chapter 106

ﺳﻮﺭﺓ ﻗﺮﻳﺶ

Sūrat al- Quraish

English: Quraish [ Quraish is the name of a prominent tribe in Mecca]

Verse 1

Arabic

ﻟِﺈِﻳﻠَﺎﻑِ ﻗُﺮَﻳْﺶ

Transliteration:

Li iiilaafi quraish

Meaning:

1. For the taming of the Quraish.

Note: Taming or to tame means to soften, weaken or to make no longer wild. Eg., the lion has been tamed.

Tafsir:

This Surah has been separated from the one that preceded it (Chapter 105) in the primary Mushaf (the original copy of the Qur'an. They (the Companions) wrote "In the Name of Allah, the
Most Gracious, the Most Merciful'' on the line (i.e., the space) between these two Surahs. They did this even though this Surah is directly related to the one which precedes it, as Muhammad bin Ishaq and `Abdur-Rahman bin Zayd bin Aslam have both clarified. This is because the meaning of both of them is, "We have prevented the Elephant from entering Makkah and We have destroyed its
people in order to gather (Ilaf) the Quraysh, which means to unite them and bring them together safely in their city.''

It has also been said that the 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,

﴿ﺃَﻭَﻟَﻢْ ﻳَﺮَﻭْﺍْ ﺃَﻧَّﺎ ﺟَﻌَﻠْﻨَﺎ ﺣَﺮَﻣﺎً ﺀﺍﻣِﻨﺎً
ﻭَﻳُﺘَﺨَﻄَّﻒُ ﺍﻟﻨَّﺎﺱُ ﻣِﻦْ ﺣَﻮْﻟِﻬِﻢْ﴾

(Have they not seen that We have made it a secure
sanctuary, while men are being snatched away from all around them) (29:67)

Thus, Allah says,

﴿ﻹِﻳﻠَـﻒِ ﻗُﺮَﻳْﺶٍ ﺇِﻳﻠَـﻔِﻬِﻢْ﴾

(For the Ilaf of the Quraysh.) For the taming and protection of the Quraish.

Tafsir Ibn Kathir