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Surah 106 - Quraish

For Quraishi safety -
Their safety during the passing of winter and summer -
let them worship the Lord of this house.
It is He who feeds them so they do not hunger and protects them so they do not fear.

Commentary

'Quraish' is usually thought to be the name of Muhammad's tribe, but the lack of 'al-' suggests it may not be the name of a tribe so much as a description, perhaps of those Arab tribes that were Roman foederati (mercenaries paid by the Roman administration to police the border).

This is an odd little surah which has no obvious rhyme. Usually translations refer to 'winter and summer caravans' referring putatively to the Quraishi's mercantile habits, but I wonder instead if the wider sense is the annual care of the people throughout the cycle of the seasons: it is their movement not that of the people that is being described. They are being invited to recognise their security and respond with worship and service. The word translated 'house' could more metaphorically mean 'people' rather than the Ka'aba sanctuary in Mecca (or anywhere else).

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