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Home , Manaf (deity), Quraysh, Quraysh (surah)

THE LIVING

In Arab and Muslim collective memory, Quraysh is in a league of its own. Quraysh is the clan of the (570-632 CE) and many of his close companions — the nucleus of today’s . But even before , Quraysh can boast a history of leaders and communities of conspicuously noble character.

Throughout its history, Quryash came to stand for three honorable human impulses: the impulse for unity, the impulse for justice, and the impulse for connecting with others through the exchange of material and cultural products.

In the Quraysh experience, the three elements (unity, justice, communication) constituted a comprehensive worldview. First, the need to exchange material and cultural goods through trade and religious festivals demanded efficient communication and equitable legal conventions. Second, efficient communication and fair laws were the foundation for an interdependent and united world.

EXCHANGING MATERIAL AND CULTURAL GOODS COMMUNICATION & EQUITABLE CONVENSIONS INTER-DEPENDENCE AND LARGER UNITY

Following is a brief sketch of the Quraysh story, through these three themes.

Unity

One given etymology for the name Quraysh is that it comes from a word that means gathering or getting together ( taqarrush).* It was an ancestor of the Prophet Muhammad, named Qusayy, who brought his kinsmen together after their pursuit of livelihood caused them to spread in different parts of northern Arabia. The name Quraysh is said to describe this gathering (taqarrush). The same man, Qusayy, also founded the House of Deliberation (Dar al-Nadwa) for the people of to decide the issues that concerned them.

The spirit of taqarrush or getting together could serve as the central theme in the subsequent . The peoples who participated in the Islamic civilization, which originated in Arabia, spoke hundreds of different languages and held many different beliefs. After the Prophet Muhammad introduced his call for Islam, Quryash provided the seeds for one of the most significant multi-cultural units in the human experience.Diversity within unity could be the slogan for this multi-cultural and multireligious unit.

* Another etymology is that Quraysh, meaning a little shark, was a nick name for Fihr (see lineage tree at the end). The Arab/Muslim world has included 1) who were not Muslim, 2) who were not Arab, 3) residents in the Muslim community who were neither Arab nor Muslim, and 4) . Scholars continue to be challenged to refer to this multicultural and multi-religious world in a succinct manner, and terms such as the Islamic or Muslim world remain insufficient. All agree that it all started with a Quraysh man named Muhammad, followed by two Quraysh people, a woman named Khadija, the Prophet’s wife, and his cousin ‘ Ibn Abi Talib. With its continuous legacy of bringing people together through the spirit of taqarrush, Quraysh lives with us today, a creature approaching two millennia of age. Justice M usl i m w or l d r emai n i nsuffi ci ent . Al l agr ee t hat i t al l st ar t ed w i t h a Qur aysh man named M uhammad, fol l ow ed by t w o Qur aysh peopl e, a w oman named Khadi j a, t he The impulse for justiceProphet’sM usl runs i m w deepwife, or l d andrin emai Quraysh his n cousini nsuffi history. ci‘Ali ent Ibn . WeAl Abi l areagr Talib. eetold t hat Withof ia t 6th alits l stcontinuouscentury ar t ed w bill i t hlegacy ofa rightsQur of aysh bringing protecting man non-Meccan named M uhammad, fol l ow ed by t w o Qur aysh peopl e, a w oman named Khadi j a, t he Mpeopl usl i em t ogetw or herl d r t emai hr ough n i nsuffi t he spi ci ent r i t . of Al t aqar l agr r ush ee , tQuraysh hat i t al llives st ar twith ed w us i t h today, a Qur a aysh creature man Prophet’s wife, and his cousin ‘Ali Ibn Abi Talib. With its continuous legacy of bringing merchants against abuseapprnamed oachi byM uhammad,ngMeccans. t w o mi l lThis ennifol l ow acame of ed age. by to tbe w o known Qur aysh as peoplthe Fudul e, a w Alliance oman named (Arabic Khadi hilf al-Fudul)—so-named j a, t he Prophet’speopl e t oget wife, her and t hr oughhis cousin t he spi ‘Ali r i tIbn of tAbi aqar Talib. r ush, Quraysh With its lives continuous with us legacytoday, of a bringingcreature after the names of itsappr main oachi negotiators, ng t w o mi l l enni who a ofwere age. themselves Meccans. With this, the Quraysh elders established that peopl e t oget her t hr ough t he spi r i t of t aqar r ush, Quraysh lives with us today, a creature an alliance for justiceapprJU is ST oachihigher I CE ng than t w o mian l lalliance enni a of age.of blood or ancestry in their eyes. The i mpul se f or j ust i ce r uns deep i n Qur aysh hi st or y. W e ar e t ol d of a 6th cent ur y JUbi l lST of I CEr i ght s pr ot ect i ng non-M eccan mer chant s agai nst abuse by M eccans. Thi s came t o The i mpul se f or j ust i ce r uns deep i n Qur aysh hi st or y. W e ar e t ol d of a 6th cent ur y Numerous other alliancesJUbe STknown I CE (ahlaf) as the in QurayshFudul Alliance history (Arabic offer hiexamples l f al -Fudul )of —so- negotiated named af conventions t er t he names whichof i t s addressed bi l l of r i ght s pr ot ect i ng non-M eccan mer chant s agai nst abuse by M eccans. Thith s came t o mai n negotThe i mpulat or s, se w f or ho j ustw eri ce e rt uns hemsel deep ves i n QurM eccans. aysh hi stW or iy. t h W t hi e s,ar et t he ol dQur of a aysh 6 cent der ur ys different concerns biestbeof l ljustice.ablknown of ir shed i ght as sTheset pr hatthe ot an ect Fudulranged al i ng l i ance non-MAlliance from for eccan j ustregulating (Arabic i cemer i s chant hihi lgher faccess al s -Fudul agait han to nst) —so-an waterabuse al l namedi ance andby Mof afother eccans.bl t er ood tresources, he or Thinames ancest s came of r y protection iin to s of livestock betmai hei knownn r eyes.negot as i at the or s, Fudul w ho Alliancew er e t hemsel (Arabic ves hi lM f al eccans. -Fudul ) —so- W it named h t hi s, af t t he er tQur he names aysh elof der i t s and other properties,est and abl i shed conflicts t hat an addressing al l i ance for social j ust i ceand i s hifamilial gher t handisputes. an al l i ance of bl ood or ancest r y in mai n negotN umer i at ousor s, otw her ho alw l ier ances e t hemsel ( ahl af) ves i n QurM eccans. aysh hi stW or yi t hof ft er hi ex s, amplt he esQur of aysh negot el i atder ed s t hei r eyes. estconventions abl i shed t which hat an addressedal l i ance for different j ust i ce concernsi s hi gher oft han justice. an al lThese i ance ofranged bl ood from or ancest regulating r y in taccess hei r eyes. tN o umerw at er ous and ot herot her al l ir ances esour ( ces,ahl afpr) oti n ectQur i on aysh of hil i vest st or ock y of fand er ex ot ampl her espr operof negot t i es, i atand ed Trade protections remained a recurrent theme in pre-Islamic Quraysh history. In most cases, the protection was conflictsconventionsN addressing umer which ous ot addressed social her al land i ances different familial ( ahl af disputes.)concerns i n Qur aysh of justice. hi st or y These of f er exranged ampl esfrom of negotregulating i at ed access t o w at er and ot her r esour ces, pr ot ect i on of l i vest ock and ot her pr oper t i es, and conventionsTr ade which pr ot ect addressed i ons r emai different ned a r ecur concerns r ent t hemeof justice. i n pr e-These I sl ami ranged c Qur ayshfrom hi regulating st or y. I n offered to foreign conflictsmerchants addressing who shared social neither and familial Quraysh’s disputes. pagan religion nor its language, such as the of the accessmost cases,t o w att er he andpr otot ect her i on r esourw as ces,of f erpr ed ot ectt o i onf or of ei gnl i vest mer ock chant and s otw her ho prshar oper ed t i es,nei tand her Tr ade pr ot ect i ons r emai ned a r ecur r ent t heme i n pr e- I sl ami c Qur aysh hi st or y. I n Levant and the ChristiansconflictsQur aysh’s of addressing Ethiopia.pagan rel Asocial i gifrequent on andnor familiali statement t s l anguage, disputes. in such negotiations as t he Jew that s ofsettled t he Levant these tradeand t heconventions was most cases, t he pr ot ect i on w as of f er ed t o f or ei gn mer chant s w ho shar ed nei t her ChristiansTr ade of prEthiopia. ot ect i ons A r emaifrequent ned a statementr ecur r ent tin heme negotiations i n pr e- I sl amithat c Qursettled aysh thi hese st or t y. r ade I n “your rights must beQur equivalent aysh’s pagan to your r el i giresponsibilities.” on nor i t s l anguage, such as t he Jew s of t he Levant and t he conventmost cases, i ons wt heas “yourpr ot ectr i ght i on s mustw as beof fequi er ed valt o ent f or t oei your gn mer r esponsi chant bis lw i t iho es.” shar ed nei t her of Ethiopia. A frequent statement in negotiations that settled t hese t r ade Qur aysh’s pagan r el i gi on nor i t s l anguage, such as t he Jew s of t he Levant and t he ”.your) r esponsi bi l i t i es ﻟﻜﻢt o ﻣﺜﻞval ent ﻣﺎ equi ﻋﻠﯿﻜﻢconvent i ons w as “your r i ght s must( be Christians of Ethiopia. A frequent statement in negotiations that settled t hese t r ade One must note that some Onetribesmen must not allied e t hat themselves some t r i besmen with their al l i ed tribe t hemsel first ves and w iforemost t h t hei r t r i bewhile f i r stdisplaying and strong your) with r esponsi larger bi social l i t i es.” units. This was ﻟﻜﻢaffiliate t o ﻣﺜﻞval to ent ﻣﺎ equi ﻋﻠﯿﻜﻢforemostconvent ions whiledisplayingstrong w as “your r i ght s must reluctance( be to t hemselt rigorous aught) veshi s wreflectionuni i t h ver t hei sal r message. tafter r i be f i rthe st TheandProphet taught hisﻟﻜﻢ ophet l i ed ﻣﺜﻞPr al ﻣﺎ twas ier besmen t hesubjectedﻋﻠﯿﻜﻢreluctance to affiliatesubj ectwith edOne larger t omust r i gor social not ous e rt efunits. hat l ect some i onThis af t( r foremost whiledisplayingstrong reluctance to affiliate with larger social units. This was Qur ’an Onet eaches must t hat not humans e t hat somear e or t i rgi i besmen nal l y one al lfami i ed lt y.hemsel Sur a ves 2, verw i set h 213,t hei r eads:t r i be “Hf i r umansst and universal message. subjThe ectQur’an ed t o teachesr i gor ous that r ef l ecthumans i on af t erare t heoriginally Pr ophet one t aught family. hi s Surauni ver 2, sal verse message. 213, reads: The “Humans foremostor i gi nat ed whiledisplayingstrong as one peopl e” reluctance to affiliate with larger social units. This was Qur ’an t eaches t hat humans ar e or i gi nal l y one fami l y. Sur a 2, ver se 213, r eads: “H umans subj ect ed t o r i gor ous r ef l ect i on af t er t he Pr ophet t aught hi s uni ver sal message. The (ﻛﺎن اﻟﻨﺎس أﻣﺔ واﺣﺪة) ”originated as one people”or i gi nat ed as one peopl e ButQur ’ant hei t r eaches di ver si t that y i shumans i nevi t abl ar e. e orSur i gi a nal123, l y verone se fami 118, lof y. t Sur he Qur a 2, ’anver pr se ovi213, des r eads: t he ot“H her umans si de ”one nation (ﻛﺎن into being اﻟﻨﺎس أﻣﺔ humans واﺣﺪة)ofor it gi he nat st edory: as one“ peopl could e” have forced But t hei r di ver si t y i s i nevi t abl e. Sur a 123, ver se 118, of t he Qur ’an pr ovi des t he ot her si de the other side of the story: “God could have (ﻛﺎن provides اﻟﻨﺎس Qur’an أﻣﺔ of the واﺣﺪة),But their diversity is inevitable. Sura 123, verse 118 (”nationوﻟﻮ one ﺷﺎء being رﺑﻚ into ﻟﺠﻌﻞ humans اﻟﻨﺎس أﻣﺔ have forced واﺣﺪة)of t he st ory: “God could But t heiThi r di s ver compl si t y i ex s i nevimessage t abl e. has Sur aopened 123, ver t sehe 118,door of tf orhe Qurdiversity ’an pr within ovi des unity t he ott oher be sit dehe forced humans into being one nation” uslnation” i) ms spr ead t hi s message وﻟﻮ one M ﺷﺎءibeing ons of رﺑﻚ into at ﻟﺠﻌﻞ thumans y. Gener اﻟﻨﺎس أﻣﺔ dhave communi forced واﺣﺪةofbanner t he st of ory: t he “God new could w or(l ure )for within t hose unitywho tsought o be t het o وﻟﻮ or diversity ﺷﺎءof depart f رﺑﻚt point he door ﻟﺠﻌﻞopened t heاﻟﻨﺎس أﻣﺔremainedhas واﺣﺪة)across tThi he world, s compl and ex Qurayshmessage hearbanner t he Thiof st or st he y.compl new ex w message or l d communi has opened t y. Gener t he atdoor i ons fof or Mdiversity usl i ms withinspr ead unity t hi st omessage be t he This complex messageacross has t heopened world, theand doorQuraysh for diversityremained withint he point unity of departto be the ure forbanner t hose of who the sought new world t o community. banner of t he new w or l d communi t y. Gener at i ons of M usl i ms spr ead t hi s message hear t he st or y. Generations of Muslimsacross spread t he world, this andmessage Quraysh across remained the world, t he point and of Quraysh depart ure remained for t hose thewho point sought of tdeparture o for those hearEXPANSIVE t he st or y. COMMUNICATION who sought to hear the story.For many generations, Quraysh tradesmen sold their merchandise only in Arabian marEXPANSIVE k et s, most COMMUNICATION l y i n M eccan t r ade- cum- r el i gi on f est i val s. Thi s si t uat i on changed a f ew For many generations, Quraysh tradesmen sold their merchandise only in† Arabian EXPANSIVEgener at i ons befor COMMUNICATION e t he Pr ophet M uhammad. A Qur aysh man k now n as H ashi m ( al so as mar k et s, most l y i n M eccan t r ade- cum- r el i gi on f est i val s. Thi s si t uat i on changed a f ew For many generations, Quraysh tradesmen sold their merchandise only in† Arabian †gener at i ons befor e t he Pr ophet M uhammad. A Qur aysh man k now n as H ashi m ( al so as mar H ashi k et m s, i smost an adj l yect i in ve M meani eccan ng ‘cutt r ade- t er ,’ cum-w hi ch r elbecame i gi on ‘Amrf esti ’s val ni s.ck name Thi sbecause si t uat ihe on w changed as k now n ta o fbe ew a goodgener cook at i ons who befor cut bread e t he into Pr ophetpieces and M uhammad.applied it to differentA Qur aysh dishes, man most k nownotably n as soup H ashidishes. m† ( al so as † H ashi m i s an adj ect i ve meani ng ‘cut t er ,’ w hi ch became ‘Amr ’s ni ck name because he w as k now n t o be a good cook who cut bread into pieces and applied it to different dishes, most notably soup dishes. † H ashi m i s an adj ect i ve meani ng ‘cut t er ,’ w hi ch became ‘Amr ’s ni ck name because he w as k now n t o be a good cook who cut bread into pieces and applied it to different dishes, most notably soup dishes.

† Hashim is an adjective meaning ‘cutter,’ which became ‘Amr’s nickname because he was known to be a good cook who cut bread into pieces and applied it to different dishes, most notably soup dishes.

2 Expansive Communication

For many generations, Quraysh tradesmen sold their merchandise only in Arabian markets, mostly in Meccan trade- cum-religion festivals. This situation changed a few generations before the Prophet Muhammad. A Quraysh man known as Hashim† (also as ‘Amr) convinced the Byzantine Emperor to open up Byzantine markets for Arab products. Sura 106 in the Qur’an recounts this story:

‘Amr)“For convincedthe conventions the Byzantine of secure Emperor and open to exchangeopen up Byzantine(ilaf) enjoyed markets by Quraysh for Arab products. Sura 106 inIn the their Qur’an Winter recounts and Summerthis story: trade journeys “ For t he convent i ons of secur e and open ex change ( i l af) enjoyed by Quraysh Let them glorify the Lord of this Sacred House in Mecca In their W inter and Summer trade journeys Who provided themLet t hemnourishment gl or i f y t he to Lor fence d of t hioff s Sacr hunger ed H ouseand isecurity n M ecca to stave off fear. W ho pr ovi ded t hem nour i shment t o f ence of f hunger and secur i t y t o st ave of f f ear . (ﻹﯾﻼف ﻗﺮﯾﺶ ◊ إﯾﻼﻓﮭﻢ رﺣﻠﺔ اﻟﺸﺘﺎء واﻟﺼﯿﻒ ◊ ﻓﻠﯿﻌﺒﺪوا رب ھﺬا اﻟﺒﯿﺖ ◊ اﻟﺬي أﻃﻌﻤﮭﻢ ﻣﻦ ﺟﻮع وآﻣﻨﮭﻢ ﻣﻦ ﺧﻮف )◊

This expansion connected Byzantine and Arabian markets, not only in their ex change of mat er i al goods, but al so i n ex changes of cul t ur e and i deas. Some Ar abs came This expansion connectedt o l ear n ByzantineGr eek medi and ci ne, Arabian and t he markets, di f f er ent not r el ionly gi ous in gr their oups exchangeof Ar abi a, ofw hetmaterial her Pagan, goods, but also in Jew s, Chr i st i ans, or hunafa’ (Abrahamic monotheists not affiliated with Judaism or exchanges of cultureChr and i st i aniideas. t y) arSome e r epor Arabs t ed t ocame have togai learn ned access Greek t o medicine, t he i ef s andand thew i sdom different of ot her religious s. By groups of Arabia, whether Pagan, Jews,t he Christians, t i me t he Pr or ophet hunafa’ M uhammad (Abrahamic ar r i ved monotheists on t he scene, not Ar affiliated abi a w as par with t of Judaism a w or l d ort hat Christianity) are i ncl uded t he Byzant i ne Empi r e w i t h i t s Gr eek , H ebr ew , Ar amai c, and Syr i ac speak i ng reported to have gainedcommuni access t i es. to Af the t er tbeliefs he spr ead and of wisdom I sl am i n ofSyr others. i a and EgyptBy the , t hetime l egacy the Prophetof t he i l af Muhammadfulfilled arrived on i t sel f t hr ough t he cr eat i on of compl ex net w or k s of r el i gi ous and secul ar i nt er act i ons the scene, Arabia was part of a world that included the Byzantine Empire with its Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic, and Syriac throughout the region. speaking communities. After the spread of Islam in and , the legacy of the ilaf fulfilled itself through the creation of complexA networks W ORD ON of ARABICreligious AS and A LINGUAsecular interactions FRANCA throughout the region. The Quraysh variety of Arabic is at the heart of the Qur’an, the starting point for all literati in studying , prose, and rhetoric. In due time, Arabic became the shar ed l anguageA of Word di ver se peopl on esArabic ar ound t heas M a edi Lingua t er r anean andFranca subsequent l y a shar ed l anguage ( l i ngua fr anca) for t r ader s. Thi s l anguage w as used even by Eur opean mer chant s w ho ent er ed i nt o t r ade- ex changes w i t h t he peopl es of t he east er n and The Quraysh varietysout of Arabic her n shor is at es theof t heart he M ediof tthe er r anean. Qur’an, Despi the starting t e t he di point f f er ences for allbet literati w een t in he studyingQur ’ani c Arabic poetry, r egi st er of Ar abi c and t he pr act i cal t r ade l anguage of busi nessmen, t he hi st or i cal fact prose, and rhetoric.remains In due time,that Quraysh Arabic became provided the the shared skeleton language for this of Arabic diverse lingua peoples franca. around Thus, the the Mediterranean and cent ur i es f ol l ow i ng t he spr ead of I sl am pr eser ved f or Qur aysh a cent r al pl ace i n i nt er - subsequently a sharedcommunal language t r ade, (lingua onl y w franca) i t h a br for oader traders. uni ver salThis r each. language was used even by European merchants who entered into trade-exchanges with the peoples of the eastern and southern shores of the Mediterranean. Despite the differences betweenCONCLUSION the Qur’anic register of Arabic and the practical trade language of businessmen, the historical fact Quraysh stands for unity, justice, and the desire to communicate with others. Its remains that Quraysh provided the skeleton for this Arabic lingua franca. Thus, the centuries following the spread of l egacy i s t he f oundat i on of t he Quraysh Institution, which attempts to play a role in Islam preserved forconnecting Quraysh a centralcommunities, place inmediating intercommunal between trade, diverse only legal with acultures, broader and universal bringing reach. t oget her peopl e of di f f er ent l egaci es w ho shar e t he same honor abl e i mpul ses f or uni t y and justice. Conclusion

Quraysh stands for unity, justice, and the desire to communicate with others. Its legacy is the foundation of the Quraysh Institution, which attempts to play a role in connecting communities, mediating between diverse legal cultures, and bringing together people of different legacies who share the same honorable impulses for unity and justice.

3 CLAN TREE

Prophet Muhammad’s ancestors in blue

Fihr (Quraysh)

Muharib al-Harith Ghalib

Lu’ayy al-Adram

‘Amir Ka‘b

Mu‘ays Hisl Nizar

‘Adl Husays Murra

‘Amr Taym Yaqaza Kilab

Sahm Jumah

Zuhra Qusayy (Clan unifier & Founder of the House of Deliberation)

‘Abd al-‘Uzza ‘Abd al-Dar ‘Abd ‘Abd Qusayy

Al-Mutallib Nawfal Hashim (‘Amr) ‘Abd (Byzantine markets open to Arab merchants)

‘Abd al-Mutallib

‘Abdullah

Prophet Muhammad

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