THE LIVING QURAYSH In Arab and Muslim collective memory, Quraysh is in a league of its own. Quraysh is the clan of the Prophet Muhammad (570-632 CE) and many of his close companions — the nucleus of today’s Muslim world. But even before Islam, 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 (Arabic 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 Mecca to decide the issues that concerned them. The spirit of taqarrush or getting together could serve as the central theme in the subsequent history of Islam. 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) Arabs who were not Muslim, 2) Muslims who were not Arab, 3) residents in the Muslim community who were neither Arab nor Muslim, and 4) Arab Muslims. 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 ‘Ali 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 of a 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 abusenamedappr 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 biJU 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 el 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 Jews 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.