Surah Quraysh is Makkan (1).

In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Especially Merciful.

“For the accustomed security of Quraysh.” (1)

Regarding “For the accustomed security of Quraysh,” Abu Ja‘far recited līlāf, without a hamzah, and ilāfihim, seeking ease of pronunciation. Ibn ‘Amir recited li’ilāf, with a lightly articulated hamzah and without a following yā’ [following the pattern of lighilāf—“for a covering”] (2). The other reciters pronounced the hamzah fully and included a yā’ after it. They all agreed—apart from Abu Ja‘far—that ilāfihim contains a yā’ after the hamzah, except for ‘Abd al-Wahhab ibn Fulayh, narrating from Ibn Kathir, who recited ilfihim, with an unvowelled lām and without a yā’.

Some held that Surah al-Fil and this surah are a single surah. Among them was Ubayy ibn Ka‘b, in whose muṣḥaf there was no division between them. They said that the lām in “For the accustomed security” is connected to the preceding surah. This is because Allah, Most High, reminded the people of Makkah of His immense blessing upon them in what He did to the Abyssinians, saying: “For the accustomed security of Quraysh.” (3)

Al-Zajjaj said: The meaning is that He made them like chewed-up straw for the accustomed security of Quraysh—that is, [He intended the destruction of] (4) the people of the elephant so that Quraysh and what they had grown accustomed to [in] (5) their winter and summer journeys might remain.

Mujahid said: “They had grown accustomed to this, so that travelling in winter and summer did not cause them hardship.” (6)

The majority held that they are two surahs. They differed over the reason for the lām in His saying, “For the accustomed security.” Al-Kisa’i said—