Thus the Book describes the clan of Quraysh: they consume lands voraciously [voraciously] (1).

And in latter days they will have a prophet who will bring much killing and wounding among them.

“For the accustomed security of Quraysh—their accustomed security in the winter and summer journey (2)—let them worship the Lord of this House (3), who has fed them against hunger and made them safe from fear (4).”

The words “their accustomed security” are in apposition to the first mention of their accustomed security. “Journey” is in the accusative as a verbal noun; that is, their undertaking the winter and summer journeys.

Ikrimah and Sa‘id ibn Jubayr narrated from Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, that they spent the winter in Makkah and the summer in Ta’if. Allah Most High therefore commanded them to remain in the Sacred Precinct and worship the Lord of this House (2).

Others said: They made two trading journeys each year: one in winter to Yemen, because it was warmer, and the other in summer to Syria.

The Sacred Precinct was a barren valley, with neither crops nor livestock. Quraysh lived by their trade and their journeys, and no one would harm them. People would say, “Quraysh are the inhabitants of Allah’s Sacred Precinct and the custodians of His House.” Had it not been for the two journeys, they could not have remained in Makkah; and had it not been for the security afforded by the vicinity of the House, they would not have been able to travel about freely.

Their repeated journeys to Yemen and Syria had become burdensome. Then Tabalah and Jurash, in Yemen, became fertile, and the people of the coast brought food to Makkah by sea in ships, while those inland brought it on camels and donkeys. The coastal people unloaded at Jeddah, and the inland people at al-Muhassab. Syria too became fertile, and its people brought food to Makkah and unloaded it at al-Abtah. Thus they obtained provisions nearby, and Allah spared them the burden of the two journeys. He commanded them to worship the Lord of the House, saying: “Let them worship the Lord of this House”—that is, the Ka‘bah—“who has fed them against hunger,” after they had suffered hunger, by bringing provisions to Makkah; “and made them safe from fear,” through the Sacred Precinct and their being among the people of Makkah (3), so that no one would harm them on their journeys (4).