Usool At-tafseer by Shu‘bah ibn al-Hajjaaj, Sufyaan ibn ‘Uyaynah and it was translated by Dr. M. Abdul Haq Ansari

Although Arabic was the common language throughout the Arabian peninsula, the different environments and histories of the various tribes produced a wide variety of dialects. In some cases, each tribe used different words to describe the same object. For example, some tribes called the lion an “ asad,” while other tribes called it a “ layth,” “hamzah,” “hafs,” or a “ghadanfar.” In other cases, differences occurred in the way certain letters were pronounced due to vowelling differences. However, in time the dialect of the tribe of Quraysh emerged from among the various dialects as the most prominent dialect. The Qurayshee dialect became the most respected of all the dialects for the following basic reasons:

1. Makkah and its surrounding area, including the shrine of the Ka‘bah, were part of the tribal lands of the Quraysh. Each of the various tribes had idols representing their various tribal gods placed in and around the Ka‘bah. Thus the Ka‘bah was considered the spiritual center for all of the Arabian tribes, and pilgrimage to the shrine was made throughout the year.

2. During the month of hajj, pilgrims from all of the tribes used to come to Makkah in order to perform the rites of hajj. This practice was started by Prophet Ibraheem and his sons when they first built the Ka‘bah and it remained a practice among their Arabian descendants; however, many false rituals involving idolatry and superstition were added to the original rites. The Quraysh took personal responsibility for supplying drinking water (siqaayah) for all of the pilgrims and their animals. This was done free of charge as evidence of their generosity and nobility. Thus, the Quraysh were held in a highly praiseworthy position among the Arabs.

3. Makkah stood at the junction of all the major trade routes between Syria and Persia to the north, and Yemen and Africa to the south. As a result, the Qurayshee trading class became the richest class among the families in Arabia, which in turn led to the great respect that was given to the Qurayshee tribe by the various tribes of Arabia.