وَهَذَا الْبَلَدِ الْأَمِينِ ﴿٣﴾

By this city of security. meaning Makkah.

This was said by Ibn `Abbas, Mujahid, `Ikrimah, Al-Hasan, Ibrahim An-Nakha`i, Ibn Zayd and Ka`b Al-Ahbar.

There is no difference of opinion about this.

Some of the Imams have said that these are three different places, and that Allah sent a Messenger to each of them from the Leading Messengers, who delivered the Great Codes of Law.

- The first place is that of the fig and the olive, which was Jerusalem, where Allah sent `Isa bin Maryam.

- The second place is Mount Sinin, which is Mount Sinai where Allah spoke to Musa bin `Imran.

- The third place is Makkah, and it is the city of security where whoever enters is safe. It is also the city in which Muhammad was sent.

They have said that these three places are mentioned at the end of the Tawrah. The verse says,

- "Allah has come from Mount Sinai - meaning the one upon which Allah spoke to Musa bin `Imran;

- and shined from Sa`ir - meaning the mountain of Jerusalem from which Allah sent `Isa;

- and appeared from the mountains of Faran - meaning the mountains of Makkah from which Allah sent Muhammad .''

Thus, He mentioned them in order to inform about them based upon their order of existence in time. This is why He swore by a noble place, then by a nobler place, and then by a place that is the nobler than both of them.