Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, says: "And (remember) when We made the House a place of repeated return for mankind and a place of security." [Surah al-Baqarah: 125] (to the end of the verse).
Imam al-Shafi'i (may Allah have mercy on him) says: In the speech of the Arabs, the word al-mathabah means a place to which people return again and again, coming back to it after leaving it; and it is also said: thaba ilayhi, meaning they gathered at it.
Hadith Referenceالسنن الكبرى للبيهقي / كتاب الحج / Q9830