Circumstances of Revelation
Place: Mecca. → Introduction
One sūrah with al-Fīl? Because its content relates to Sūrah al-Fīl (105), some Sunni scholars, and the mainstream Shia view, hold that the two form a single sūrah. Al-Mizan's view: the evidence does not suffice. As opponents of the view reply, the reports from Ubayy b. Kaʿb's manuscript conflict; a Prophetic narration says a sūrah was revealed exclusively about Quraysh; mass-transmitted (mutawātir) narrations place the basmala at the head of this sūrah; and the Shia narrations prove at most that the two may be recited together in one rakʿah. → Introduction
The occasion: Tafsīr al-Qummī says it was revealed about Quraysh, who lived by two trade journeys, to Yemen in winter and to the Levant in summer, and adds that when God appointed His Prophet they no longer needed them, since people came in droves to the Prophet and made pilgrimage to the House. Al-Mizan: that last part does not clearly fit the verses; perhaps it is al-Qummī's own words, drawn from a narration from Ibn ʿAbbās. → Commentary on verse 2 · Narrations
A summary prepared from Tafsīr al-Mīzān: where and when the sūrah was revealed, and the occasions reported for its verses, with the ʿAllāmah's view of them. Each point links to the full discussion.