Circumstances of Revelation
Place: Mecca. The narrations differ over where it was revealed, but it appears to be Meccan; some exegetes suggested it was revealed twice, to reconcile them. → Introduction
The occasion: Numerous (mustafīḍah) narrations say it was revealed about a man who mocked the Prophet as abtar, "cut off", after the death of his sons al-Qāsim and ʿAbd-Allāh: "he has no sons; once he dies, he will be forgotten." One narration names al-ʿĀṣ b. Wāʾil. The sūrah answers that it is the insulter who is cut off. → Commentary on verse 3 · Narrations
What follows from it: Read in the light of the occasion and of verse 3, al-kawthar, "abundance", refers in particular to the Prophet's abundant progeny. → Commentary on verse 1
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.