Circumstances of Revelation
Place: Medina.
Time: After the Treaty of Ḥudaybiyyah and Sūrah al-Fatḥ, and before the conquest of Mecca. Al-Mizan reaches this from the sūrah itself: the help and victory it promises are best understood as the conquest of Mecca, which had been foretold as a mighty help () in the verses revealed at Ḥudaybiyyah. → Commentary on verse 1
The last sūrah: Imam al-Ṣādiq said the first sūrah revealed was Read in the name of your Lord (96) and the last was this one. Al-Mizan: perhaps this means the last sūrah revealed complete, as some scholars have suggested. → Narrations
How it was received: When the Prophet recited it to his Companions they rejoiced, but ʿAbbās wept, saying, "I think it foretells your death, O Messenger of God." → Narrations
Background: The narration section gives a summary account of the conquest of Mecca (Ramaḍān, 8 AH). → 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.