Circumstances of Revelation
Place: Mecca. → Introduction
The occasion: The sūrah is about Abū Lahab b. ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib, the Prophet's uncle and relentless enemy. When the Prophet called his relatives to Islam for the first time, Abū Lahab said to him, "May you perish" (tabban laka), and this sūrah was revealed, turning his curse back on him. Ibn ʿAbbās reports that when and warn the nearest of your kin () was revealed, the Prophet climbed Mount al-Ṣafā and warned Quraysh of a coming torment; Abū Lahab retorted, "May you perish! Is this why you gathered us?", and God revealed this sūrah. Another version of the report, from Saʿīd b. Jubayr, does not connect the call with the revelation of . → Commentary on verse 1 · Narrations
After its revelation: Imam al-Kāẓim reports that Umm Jamīl, Abū Lahab's wife, came looking for the Prophet with a rock after the sūrah was revealed, and God veiled him from her sight. Al-Mizan: similar accounts are reported through several Sunni chains. → Narrations
Verse 4: Tafsīr al-Qummī says his wife, the firewood carrier was Umm Jamīl, who used to gossip about the Prophet and carry his news to the disbelievers. → 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.