Circumstances of Revelation
Place: Mecca, as the context of the verses shows, except for verse 28 (And keep yourself patient with those who call upon their Lord). → Introduction
Purpose: Al-Mizan: it would not be far from the truth to say that the sūrah was revealed to narrate three amazing stories told nowhere else in the Qur'an: the Companions of the Cave, Moses and his servant on their way to where the seas meet, and Dhū l-Qarnayn. → Introduction
The occasion: Narrations say the Jews advised Quraysh to test the Prophet by asking about these three stories. Tafsīr al-Qummī, from Imam al-Ṣādiq, says Quraysh sent al-Naḍr b. al-Ḥārith, ʿUqbah b. Abī Muʿayṭ and al-ʿĀṣ b. Wāʾil to the Jewish rabbis, who gave them three questions, and a fourth, on the time of the Hour, to which a true prophet would claim no answer. They put the questions to the Prophet before Abū Ṭālib; he said, "I will answer you tomorrow," without adding "God willing"; revelation was withheld for forty days while Quraysh mocked, and then the sūrah was revealed. Al-Mizan: the story of the Cave is not told as an answer to a question, as the story of Dhū l-Qarnayn is (), though its end gives that impression. The narrations of both Sunni and Shia on the story contradict one another; some, for example, make the questions three, on the Cave, Dhū l-Qarnayn and the soul. → Introduction to verses 9–26 · Narrations
Verses 23–24 (do not say of anything, "I will do it tomorrow," unless God pleases): A narration from Imam ʿAlī says that a group of Jews asked the Prophet about something and he told them to come back tomorrow without saying "God willing"; Gabriel was withheld from him for forty days and then brought these verses. Other narrations to the same effect come from Imams al-Bāqir and al-Ṣādiq. → Narrations
Verses 27–28: Ibn ʿAbbās reports that verse 28 was revealed about Umayyah b. Khalaf, who urged the Prophet to cast out the poor and favor the elite of Mecca. Salmān reports that ʿUyaynah b. Badr and al-Aqraʿ b. Ḥābis asked the Prophet to keep away Salmān, Abū Dharr and the poor Muslims in their woolen cloaks, and the verses were revealed. Al-Mizan: that narration would make the two verses Medinan; there are other narrations with a similar story, but the context of the verses does not support them. → Narrations
Verse 83: Tafsīr al-Qummī says that after the Prophet told the story of Moses and al-Khiḍr, the people asked him about a traveler who went east and west, and They ask you about Dhū l-Qarnayn was revealed. Al-Mizan: the details were given with the story of the Cave; the reports on Dhū l-Qarnayn, Shia and Sunni, show amazing discrepancy and contradiction in their particulars. → Narrations
Verses 103–108: Tafsīr al-Qummī says the end of the passage was revealed about the Jews; Al-Mizan: this is not correct, since the verses are addressed to the polytheists, and the reports naming the People of the Book or monks are applications. A narration from Imam al-Ṣādiq says verse 107 was revealed about Abū Dharr, Salmān, al-Miqdād and ʿAmmār; Al-Mizan: it is an application, or the verse was revealed about the believers with these four as the best examples, since the sūrah is Meccan and Salmān became a believer in Medina; its chain is also not free of weakness. → Narrations
Verse 109: Al-Mizan: as an independent statement on the inexhaustibility of God's words, it would not be surprising if it was revealed on its own. → Introduction
Verse 110: Ibn ʿAbbās reports that it was revealed about Jundub b. Zuhayr, who was pleased when people praised his prayer, fasting and charity. Al-Mizan: this and similar reports show the verse applying to the situation; it would be surprising for the end of a sūrah to be revealed for a reason of its own. → 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.