Circumstances of Revelation
Place: Medina.
The occasion: The sūrah was revealed after the expedition against the Banū al-Muṣṭaliq at the well of al-Muraysīʿ, in the fifth year after the Hijrah. On the way back ʿAbd-Allāh b. Ubayy said to his people, "If we return to Medina, the more honorable will drive out the lowlier", meaning himself and the Prophet. The young Zayd b. Arqam reported it to the Prophet; Ibn Ubayy swore he had said nothing of the kind. The sūrah was revealed confirming Zayd and exposing Ibn Ubayy. (Majmaʿ al-bayān; Tafsīr al-Qummī) → Narrations
Verses 7–8: The words quoted in these verses, Do not spend upon those who are with the Messenger of Allah… and If we return to Medina…, were Ibn Ubayy's. God attributes them to the hypocrites as a group because his companions approved of them and shared in them. → Commentary on verse 8
Verses 5–6: Revealed when Ibn Ubayy, told to go to the Prophet so that he would ask forgiveness for him, turned his head away in pride. → 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.