Circumstances of Revelation
Place: Medina, as the context indicates. → Introduction
Time: A report from Abū Saʿīd al-Khudrī says that "the short sūrah about women" was revealed seven years after Sūrah al-Baqarah; Al-Mizan: the short sūrah about women is Sūrah al-Ṭalāq. → Narrations
Verse 1: Ibn Sīrīn reports that it was about Ḥafṣah, daughter of ʿUmar: the Prophet divorced her once, then the verse was revealed, with perhaps God will bring something new to pass thereafter, and he took her back. Another report says the Prophet recited this verse when Ibn ʿUmar divorced his wife during her period, and told him to take her back. → Narrations
Verses 2–3: Sālim b. Abī al-Jaʿd reports that whoever is careful of (his duty to) God, He will make for him a way out was revealed about a poor man of the tribe of Ashjaʿ whose son had been captured by the enemy; the Prophet told him to be mindful of God and patient, and the son came back freed, bringing goats with him. → 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.