Circumstances of Revelation
Place: Medina, without doubt.
Verses 1–5: The sūrah opens by reproaching the Prophet for forbidding himself something God had made lawful, seeking to please your wives. The Prophet told a secret to one of his wives, Ḥafṣah bint ʿUmar, and asked her to keep it, but she disclosed it; God informed him of this. The narrations agree that the two wives addressed in verse 4, who backed each other up against him, were ʿĀʾishah and Ḥafṣah. → Commentary on verses 3–4
What he forbade himself: The narrations differ.
- Narrations from Imam al-Ṣādiq (Tafsīr al-Qummī, al-Kāfī) say he forbade himself his bondmaid Māriyah the Copt and swore not to approach her; God required expiation for the oath. Other reports name ʿĀʾishah or Ḥafṣah as the one who objected. Al-Mizan: the narrations on this are many but differ from one another, and some do not match the verse's words he made known part of it and avoided part.
- A report from Ibn ʿAbbās says it was a honey drink. Al-Mizan: this does not fit the verse, which speaks of a single event.
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.