Circumstances of Revelation
Place: Mecca, by the overall context of the verses. Ibn ʿAbbās and Qatādah report that verses 1–16 were revealed in Mecca, verses 17–33 in Medina, verses 34–47 in Mecca, and the last four verses in Medina. Al-Mizan: there is a point in this, since verses 17–33 resemble Medinan rather than Meccan verses. → Introduction
Verses 1–7: Al-Ḍaḥḥāk reports that when Quraysh saw the Prophet putting ʿAlī forward and treating him as important, they maligned ʿAlī, saying, "Muḥammad is being tested by him!", and God revealed these verses; in this report the followers of the right course () means ʿAlī. → Narrations
Verse 10 (yield not to any mean swearer): It is said to refer to al-Walīd b. al-Mughīrah, who offered to pay the Prophet to give up his religion; ʿAṭāʾ names al-Akhnas b. Sharīq, and Mujāhid al-Aswad b. ʿAbd Yaghūth. → Narrations
Verses 17–33, the owners of the garden: It is narrated that these verses were revealed about the year of drought that struck the people of Mecca after the Prophet prayed against Muḍar, "give them years like the years of Joseph." Imam al-Bāqir says the people of Mecca were afflicted with hunger, like the owners of the garden. Al-Mizan: on this reading the trial is the drought, and the situation of Mecca matches the parable, except for some of them advanced against others, blaming each other (), which does not fit the story of the people of Mecca. → Commentary on verse 17 · Narrations
Narrations as application: Some narrations explain the verses of this passage (34–52) in terms of wilāyah. Al-Mizan: these are applications of the verses, not their general exegesis. → 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.