Circumstances of Revelation
Place: Mecca, except perhaps the last verse (see verse 20 below). → Introduction
Time: One of the very first sūrahs revealed to the Prophet in Mecca, those called al-ʿatāʾiq ("the ancient ones"); it is said to have been the second or third sūrah revealed. The verses on a weighty word (verse 5) were revealed at the outset of the Prophet's mission. → Introduction · Commentary on verse 5
Verse 1, the occasion: The Prophet had wrapped himself in a garment to sleep when this sūrah was revealed to him, addressing him as al-muzzammil. Al-Mizan: the following verses suggest that his call had met with derision and abuse, and he had wrapped himself up to overcome his gloom; the sūrah then commanded him to meet his hardships with night prayer and patience instead. One narration says he came into Khadījah's home, barely able to stand from fear, and said "Wrap me up!", and Gabriel then called to him with this verse. → Commentary on verse 1 · Narrations
The name given by Quraysh: A narration says Quraysh met at Dār al-Nadwah to find a name to turn people away from the Prophet, settling on "one who causes a split between close friends"; when he heard of it he wrapped and cloaked himself, and Gabriel brought O you wrapped up in your raiment () and O you wrapped in thy cloak (). Al-Mizan: the last part is questionable, since it implies that Sūrahs 73 and 74 were revealed together, and the Qur'an, which records the names they gave the Prophet, never mentions this one. → Narrations
A report from ʿĀʾishah: A narration has ʿĀʾishah describe the Prophet's bedcover, half covering her as she slept and half covering him as he prayed. Al-Mizan: this account is known to be fabricated, since the sūrah was one of the earliest revealed in Mecca, and the Prophet's married life with ʿĀʾishah began only in Medina, after the Hijrah. → Narrations
Verse 20: Narrations say the Prophet and a group of Companions kept the night vigil after the opening verses until this verse lightened the burden ten years later; other narrations say after a year, or after eight months. Imam al-Bāqir reports that it was revealed because the Companions could not tell when half or two-thirds of the night had passed. Al-Mizan's view: the verse mentions zakāt alongside prayer, which points to the religious due legislated after the Hijrah, and it mentions fighting in the way of Allah, which the circumstances in Mecca did not allow; so the verse is apparently Medinan, as some exegetes hold. He also holds that the verse lightens the original command without abrogating it, and that the vigil was obligatory only for the Prophet. → Commentary on verse 20 · Narrations · Narrations on verses 1–19
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.