Circumstances of Revelation
Place: Mecca, as the theme of its verses testifies. → Introduction
Verses 16–19: Al-Mizan's view: these four verses are a parenthetical passage, unrelated to the discussion of the Resurrection around them, in which God teaches the Prophet how to receive the revelation: not to hasten to recite what has not yet been revealed, but to stay silent until it is complete, as in . This, he adds, supports narrations that the Qur'an was first revealed to the Prophet all at once and then again gradually. Ibn ʿAbbās reports that the verses were revealed because the Prophet, under the strain of revelation, would move his lips and tongue to retain it for fear of losing it. Al-Mizan: this meaning does not clearly correspond to the verses. → Commentary on verse 16 · Narrations
Verses 34–35: A narration says the Prophet took Abū Jahl's hand and said to him, You well deserve! Yes, you well deserve!…; Abū Jahl answered that neither he nor his Lord could do anything to him, and God then revealed these verses as the Prophet had said them. → 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.