Circumstances of Revelation
Place: Either Mecca or Medina, although the context better suits the Meccan sūrahs. → Introduction
Order: Some narrations from the Imams say that Sūrah al-Ḍuḥá (93) and this sūrah are a single sūrah; al-Rāzī relates this from Ṭāwūs and ʿUmar b. ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz. Al-Rāzī objected that al-Ḍuḥá was revealed while the Prophet was distressed and al-Inshirāḥ while he was in a state of elation. Al-Mizan's view: this objection fails, since expanding the Prophet's breast means widening it to bear the revelation and the people's harassment, not a state of elation; a narration from the Prophet that runs () and () together supports the connection. → Introduction
Verses 5–6: Al-Mizan: if the sūrah is Meccan, the ease after hardship may plausibly be the triumph and elevation of Islam after its abasement. He rejects al-Zamakhsharī's view that the ease is the war spoils later given to the believers. → Commentary on verse 5
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.