(Revealed before Hijrah)
There exists some difference of opinion about the time and place of the revelation of this Surah. Scholars like Mujahid, ‘Ata’ and Ibn ‘Abbas are of the view that it was revealed at Mecca; some others think that it was revealed at Medina. The latter view is evidently not based on sound historical data. Whereas in the preceding Surah mention was made of the great moral revolution that was to be brought about by the Holy Prophet, in this Surah it is stated that a similar change will take place at a later date, in the time of the Great Deputy of the Holy Prophet, the Promised Messiah and Mahdi, when all human institutions will be shaken to their foundations, and new discoveries and inventions in the domain of science and knowledge will change the entire shape of things, and the ideals and ideas of men will acquire a new orientation.