(Revealed before Hijrah)
It is generally agreed that this Surah was revealed at Mecca. Hasan, ‘Ikrimah and Ibn Mas‘ud are of this opinion. Noldeke places it in the beginning of the fourth year of the Call. The Surah has a deep connection with Surah Al-Kauthar. In that Surah it was stated that spiritual and material blessings will be bestowed upon the Holy Prophet such as have no parallel or precedent in human history. In this Surah, however, those disbelievers, against whom a Divine decree had gone forth that they would not accept Islam, are warned that when after having seen such manifest Signs in support of the Holy Prophet they had refused to accept him, how could they expect Muslims to give up their Faith and accept their foolish and fantastic beliefs? He is reported to have said that Surah Ikhlas 112th Surah was equal to 1/3 of the Qur’an, and this Surah to 1/4 of it, and whosoever would frequently recite these two Surahs and give serious thought to their subject-matter would command great respect and prestige (Ibn Mardawaih), meaning that as Surah Ikhlas deals with a basic principle of Islam—Divine Unity—and as in the present Surah believers are enjoined courageously to stick to their Faith in an hostile environment and under adverse circumstances, so he, who will comprehend and realize the significance and importance of these two chapters, will necessarily command great respect.