This surah is one of the shortest chapters in the Quran with only three verses. It was revealed in Medina towards the end of the Prophet’s life. It is believed to have been revealed sometime after the treaty of Ḥudaybiyyah in 6 ah and before the peaceful conquest of Mecca in 8 ah.
However, one of the other names of this chapter is Tawdīʿ (farewell), because it implicitly gives the news of the demise of the Holy Prophet. This implies that the surah must have been revealed sometime later than 6 ah and 8 ah.
It is reported that when this chapter was revealed and the Messenger of God recited it to his companions, everyone became happy. However, Abbas, the Prophet’s uncle, cried; when asked about the reason for his crying, he said: ‘O Messenger of God, I suspect it is announcing your demise.’ The Prophet responded: ‘It is as you said.’ Although the demise of the Prophet may not be explicitly mentioned in the verses of this chapter, what can be understood from the chapter is that the mission of the Prophet is close to its end and his religion has been established and affirmed.
Ibn Abbas narrates that when this chapter was revealed, the Messenger of God said: ‘I am informed about my death and I will pass away this year.’ If this narration is correct then this surah should have been revealed in 11 ah, just a month before the Prophet’s demise. This is corroborated by a hadith from Imam al-Ṣādiq (a) who said: ‘Surely the first chapter revealed was Read in the name of your Lord who created [96], and the last chapter revealed was When Allah’s help comes with victory [110].’ This is further corroborated by the hadith of Umm Salamah, who narrated: ‘Towards the end of his life, the Prophet (s) would not sit, stand, come, or go except that he would say: “Exalted is Allah and I praise Him (subḥān allāh wa bi-ḥamdih), I ask Allah’s forgiveness and turn towards Him (astaghfiru allāh wa atūbu ilayh).” We asked him about it and he explained: “I have been commanded to it,” then he recited When Allah’s help comes with victory (110).’
[1] Nemuneh, 27/425. [2] Mizan, 20/436. [3] Nemuneh, 27/425. [4] Tabrisi, 10/554. Numerous traditions have been reported with the same meaning; see Mizan, 20/532. [5] Nemuneh, 27/426. [6] Tabrisi, 10/844. [7] Mizan, 20/4368; Nur, 18/434. [8] Tabrisi, 10/845.