It appears from the theme of the Surah that it was revealed at the beginning of the third stage when in spite of persecutions and opposition, migration to Habash had not yet taken place. However, when in the tenth year of Prophethood these two persons died, the fourth stage began with such revere persecutions as forced the Holy Prophet and all his Companions to emigrate from Makkah. The only redeeming feature was that there were two personalities, Abu Talib and Hadrat Khadijah, whose personal influence had been conducive to the support of two great families of the Quraish. To add to their misery, a complete social and economic boycott was applied against them. So much so that a large number of the Muslims had to emigrate from Arabia to Habash, and those who remained behind were besieged in Shi'ib Abi Talib along with the Holy Prophet and his family. But during the third stage they employed the weapons of persecution, man handling and economic pressure for the same purpose. During the second stage the Quraish mainly resorted to ridiculing, scoffing, threatening, tempting, raising objections and making false propaganda against the Holy Prophet and his followers in order to suppress the Islamic Movement. What distinguishes this stage from the second and the fourth stages is this. According to that division the third stage lasted from the fifth to the tenth year of Prophethood.

We have already divided the life of the Holy Prophet at Makkah into four stages in the Introduction to Chapter VI.

This is the first of those Surahs which were sent down in the third stage of Prophethood at Makkah.

Surah kahf full