Islamic researcher, graduated from Al-Azhar University, Islamic Studies in the English language. I also studied at Temple University in the US.
This verse was revealed in the first year of revelation (ba'thah). It is probable that it was the second revelation, revealed within weeks of the encounter with Jibreel in mount Hira.
The first Qur'anic revelation was surah Iqra' (Qur'an 96:15) at the cave of Hira. The revelation then was intermittent for about forty days.
Then the beginning of surah al-Mudathir (Qur'an 74) broke that silence.
Jabir Ibn Abdullah (ra) narrated this re-continuation of revelation following its break saying al-Mudathir was the first revelation:
قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم وَهْوَ يُحَدِّثُ عَنْ فَتْرَةِ الْوَحْىِ قَالَ فِي حَدِيثِهِ " بَيْنَا أَنَا أَمْشِي سَمِعْتُ صَوْتًا مِنَ السَّمَاءِ فَرَفَعْتُ بَصَرِي، فَإِذَا الْمَلَكُ الَّذِي جَاءَنِي بِحِرَاءٍ جَالِسٌ عَلَى كُرْسِيٍّ بَيْنَ السَّمَاءِ وَالأَرْضِ فَفَرِقْتُ مِنْهُ فَرَجَعْتُ فَقُلْتُ زَمِّلُونِي زَمِّلُونِي". فَدَثَّرُوهُ فَأَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى {يَا أَيُّهَا الْمُدَّثِّرُ * قُمْ فَأَنْذِرْ * وَرَبَّكَ فَكَبِّرْ * وَثِيَابَكَ فَطَهِّرْ * وَالرِّجْزَ فَاهْجُرْ}. … قَالَ ثُمَّ تَتَابَعَ الْوَحْىُ.
"While Allah's Messenger (saw) was talking about the period of intermission of revelation, he said in his narration:
"Once while I was walking, suddenly, I heard a voice from the sky. I looked up and saw to my surprise, the same Angel as had visited me in the cave of Hira.
He was sitting on a chair between the sky and the earth. I got afraid of him and came back home and said, Wrap me! Wrap me!"
So, they covered him and then Allah revealed: 'O you, wrapped up! Arise and warn and your Lord magnify, and your garments purify and desert the idols.' (Qur'an 74:1-5) … After this, the revelation started coming frequently and regularly." (Sahih al-Bukhari 4954)
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Conclusion
This verse was revealed in the first year of revelation (ba'thah). It is probable that it was the second revelation, revealed within weeks of the encounter with Jibreel in mount Hira.
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