On the occasion of revelation of this Surah, a tradition from Imam Sadiq (as) says:
Some other narrations denote that the Jew who asked this question was, Abdullah ibn Suriya, one of the known chiefs of the Jews. Another narration says that ‘Abdullah ibn Salam asked this question from the holy Prophet (S), in Mecca, and believed (in Islam). But, he kept his faith concealed.
Another narration says that the pagans of Mecca asked such a question. (Al-Mizan, vol. 20, p. 546.)
In some narrations it is also said that the Christians of Najran asked the question.
There is no contradiction in these narrations because the question may have been asked by all of them, separately, which is, itself, an evidence to the extraordinary importance of this Surah, which answers the questions of different persons from various groups.