The occasion of the revelation of the saying of Allah the Exalted: “Indeed, you cannot guide whom you love, but Allah guides whom He wills”
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Question:
The questioner says: Shaykh, what is the occasion for the revelation of this noble verse[Al-Qasas 28:56]
Answer:
This verse was revealed concerning the story of Abu Talib, the uncle of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), who sheltered the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), supported him, and protected him from the harm of his people. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) presented Islam to him and tried to persuade him, but he insisted on remaining on the religion of the disbelievers and on the religion of 'Abd al-Muttalib. The tribal pride of the pre-Islamic age of ignorance (jahiliyyah) took hold of him, and he died upon that. He said, “I am upon the religion of 'Abd al-Muttalib,” and his soul departed at that word. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), out of his loyalty to him, wanted to seek forgiveness for him after his death. He said, “I do not seek forgiveness for you unless I stop [from doing so],” so Allah (Mighty and Majestic) revealed:[At-Tawbah 9:113].
Therefore, it is not permissible to seek forgiveness for a polytheist until he submits and believes and becomes one of the Muslims. As long as he is upon shirk (associating partners with Allah) and kufr (disbelief), he is not to be sought for forgiveness. However, he is to be called to Islam so that perhaps he may repent. If he dies, he is not to be sought for forgiveness, and he is considered among the disbelievers. Yes, and one disavows him. Yes.
The questioner says: Shaykh, what is the occasion for the revelation of this noble verse
Indeed, [O Muhammad], you do not guide whom you like, but Allah guides whom He wills
إِنَّكَ لَا تَهْدِي مَنْ أَحْبَبْتَ وَلَٰكِنَّ اللَّهَ يَهْدِي مَن يَشَاءُAnswer:
This verse was revealed concerning the story of Abu Talib, the uncle of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), who sheltered the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), supported him, and protected him from the harm of his people. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) presented Islam to him and tried to persuade him, but he insisted on remaining on the religion of the disbelievers and on the religion of 'Abd al-Muttalib. The tribal pride of the pre-Islamic age of ignorance (jahiliyyah) took hold of him, and he died upon that. He said, “I am upon the religion of 'Abd al-Muttalib,” and his soul departed at that word. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), out of his loyalty to him, wanted to seek forgiveness for him after his death. He said, “I do not seek forgiveness for you unless I stop [from doing so],” so Allah (Mighty and Majestic) revealed:
It is not for the Prophet and those who have believed to ask forgiveness for the polytheists, even if they were relatives, after it has become clear to them that they are companions of Hellfire.
مَا كَانَ لِلنَّبِيِّ وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا أَن يَسْتَغْفِرُوا لِلْمُشْرِكِينَ وَلَوْ كَانُوا أُولِي قُرْبَىٰ مِن بَعْدِ مَا تَبَيَّنَ لَهُمْ أَنَّهُمْ أَصْحَابُ الْجَحِيمِTherefore, it is not permissible to seek forgiveness for a polytheist until he submits and believes and becomes one of the Muslims. As long as he is upon shirk (associating partners with Allah) and kufr (disbelief), he is not to be sought for forgiveness. However, he is to be called to Islam so that perhaps he may repent. If he dies, he is not to be sought for forgiveness, and he is considered among the disbelievers. Yes, and one disavows him. Yes.
Source
قناة «العلامة الدكتور صالح الفوزان»، [3185] سبب نزول قوله تعالى: ﴿إنك لا تهدي من أحببت ولكن الله يهدي من يشاء﴾ - صالح الفوزان — youtube.com
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.