Tafsir of Al-Qasas 28:56

(Indeed, you do not guide) — meaning, you do not bring about a guidance that leads to the desired objective, inevitably — (whom you love) — meaning, every person you naturally love among your people and others; you are unable to bring them into Islam, even if you exhaust every effort and exert yourself beyond every conventional limit. It has also been said: [whom you love] to be guided.

(But Allah guides whom He wills) — meaning, He brings into Islam whom He wills to be guided — (and He is most knowing of the guided) — of those prepared for that. They are those whom Allah, the Exalted, wills to guide, including those of the People of the Scripture whose attributes have been mentioned. The use of the superlative form (af’al) denotes intensity in His, the Exalted’s, knowledge. It has been said: It is permissible for it to be understood in its apparent sense. Some have indicated that the intent is that He, the Exalted and Majestic, is more knowing of the guided person than anyone else. Since the guidance of Allah, the Exalted, is paired with His, the Exalted’s, knowledge of the guided, and He, the Glorified, is the one who knows them to the exclusion of others, it indicates that "the guided" refers to the one prepared for it, not the one currently characterized by it. Thus, it follows that His guidance of him is in the sense of the power (capacity) to guide. Since His guidance is in this sense, and the particle lakin (but) is placed between it and the guidance negated from the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, it necessitates that the latter guidance also be in the sense of power (capacity) so that lakin functions in its proper place. Therefore, it is said: The meaning is, "You do not have the power to bring into Islam everyone you love, for you are a servant who does not know who is sealed upon their heart from who is not; but Allah has the power to bring in whomever He wills to bring in, for He, the Glorified, knows who is not sealed upon their heart." There is room for discussion here.

The apparent text of al-Kashshaf interprets the negation of guidance in His saying, "Indeed, you do not guide whom you love," as the negation of the power to bring into Islam, and the affirmation in His saying, "But Allah guides whom He wills," as the actual realization of bringing someone into Islam. This is what we have adopted in the interpretation of the verse. The rationale is that the context of the verse is to console the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, as his warnings and the truth he brought to his people—whom he loved and for whom he was intensely eager—did not avail them; rather, they persisted in their state, saying: "Why has he not been given the like of what was given to Moses?" Then they disbelieved in him and in Moses, peace be upon them both. They were the opposite of a group of people foreign to him, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, who believed in the truth he brought, saying: "It is the truth from our Lord," and then declared the longevity of their belief in it, indicating their belief in their own prophet and what was brought to them as well.

If "Indeed, you do not guide whom you love" were not interpreted as the negation of the power to bring his loved ones into Islam, but rather as the negation of the occurrence of him bringing them into it, the speech would be far from consolation and near to reproach. It would be in the style of saying to someone who has loved ones who do not benefit, "You do not benefit your loved ones." Unless this is interpreted as "You do not have the power to benefit your loved ones," it is only stated by way of reproach, blame, or the like, not by way of consolation.

Since His, the Exalted’s, guidance of those who were given the Scripture has a role in what calls for consolation, the appropriate approach is to keep "But Allah guides whom He wills" in its literal sense of the actual occurrence of guidance, rather than the power to guide. Proving that for Him, the Exalted, is a branch of proving the power; thus, it is proven inevitably, and the istidrak (the adversative clause) falls precisely where intended. Interpreting "the guided" as those prepared for guidance does not necessitate interpreting "guides" as "has the power to guide"; therefore, the mentioned necessity is refuted. It is possible that "the guided" refers to those characterized by guidance in reality, and the intent behind His, the Exalted’s, knowledge of them is His, the Glorified’s, rewarding them for their being guided. It is as if it were said: "He, the Exalted, is most knowing of the guided," like those mentioned from the People of the Scripture, and He rewards them for their guidance with one reward or two. Ponder this.

The verse, according to many reports, was revealed regarding Abu Talib. 'Abd ibn Humayd, Muslim, al-Tirmidhi, Ibn Abi Hatim, Ibn Marduyah, and al-Bayhaqi in al-Dala'il narrated from Abu Hurayrah, who said: When the death of Abu Talib approached, the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, came to him and said: "O my uncle, say: 'There is no god but Allah,' so I may testify to it for you before Allah on the Day of Resurrection." He replied: "Were it not that the Quraysh would reproach me, saying: 'Nothing compelled him to it except his fear of death,' I would have affirmed it to gladden your eye." Then Allah, the Exalted, revealed: "Indeed, you do not guide whom you love..."

Al-Bukhari, Muslim, Ahmad, al-Nasa'i, and others narrated something similar from Sa'id ibn al-Musayyib from his father. Abu Sahl al-Sari ibn Sahl narrated via 'Abd al-Quddus from Abu Salih from Ibn 'Abbas that he said: "'Indeed, you do not guide whom you love,' etc., was revealed regarding Abu Talib. The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, urged him to embrace Islam, but he refused, so Allah, the Exalted, revealed this verse." Ibn Marduyah also reported its revelation regarding him.

The matter of his Islam is a subject of dispute. The claim of a consensus among Muslims or commentators that the verse was revealed regarding him is not valid; for the Shi'ah and more than one of their commentators have maintained his Islam and claimed the consensus of the Imams of the Ahl al-Bayt on this, arguing that most of his poems testify to it. It seems that those who claim the consensus of Muslims do not count the dissent of the Shi'ah and do not rely on their narrations. Furthermore, upon the view that he did not embrace Islam, it is not appropriate to disparage him or speak of him with superfluous words, for that is something by which the Alawis (descendants of Ali) are offended; indeed, it is not unlikely that it is something by which the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, is offended, as the verse—based on these narrations—has spoken of his love for him. The importance of caution is not hidden from one of understanding:

For the sake of the eye, a thousand eyes are shown honor.