Tafsir of Al-Baqarah 2:119

"Indeed, We have sent you with the truth..."

"Indeed, We have sent you" To bring glad tidings and to warn, not to compel [people] to believe. This is a consolation for the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and a relief for him, for he used to grieve and his chest would tighten due to their persistence and determination in disbelief.

"And you will not be asked" "about the companions of the Hellfire" [Meaning:] Why did they not believe after you had conveyed [the message] and exerted your utmost effort in calling them? This is like His saying: "Your duty is only to convey, and Ours is the reckoning" (Ar-Ra'd: 40).

It is also recited as "And do not ask" (in the prohibitive form). It is narrated that he [the Prophet] said: "I wish I knew what happened to my parents." Thus, he was forbidden from asking about the states of the disbelievers and from being concerned with the enemies of Allah.

It is also said that the meaning is to emphasize the magnitude of the torment the disbelievers have fallen into, just as you might say, "How is so-and-so?" when asking about someone who has fallen into a calamity, and it is said to you, "Do not ask about him." The aspect of this emphasis is that the inquirer becomes distressed to even utter what the person is experiencing due to its horror. So, do not ask, and do not burden him with what distresses him; and you, O inquirer, are unable to bear hearing the news because of how frightening and distressing it is to the listener. Therefore, do not ask.

The first reading is supported by the reading of Abdullah [ibn Mas'ud]: "And you will not be asked," and the reading of Ubayy [ibn Ka'b]: "And you are not to be asked."

"And never will the Jews or the Christians approve of you, until you follow their religion. Say, 'Indeed, the guidance of Allah is the [only] guidance.' If you were to follow their desires after what has come to you of knowledge, you would have against Allah no protector or helper." (120)