اِنَّكَ Indeed you لَا (can) not تَهْدِیْ guide مَنْ whom اَحْبَبْتَ you love وَ لٰكِنَّ but اللّٰهَ Allah یَهْدِیْ guides مَنْ whom یَّشَآءُ ۚ He wills وَ هُوَ And He اَعْلَمُ (is) most knowing بِالْمُهْتَدِیْنَ (of) the guided ones وَ قَالُوْۤا And they say اِنْ If نَّتَّبِعِ we follow الْهُدٰی the guidance مَعَكَ with you نُتَخَطَّفْ we would be swept مِنْ from اَرْضِنَا ؕ our land اَوَ لَمْ Have not نُمَكِّنْ We established لَّهُمْ for them حَرَمًا a sanctuary اٰمِنًا secure یُّجْبٰۤی are brought اِلَیْهِ to it ثَمَرٰتُ fruits كُلِّ (of) all شَیْءٍ things رِّزْقًا a provision مِّنْ from لَّدُنَّا Us وَ لٰكِنَّ But اَكْثَرَهُمْ most of them لَا (do) not یَعْلَمُوْنَ know وَ كَمْ And how many اَهْلَكْنَا We have destroyed مِنْ of قَرْیَةٍۭ a town بَطِرَتْ which exulted مَعِیْشَتَهَا ۚ (in) its means of livelihood فَتِلْكَ And these مَسٰكِنُهُمْ (are) their dwellings لَمْ not تُسْكَنْ have been inhabited مِّنْۢ after them بَعْدِهِمْ after them اِلَّا except قَلِیْلًا ؕ a little وَ كُنَّا And indeed, [We] نَحْنُ We الْوٰرِثِیْنَ (are) the inheritors
(28:56) (O Prophet), you cannot grant guidance to whom you please. It is Allah Who guides those whom He will.79 He knows best who are amenable to guidance.
(28:57) They say: "If we were to follow this guidance with you, we should be snatched away from our land."80 Have We not established for them a secure sanctuary to which fruits of all kinds are brought as a provision from Us? But most of them do not know.81
(28:58) And how many a town did We destroy whose inhabitants exulted on account of their affluence. These are their dwellings in which very few dwelt after them. Eventually it is We Who inherited them.82
79. This sentence occurs after mentioning the acceptance of Islam by the Abyssinian Christians. Although the statement is ostensibly addressed to the Prophet (peace be on him), it is actually meant for the Makkan unbelievers. It exposes their folly and virtually tells them: “See, how unfortunate you are! Others are coming from distant lands to receive the benefit of True Guidance from the spiritual stream which is flowing in your own land, and yet you remain deprived of it.” But the manner in which it has been said is as follows: “O Muhammad, you wish that your people, your kith and kin, your fellow-tribesmen should benefit from this spring of life; but your wishes do not matter for Guidance ultimately rests with God and He grants it only to those who are worthy of receiving it. If your relatives are not worthy of that Guidance, how can they receive it?” According to Bukhari and Muslim, this verse was revealed with regard to Abu Talib, the Prophet’s (peace be on him) uncle. When his last moment came, the Prophet (peace be on him) tried his best to persuade him to pronounce the shahadah, “There is no god but Allah”, so that his end might be good. But Abu Talib preferred to die with the religion of his ancestor, ‘Abd al-Muttalib. It was in this context that God revealed the present verse: “You cannot grant Guidance to whom you please. It is Allah Who guides those whom He wills.” (See Bukhari, ‘K. al-Tafsir’, ‘Bab “Innaka la Tahdi man Ahbabta wa lakinna Allah Yahdi man Yasha’ ”, Muslim, ‘K. al-Iman', ‘Bab al-Dalil ‘ala Sihhat Islam man Hadarahu al-Mawt ... wa la Yunqidhuhu min dhalik Shay’ min al-Wasa’il’ — Ed.)
As we know, traditionists and Qur’anic commentators are wont to mention the specific events in the Prophet’s (peace be on him) life to which a Qur’anic verse applies as the “occasion” of its Revelation. It is in this light that we should view ‘the above tradition as also other traditions on the same subject in Tirmidhi and Ahmad ibn Hanbal’s Musnad on the authority of Companions such as Abu Hurayrah, ‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Abbas, “Abd Allah ibn ‘Umar and others. (See Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Musnad, Vol. 5, p. 433. Also see Tirmidhi, ‘K. Tafsir al-Qur’an’, ‘Bab Surah al-Qasas’ ~ Ed.) If we bear this in mind, there is reason to feel sure, on the grounds of these traditions, that the present verse was necessarily revealed at the time of Abu Talib’s death. All that we can be sure about is that the significance of this verse was felt most intensely on that occasion. The Prophet (peace be on him) was desirous that everyone should become a believer and, thus, his efforts in this regard were directed towards all. But if someone’s death in a state of non-acceptance of True Faith would agonize him most, it would be Abu Talib’s. This because of the Prophet's intense personal attachment to his uncle. If the Prophet (peace be on him) did not even have the power to make his uncle accept God’s Guidance, then obviously he did not have this power with regard to anyone else. Enabling someone to believe lies entirely in Allah’s Hand, it is He Who dispenses this grace not on the grounds of any kinship or other affiliation, but in consideration of a person's capacity to appreciate, and because of his sincere readiness to accept the Truth.
80. This is what the Qurayshite unbelievers used to say as an excuse for not accepting Islam. When we reflect on this, we realize that this was indeed the main reason for their denial. In order to appreciate this fully, we should bear in mind the position of the Quraysh in those times, a position which they felt would be undermined if they were to accept Islam.
What initially lent eminence to the Quraysh in Arabia was their descent from Ishmael (peace be on him). There was no doubt, according to Arab genealogists, in this. When, thanks to the sagacity of Qusayy ibn Kilab, the Quraysh became the custodians of the Ka ‘bah and settled down in Makka, their importance grew.
This because they were now responsible for the upkeep of the most sacred shrine in all Arabia and were seen as the religious guides for all the tribes. Further, on account of the rites of Hajj, there was no tribe which did not have any relations with them. The Quraysh used their eminence to gradually bolster their position through trade and commerce. They were able to make good use of the political rivalry then obtaining between the Romans and the Persians, which further enhanced their importance in the field of international trade. In those days, all trade caravan routes between Rome, Greece, Egypt, Syria, China, India, Indonesia and East Africa had. been blocked by the Persians. The only route left was by way of the Red Sea which was also blocked after the Persian occupation of Yemen.
Thus, only one option was left: that the Arab traders carry the merchandise stemming from the Roman territories to the ports of the Arabian Sea and the Persian Gulf and carry the merchandise stemming from the eastern lands to the territories under Roman control.
This made Makka a very important center for international trade and the Quraysh enjoyed a virtual monopoly over it. But the lawlessness which prevailed in Arabia at that time made it necessary for the Quraysh to establish good relations with the tribes through whose territories they had to travel in connection with this trade. The Quraysh leaders did not merely rely on their religious position for this purpose, but also concluded agreements of safe-passage with those tribes.
The Quraysh also passed on a portion of their profit to these tribes and kept their leaders and chieftains happy with gifts. Moreover, they had built up a network of usurious money-lending chains which embraced the traders and chieftains of almost all the neighboring tribes. In these circumstances, when the Prophet (peace be on him) invited the Quraysh to Islam, they felt doubly threatened: their ancestral religion was under threat as were their worldly interests. Even if it were logically more appealing for them to accept tawhid, it would be disastrous to do so because this would give rise to large-scale opposition throughout Arabia. As a result, they would be deprived of their privilege as custodians of the Ka ‘bah and their good relations with idolatrous tribes would come to an end, jeopardizing the safety of their trade caravans. Thus, they feared that their religious eminence as well as their material prosperity would vanish. It was also possible that, in such circumstances, the other tribes of Arabia might even expel them from Makka. One sees here a strange lack of foresight on the part of people who become obsessed with their material interests. The Prophet (peace be on him) assured the Quraysh, over and over again, that if they accepted this Religion, they would have ascendancy over Arabia as well as beyond. They, however, could perceive in Islam nothing else but the potential for their utter destruction.
(For further details see Tafhim al-Qur’an, Vol. 4, pp. 316-17.) They thought that, contrary to what the Prophet (peace be on him) said, they would be deprived of their wealth and influence; that as soon as they accepted Islam, they would be left helpless and vulnerable. They could not visualize that within a few years, the whole of Arabia would be united under a central government with the Prophet (peace be on him) as its head; that within the life-span of their own generation, Iran, Iraq, Syria and Egypt would become parts of that government and within a century, the descendants of the Quraysh would rule over vast territories stretching from Sindh to Spain and from the Caucasus to the coasts of Yemen.
81. This is God’s first answer to the excuse they offered. This response amounted to saying: “Because of whom has peace and order come to prevail in the sacred territory? Because of whom does their sanctuary enjoy that eminence which is attracting merchandise from all parts of the world? Who has brought this about, you or God? Two thousand_ five hundred years ago, a servant of God arrived in this barren land with his wife and an infant child. He built a sanctuary with stones and mortar, proclaimed that God had made His House inviolable, and invited all to circumambulate it. Is it not because of God’s special blessing and favor that this place has come to enjoy peace and tranquility in the midst of the tumult and violence which - engulf the whole of Arabia? Is it not because of God’s special favor that it is looked upon with respect and veneration by all, and every year thousands of people come to it as pilgrims? It is thanks to this favor that you have become the leaders of Arabia and the major beneficiaries of the flourishing international trade of your time. Do you think that by rebelling against God Who, in the first place, bestowed this favor on you, you will prosper, and that you will be instantly destroyed if you follow God’s Religion?”
82. This is the second answer to-their excuse. It suggests that the wealth and prosperity, of which they were so proud and for the sake of which they cling to falsehood and turn away from the Truth, was at one time in the possession of the ‘Ad, the Thamud, the peoples of Saba’ and Midian and Lot. Did their wealth and prosperity save them from destruction? After all, the attainment of a higher standard of living is not the only pursuit available to man. It should not become the pursuit for the sake of which he disregards questions of Truth and falsehood. Nor should man decline to follow True Guidance because of some imaginary fear that material prosperity will be lost. Was there any guarantee that the Quraysh would be spared the destruction inflicted on those prosperous nations of the past which had succumbed to conceptual errors and moral corruption? Was there any guarantee that they would not meet a similar fate?