And when it was known that the soul of the Prophet ﷺ, due to what it was created for of goodness and love for the benefit of all the servants, especially the Arabs, due to their proximity to him ﷺ, particularly those who were closest to him by kinship, would be affected by the precedence of the People of the Book over his people, it was possible that someone might think that their lack of guidance was due to a shortcoming in his supplication or his desire for that. And that if he had wanted their guidance and loved it, and had attached his lofty aspiration to it, they would have been guided. This was answered by His saying, the Exalted, in the context of affirmation, to manifest the attribute of power, majesty, and greatness: "Indeed, you do not guide whom you love," meaning: his soul or his guidance by creating faith in his heart. Guidance, which is the direction and clarification, is only in your hand.

And when it was possible that someone might think, for the sake of informing about the conveyance of the saying and its justification and similar matters, that something from their actions was beyond His power, He negated this thought, indicating the error in his belief by saying: "But Allah," who is adorned with the garment of majesty, grandeur, and perfection, and to Him belongs all command, "guides whom He wills" to His guidance (p-318) by granting success to what pleases Him. "And He," meaning: alone, "knows best of the guided ones," meaning: those whom He has prepared to seek guidance at the time of creating them, so they would be inclined towards it, whether they were from the People of the Book or the Arabs, whether they were close or distant relatives. Al-Bukhari narrated in the tafsir from Sa'id ibn al-Musayyib from his father, may Allah be pleased with him: "He said: When the death of Abu Talib approached, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ came to him and found Abu Jahl and Abdullah ibn Abi Umayyah ibn al-Mughira with him. He said: O uncle! Say: There is no god but Allah, a word by which I will argue for you before Allah. Abu Jahl and Abdullah ibn Abi Umayyah said: Do you desire a religion other than that of Abdul Muttalib? The Messenger of Allah ﷺ continued to present it to him and repeated that saying until Abu Talib said, the last thing he spoke to them was on the religion of Abdul Muttalib, and he refused to say: There is no god but Allah. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: By Allah, I will surely ask forgiveness for you as long as I am not forbidden from you." Then Allah, the 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" [At-Tawbah: 113]. And Allah revealed concerning Abu Talib, saying to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ: "Indeed, you do not guide whom you love". Sa'id ibn al-Musayyib said from his father, may Allah be pleased with him: This was revealed concerning Abu Talib.

And in Muslim from Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, "that the Prophet ﷺ commanded him with the oneness of Allah and said: If it were not that the women of Quraysh would insult me, I would have declared it openly to you. Then Allah revealed the verse."