Al-Qur'an Surah Al-Qasas Verse 56

Mufti Taqi Usmani

You cannot give guidance to whomsoever you wish, but Allah gives guidance to whomsoever He wills, and He best knows the ones who are on the right path.

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

You surely cannot guide whoever you like ˹O Prophet˺, but it is Allah Who guides whoever He wills, and He knows best who are ˹fit to be˺ guided.

Ruwwad Translation Center

You cannot guide whoever you like, but Allah guides whom He wills, and He knows best who will be guided.

A. J. Arberry

Thou guidest not whom thou likest, but God guides whom He wills, and knows very well those that are guided.

Abdul Haleem

You [Prophet] cannot guide everyone you love to the truth; it is God who guides whoever He will: He knows best those who will follow guidance.

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

Verily thou shalt not guide whomsoever thou lovest, but Allah shall guide whomsoever He will. And He knoweth best who are the guided.

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

It is true thou wilt not be able to guide every one, whom thou lovest; but Allah guides those whom He will and He knows best those who receive guidance.

Abul Ala Maududi

(O Prophet), you cannot grant guidance to whom you please. It is Allah Who guides those whom He will. He knows best who are amenable to guidance.

Ahmed Ali

You cannot guide any one you like: God guides whosoever He please. He knows best who will come to guidance.

Ahmed Raza Khan

Indeed it is not such that you can guide whomever you love, but Allah guides whomever He wills; and He well knows the people upon guidance.

Ali Quli Qarai

You cannot guide whomever you wish, but [it is] Allah [who] guides whomever He wishes, and He knows best those who are guided.

Ali Ünal

You cannot guide to truth whomever you like but God guides whomever He wills. He knows best who are guided (and amenable to guidance).

Amatul Rahman Omar

(Prophet!) it is not possible for you to guide whomsoever you wish, but Allâh guides whomsoever He will. He knows fully well those who would accept guidance.

English Literal

That you do not guide whom you loved/liked, and but God guides whom He wills/wants, and He is more knowledgeable with (about) the guided.277

Faridul Haque

Indeed it is not such that you can guide whomever you love, but Allah guides whomever He wills; and He well knows the people upon guidance.

Hamid S. Aziz

And when they hear vain talk, they turn away from it and say, "We have our works, and you have your works. Peace be upon you! We do not seek the ignorant."

Hilali & Khan

Verily! You (O Muhammad SAW) guide not whom you like, but Allah guides whom He wills. And He knows best those who are the guided.

Maulana Mohammad Ali

These will be granted their reward twice because they are steadfast, and they repel evil with good and spend out of what We have given them.

Mohammad Habib Shakir

Surely you cannot guide whom you love, but Allah guides whom He pleases, and He knows best the followers of the right way.

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

Lo! thou (O Muhammad) guidest not whom thou lovest, but Allah guideth whom He will. And He is Best Aware of those who walk aright.

Muhammad Sarwar

(Muhammad), you cannot guide whomever you love, but God guides whomever He wants and knows best those who seek guidance.

Qaribullah & Darwish

You cannot guide whom you please; it is Allah who guides whom He will. He knows well those who are guided.

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

Verily, you guide not whom you like, but Allah guides whom He wills. And He knows best those who are the guided.

Wahiduddin Khan

You cannot guide whoever you please: it is God who guides whom He will. He best knows those who would accept guidance.

Talal Itani

You cannot guide whom you love, but God guides whom He wills, and He knows best those who are guided.

Tafsir jalalayn

The following was revealed regarding the Prophet's longing for his uncle Ab Tlib to embrace faith; You cannot guide whom you like, to be guided, but [it is] God [Who] guides whomever He will, and He knows best those who will be guided.

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

Allah guides Whom He wills

Allah says to His Messenger ;`O Muhammad;

إِنَّكَ لَا تَهْدِي مَنْ أَحْبَبْتَ

Verily, you guide not whom you like'

meaning, `the matter does not rest with you; all that you have to do is convey the Message, and Allah will guide whom He wills, and His is the ultimate wisdom,' as He says;

لَّيْسَ عَلَيْكَ هُدَاهُمْ وَلَـكِنَّ اللَّهَ يَهْدِى مَن يَشَأءُ

Not upon you is their guidance, but Allah guides whom He wills. (2;272)

وَمَأ أَكْثَرُ النَّاسِ وَلَوْ حَرَصْتَ بِمُوْمِنِينَ

And most of mankind will not believe even if you desire it eagerly. (12;103)

This Ayah is even more specific than the following;

إِنَّكَ لَا تَهْدِي مَنْ أَحْبَبْتَ وَلَكِنَّ اللَّهَ يَهْدِي مَن يَشَاء وَهُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِالْمُهْتَدِينَ



Verily, you guide not whom you like, but Allah guides whom He wills. And He knows best those who are the guided.

meaning;Allah knows best who deserves to be guided and who deserves to be misguided.

It was recorded in the Two Sahihs that this Ayah was revealed concerning Abu Talib, the paternal uncle of the Messenger of Allah.

He used to protect the Prophet, support him and stand by him. He loved the Prophet dearly, but this love was a natural love, i.e., born of kinship, not a love that was born of the fact that he was the Messenger of Allah.

When he was on his deathbed, the Messenger of Allah called him to Faith and to enter Islam, but the decree overtook him and he remained a follower of disbelief, and Allah's is the complete wisdom.

Az-Zuhri said that Sa`id bin Al-Musayyib narrated to me that his father, Al-Musayyib bin Hazan Al-Makhzumi, may Allah be pleased with him, said;

"When Abu Talib was dying, the Messenger of Allah came to him and found Abu Jahl bin Hisham and Abdullah bin Abi Umayyah bin Al-Mughirah with him. The Messenger of Allah said;

يَا عَمِّ قُلْ لَاا إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللهُ كَلِمَةً أُحَاجُّ لَكَ بِهَا عِنْدَ الله

O my uncle, say La ilaha illallah, a word which I may use as evidence in your favor before Allah (in the Hereafter).

Abu Jahl bin Hisham and Abdullah bin Abi Umayyah said;

`O Abu Talib, will you leave the religion of Abdul-Muttalib'

The Messenger of Allah kept urging him to say La ilaha illallah, and they kept saying, `Will you leave the religion of `Abdul-Muttalib' -- until, at the very end, he said that he was on the religion of Abdul-Muttalib, and he refused to say La ilaha illallah.

The Messenger of Allah said;

وَاللهِ لَااَسْتَغْفِرَنَّ لَكَ مَا لَمْ أُنْهَ عَنْك

By Allah, I shall certainly seek forgiveness for you unless I am told not to.

Then Allah revealed;

مَا كَانَ لِلنَّبِىِّ وَالَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ أَن يَسْتَغْفِرُواْ لِلْمُشْرِكِينَ وَلَوْ كَانُواْ أُوْلِى قُرْبَى

It is not (proper) for the Prophet and those who believe to ask Allah's forgiveness for the idolators, even though they be of kin. (9;113)

And there was revealed concerning Abu Talib the Ayah,

إِنَّكَ لَا تَهْدِي مَنْ أَحْبَبْتَ وَلَكِنَّ اللَّهَ يَهْدِي مَن يَشَاء

Verily, you guide not whom you like, but Allah guides whom He wills."

This was recorded (by Al-Bukhari and Muslim) from the Hadith of Az-Zuhri.
The Excuses made by the People of Makkah for not believing, and the Refutation of Their Excuses

Allah tells