(It is not for the Prophet, and those who believe, to pray for the forgiveness of idolaters…) [9:113-114]. Abu 'Abd Allah Muhammad ibn 'Abd Allah al-Shirazi informed us> Muhammad ibn 'Abd Allah ibn Khamirawayh al-Harawi> Abu'l-Hasan 'Ali ibn Muhammad al-Khuza'i> Abu'l-Yaman> Shu'ayb> al-Zuhri> Sa'id ibn al-Musayyab> his father who said: “When Abu Talib was about to die, the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, entered in on him while Abu Jahl and 'Abd Allah ibn Abi Umayyah were present. He said: 'O uncle, say with me, there is no god but Allah, so that I can plead with Allah in your favour'. Abu Jahl and Ibn Abi Umayyah said: 'O Abu Talib, will you shun the religion of 'Abd al-Muttalib?' And they kept talking to him such that the last thing he uttered was: 'I follow the religion of 'Abd al-Muttalib'. The Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, then said: 'I will pray for your forgiveness as long as I am not forbidden from doing it'. This verse was then revealed (It is not for the Prophet, and those who believe, to pray for the forgiveness of idolaters even though they may be near of kin (to them) after it hath become clear that they are people of hell-fire)”. This was narrated by Bukhari from Ishaq ibn Ibrahim> 'Abd al-Razzaq> Ma'mar, and also by Muslim from Harmalah> Ibn Wahb> Yunus; both Ma'mar and Yunus related it from al-Zuhri. Abu Sa'id ibn Abi 'Amr al-Naysaburi informed us> al-Hasan ibn 'Ali ibn Mu'ammil> 'Amr ibn 'Abd Allah al-Basri> Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab> Ja'far ibn 'Awn> Musa ibn 'Ubaydah> Muhammad ibn Ka'b al-Qurazi who said: “I heard that when Abu Talib fell ill to the illness that led to his death, the Quraysh said to him: 'O Abu Talib, send for your nephew to send you something to cure you from the Garden he mentions'. The emissary went to find the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace. He found him sitting with Abu Bakr. He said to him: 'O Muhammad, your uncle says to you that he is old and weak and he wants you to send him some of the food and drink of the Garden you mention so that he regains health'. Abu Bakr replied: 'Allah, exalted is He, has made it forbidden for the unbelievers'.
Asbab Al-Nuzul by Al-Wahidi , trans. Mokrane Guezzou
