It is related in the Ṣaḥīḥ, from Ibn al-Musayyab, from his father, who said: When death approached Abū Ṭālib, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ came to him while ʿAbd Allāh ibn Abī Umayyah and Abū Jahl were present. The Prophet ﷺ said, “My uncle, say lā ilāha illā Allāh— a word with which I shall contend on your behalf before Allah.” They said to him, “Will you turn away from the religion of ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib?” The Prophet ﷺ repeated his request, and they repeated their objection, until the last thing Abū Ṭālib said was, “He is upon the religion of ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib,” and he refused to say lā ilāha illā Allāh. The Prophet ﷺ then said, “I shall continue to seek forgiveness for you so long as I am not forbidden to do so.” Thereupon Allah revealed: “It is not for the Prophet and those who believe to seek forgiveness for the polytheists, even though they be close relatives” (Qur’an 9:113).

Allah also revealed concerning Abū Ṭālib: “Indeed, you do not guide whom you love; rather, Allah guides whom He wills, and He knows best those who are rightly guided” (1) (Qur’an 28:56).

—
A – Biographical note on Ibn al-Musayyab: He is Saʿīd ibn al-Musayyab, one of the leading scholars and jurists of the Tābiʿīn; he died after the year 90 AH.

“In the Ṣaḥīḥ” means in Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī.

“From his father”: al-Musayyab was a Companion who died during the caliphate of ʿUthmān.

“When death approached Abū Ṭālib” refers to the onset and signs of death.

“My uncle” (ʿammī) is a vocative form from which the final yāʾ has been dropped, with the remaining kasrah indicating its presence.