Overall meaning : The Almighty states that He bestowed on Abraham his son Isaac, and grandson Jacob, each of whom He guided to the right path, as He guided Noah before them. Among Noah’s descendants, He states, He also guided David, Solomon, Job, Joseph, Moses and Aaron, peace be upon them, and that just as He rewarded these messengers and led them to the right path, so, too, He will reward everyone who does good.
Allah also guided Zechariah, John (Yahya), Jesus ('Eesa) and Elijah (Elias), each one of them was of the righteous; and also Ishmael, Elisha (Al-Yasa’), Jonah and Lot, and each one of them did He exalt above all the people of their times.
He equally guided some of the fathers of these prophets and messengers, as well as some of their descendants and some of their brothers, and He chose them to convey His message and guided them to the right path.
Such guidance with which Allah guided these prophets and messengers is Allah’s true and only guidance, whereby He guides to the truth whomsoever He wills of His servants. Had such prophets and messengers—hypothetically, of course—worshipped others besides Allah, their good deeds would have been vain indeed and would have gone unrewarded.
It is on these prophets and messengers, the Almighty points out, that He bestowed divine books, the gift of understanding them and the laws contained in them, as well as prophethood. Then, directing His speech to Prophet Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, He says that if the unbelievers from among his people, the Quraysh—and the rest of the people in the world, for that matter—deny the divine book, the gift of understanding it and prophethood He has bestowed on him, this should not in the least do him any harm, for He has guided and prepared some other people to believe them.
Allah, Exalted be He, further asserts that it these prophets and messengers that He guided to His true religion and directs His Prophet, Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, to follow their guidance and example, and to say to the idolaters who associate partners with Allah, 'I do not ask you for any wage for conveying this religion to you, for I expect my reward from Allah alone. My conveying the Qur’an serves only as a reminder to all mankind, whereby they are guided from misguidance to guidance, and from unbelief to faith.