30وَما تَشاءونَ إِلّا أَن يَشاءَ اللَّهُ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ كانَ عَليمًا حَكيمًاMuhammad AsadBut you cannot will it unless God wills [to show you that way]:1 for, behold, God is indeed all-seeing, wise.See note 11 on 81:28-29. The perplexity of some of the commentators at the apparent "contradiction" between those two verses - as well as between verses 29-30 of the present surah - has been caused by their elliptic formulation, which, I believe, is resolved in my rendering. In the present instance, in particular, there is a clear connection between the above two verses and verse 3 of this surah: "We have shown him the way: [and it rests with him to prove himself] either grateful or ungrateful". (Cf. also 74:56.)