Tafseer of Hud · Hud · 11:29
And O my people, I ask not of you for it any wealth. My reward is not but from Allah. And I am not one to drive away those who have believed. Indeed, they will meet their Lord, but I see that you are a people behaving ignorantly.
Important: The Arabic source text is always authoritative. This translation is a study aid and has not been verified by scholars — do not use it as a basis for religious proof or for deriving rulings (ahkam). When in doubt, always consult the Arabic text and a qualified scholar.
The explanation of the word of Allah the Exalted: وَيَا قَوْمِ لا أَسْأَلُكُمْ عَلَيْهِ مَالا إِنْ أَجْرِيَ إِلا عَلَى اللَّهِ وَمَا أَنَا بِطَارِدِ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِنَّهُمْ مُلاقُو رَبِّهِمْ وَلَكِنِّي أَرَاكُمْ قَوْمًا تَجْهَلُونَ ("And O my people, I ask of you no wealth for it. My reward is only with Allah. And I will not drive away those who believe — indeed, they will meet their Lord. But I see you as a people who are ignorant.") (29)
Abū Jaʿfar said: This too is a report from Allah about what Noah said to his people. He said to them: O people, I ask of you no recompense or reward for my counsel to you and my call to the oneness of Allah and to worshipping Him sincerely — such that you would distrust me in my counsel and think that my conduct stems from craving the perishable goods of this world. ("My reward is only with Allah") — He says: The reward for my counsel to you and for calling you to that to which I call you is only with Allah; it is He who will requite me for it and reward me for it. ("And I will not drive away those who believe") — And I will not send away whoever believes in Allah and affirms His oneness and rejects the idols and dissociates from them — merely because they do not belong to your prominent and noble ones. ("Indeed, they will meet their Lord") — He says: Those whom you ask me to drive away will go to Allah, and Allah will question them about what they did in the worldly life, not about their rank and lineage.
And Noah said this to his people because his people had said to him, as in:
18112 — Al-Qāsim related to us, he said: Al-Ḥusayn related to us, he said: Ḥajjāj related to me, on the authority of Ibn Jurayj, concerning the word: ("And I will not drive away those who believe — indeed, they will meet their Lord"), he said: They said to him: O Noah, if you want us to follow you, then drive them away. Otherwise, we will never agree that they and we stand on equal footing in matters. He answered: ("I will not drive away those who believe — indeed, they will meet their Lord"), who will question them about their deeds.
18113 — Al-Qāsim related to us, he said: Al-Ḥusayn related to us, he said: Ḥajjāj related to me, on the authority of Ibn Jurayj; and Muḥammad ibn ʿAmr related to me, he said: Abū ʿĀṣim related to us, he said: ʿĪsā related to us, on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, both on the authority of Mujāhid concerning the word: ("My reward is only with Allah"), he said: my requital.
18114 — Al-Muthanná related to me, he said: Abū Ḥudhayfa related to us, he said: Shibl related to us, on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid: the same.
18115 — [He] said: Isḥāq related to us, he said: ʿAbdallāh related to us, on the authority of Warqāʾ, on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid: the same.
And His word: ("But I see you as a people who are ignorant") — He says: But I see you, O people, as a people who do not know what is obligatory upon you toward Allah and which of His duties you fulfill. Out of that ignorance of yours, you have asked me to drive away those who believe in Allah.