The Poets — Verse 109
26:109 · ash-Shu`ara`
Verse display
وَمَاۤ أَسۡءَلُكُمۡ عَلَیۡهِ مِنۡ أَجۡرٍۖ إِنۡ أَجۡرِیَ إِلَّا عَلَىٰ رَبِّ ٱلۡعَـٰلَمِینَ ١٠٩
wamā asalukum ʿalayhi min ajrin in ajriya illā ʿalā rabbi l-ʿālamīn
The Poets / ash-Shu`ara` (26:109)
Connections 1 single-source 1 commentator
Multi-source connections
No verses on this ayah are cited by 2 or more commentators using numeric S:A notation. All extracted references come from a single source's commentary.
Single-source mention (1) cited by only one commentator
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Q 2:41 (al-Baqarah)
cited by
By commentator who cites how many verses on this ayah
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Ma'arif-ul-Quran 1 verse
Note: these connections are extracted from numeric S:A references inside the commentary text and are therefore biased toward mufassirun who use that notation. Prose-style references (e.g. "Surat al-Baqarah verse 30") will be added later, which should surface additional multi-source consensus.
I ask no reward of you, for my only reward is with the Lord of the Worlds
wamā asalukum ʿalayhi min ajrin in ajriya illā ʿalā rabbi l-ʿālamīn
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Tafsir Commentary
Nuh's preaching to His People, and Their Response
Here Allah tells us about His servant and Messenger Nuh, peace be upon him, who was the first Messenger sent by Allah to the people of earth after they started to worship idols. Allah sent him to forbid that and to warn people of the consequences of idol worship. But his people belied him and continued their evil practice of worshipping idols besides Allah. Allah revealed that their disbelieving in him was akin to disbelieving in all the Messengers, So Allah said:
كَذَّبَتْ قَوْمُ نُوحٍ الْمُرْسَلِينَ - إِذْ قَالَ لَهُمْ أَخُوهُمْ نُوحٌ أَلاَ تَتَّقُونَ
(The people of Nuh belied the Messengers. When their brother Nuh said to them: "Will you not have Taqwa") meaning, `do you not fear Allah when you worship others instead of Him'
إِنِّي لَكُمْ رَسُولٌ أَمِينٌ
(I am a trustworthy Messenger to you.) means, `I am the Messenger of Allah to you, faithfully fulfilling the mission with which Allah has sent me. I convey the Messages of my Lord to you, and I do not add anything to them or take anything away from them.,
فَاتَّقُواْ اللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُونِ وَمَآ أَسْـَلُكُمْ عَلَيْهِ مِنْ أَجْرٍ
(So have Taqwa of Allah, and obey me. No reward do I ask of you for it;) means, `I do not want any payment for the advice I give you; I will save my reward for it with Allah. '
فَاتَّقُواْ اللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُونِ
(So have Taqwa of Allah, and obey me.) `It is clear to you that I am telling the truth and that I am faithfully fulfilling the mission with which Allah has entrusted me.'
I do not ask of you any reward for it for delivering it; for my reward lies only with the Lord of the Worlds.
I ask from you no wage for this; surely my wage falls on God, the Lord of the Worlds. This is a report about each of the prophets. Each of them said, “I ask from you no wage for this.” Thus everyone who acts for God's sake will know that it is not appropriate to seek wages from other than God. If one day someone takes a step in God's road and desires a reward or lifts up a request, let him never desire it from other than Him! To Moses it was revealed, “Lift up your request to Me! Whatever you ask for, ask from Me, even the salt for your dough or the straw for your sheep.” This indeed is the degree of the wage-earners, for they act with an ear to the reward. The rec- ognizers have another state and another work. When they act, they do not do so for the sake of the reward. They consider reward a freckle on the face of the deed. The Pir of the Tariqah said, “In any case, calling to account will be for the wage-earners. What calling to account could there be for the recognizers? The recognizer is indeed a guest. The wage of the wage-earner befits the wage-earner, and the feast of the guest befits the host. The resource of the wage-earner is bewilderment, and the resource of the recognizer is face-to-face vision. “The recognizer's spirit is radiant with His love; his spirit is all eye, his secret core all tongue. His eye and tongue are helpless in the light of face-to-face vision. “The wage-earner's heart has the shining light of hope, but the recognizer's spirit has face-to- face vision. The wage-earner wanders in the midst of blessings, but the recognizer cannot fit into expression.” The worth of the recognizer's spirit is not apparent. Do you know why? Because his spirit is not separate from the Presence. His bodily frame is like a shell, and his soul is like a pearl that originated from the Presence and returned to the Presence. If the soul had come from here, it would be soulish, and if it were soulish, the veil of dispersion would not have been incinerated. The fire of hell does not burn like the fire that burns in the recognizer's soul, for his fire is lit by friendship.
I ask from you no wage for this; surely my wage falls on God, the Lord of the Worlds. This is a report about each of the prophets. Each of them said, “I ask from you no wage for this.” Thus everyone who acts for God's sake will know that it is not appropriate to seek wages from other than God. If one day someone takes a step in God's road and desires a reward or lifts up a request, let him never desire it from other than Him! To Moses it was revealed, “Lift up your request to Me! Whatever you ask for, ask from Me, even the salt for your dough or the straw for your sheep.” This indeed is the degree of the wage-earners, for they act with an ear to the reward. The rec- ognizers have another state and another work. When they act, they do not do so for the sake of the reward. They consider reward a freckle on the face of the deed. The Pir of the Tariqah said, “In any case, calling to account will be for the wage-earners. What calling to account could there be for the recognizers? The recognizer is indeed a guest. The wage of the wage-earner befits the wage-earner, and the feast of the guest befits the host. The resource of the wage-earner is bewilderment, and the resource of the recognizer is face-to-face vision. “The recognizer's spirit is radiant with His love; his spirit is all eye, his secret core all tongue. His eye and tongue are helpless in the light of face-to-face vision. “The wage-earner's heart has the shining light of hope, but the recognizer's spirit has face-to- face vision. The wage-earner wanders in the midst of blessings, but the recognizer cannot fit into expression.” The worth of the recognizer's spirit is not apparent. Do you know why? Because his spirit is not separate from the Presence. His bodily frame is like a shell, and his soul is like a pearl that originated from the Presence and returned to the Presence. If the soul had come from here, it would be soulish, and if it were soulish, the veil of dispersion would not have been incinerated. The fire of hell does not burn like the fire that burns in the recognizer's soul, for his fire is lit by friendship.
I ask from you no wage for this; surely my wage falls on God, the Lord of the Worlds. This is a report about each of the prophets. Each of them said, “I ask from you no wage for this.” Thus everyone who acts for God's sake will know that it is not appropriate to seek wages from other than God. If one day someone takes a step in God's road and desires a reward or lifts up a request, let him never desire it from other than Him! To Moses it was revealed, “Lift up your request to Me! Whatever you ask for, ask from Me, even the salt for your dough or the straw for your sheep.” This indeed is the degree of the wage-earners, for they act with an ear to the reward. The rec- ognizers have another state and another work. When they act, they do not do so for the sake of the reward. They consider reward a freckle on the face of the deed. The Pir of the Tariqah said, “In any case, calling to account will be for the wage-earners. What calling to account could there be for the recognizers? The recognizer is indeed a guest. The wage of the wage-earner befits the wage-earner, and the feast of the guest befits the host. The resource of the wage-earner is bewilderment, and the resource of the recognizer is face-to-face vision. “The recognizer's spirit is radiant with His love; his spirit is all eye, his secret core all tongue. His eye and tongue are helpless in the light of face-to-face vision. “The wage-earner's heart has the shining light of hope, but the recognizer's spirit has face-to- face vision. The wage-earner wanders in the midst of blessings, but the recognizer cannot fit into expression.” The worth of the recognizer's spirit is not apparent. Do you know why? Because his spirit is not separate from the Presence. His bodily frame is like a shell, and his soul is like a pearl that originated from the Presence and returned to the Presence. If the soul had come from here, it would be soulish, and if it were soulish, the veil of dispersion would not have been incinerated. The fire of hell does not burn like the fire that burns in the recognizer's soul, for his fire is lit by friendship.
I ask from you no wage for this; surely my wage falls on God, the Lord of the Worlds. This is a report about each of the prophets. Each of them said, “I ask from you no wage for this.” Thus everyone who acts for God's sake will know that it is not appropriate to seek wages from other than God. If one day someone takes a step in God's road and desires a reward or lifts up a request, let him never desire it from other than Him! To Moses it was revealed, “Lift up your request to Me! Whatever you ask for, ask from Me, even the salt for your dough or the straw for your sheep.” This indeed is the degree of the wage-earners, for they act with an ear to the reward. The rec- ognizers have another state and another work. When they act, they do not do so for the sake of the reward. They consider reward a freckle on the face of the deed. The Pir of the Tariqah said, “In any case, calling to account will be for the wage-earners. What calling to account could there be for the recognizers? The recognizer is indeed a guest. The wage of the wage-earner befits the wage-earner, and the feast of the guest befits the host. The resource of the wage-earner is bewilderment, and the resource of the recognizer is face-to-face vision. “The recognizer's spirit is radiant with His love; his spirit is all eye, his secret core all tongue. His eye and tongue are helpless in the light of face-to-face vision. “The wage-earner's heart has the shining light of hope, but the recognizer's spirit has face-to- face vision. The wage-earner wanders in the midst of blessings, but the recognizer cannot fit into expression.” The worth of the recognizer's spirit is not apparent. Do you know why? Because his spirit is not separate from the Presence. His bodily frame is like a shell, and his soul is like a pearl that originated from the Presence and returned to the Presence. If the soul had come from here, it would be soulish, and if it were soulish, the veil of dispersion would not have been incinerated. The fire of hell does not burn like the fire that burns in the recognizer's soul, for his fire is lit by friendship.
I ask from you no wage for this; surely my wage falls on God, the Lord of the Worlds.This is a report about each of the prophets. Each of them said, �I ask from you no wage for this.� Thus everyone who acts for God's sake will know that it is not appropriate to seek wages from other than God.If one day someone takes a step in God's road and desires a reward or lifts up a request, let him never desire it from other than Him! To Moses it was revealed, �Lift up your request to Me! Whatever you ask for, ask from Me, even the salt for your dough or the straw for your sheep.�This indeed is the degree of the wage-earners, for they act with an ear to the reward. The rec- ognizers have another state and another work. When they act, they do not do so for the sake of the reward. They consider reward a freckle on the face of the deed.The Pir of the Tariqah said, �In any case, calling to account will be for the wage-earners. What calling to account could there be for the recognizers? The recognizer is indeed a guest. The wage of the wage-earner befits the wage-earner, and the feast of the guest befits the host. The resource of the wage-earner is bewilderment, and the resource of the recognizer is face-to-face vision.�The recognizer's spirit is radiant with His love; his spirit is all eye, his secret core all tongue.His eye and tongue are helpless in the light of face-to-face vision.�The wage-earner's heart has the shining light of hope, but the recognizer's spirit has face-to- face vision. The wage-earner wanders in the midst of blessings, but the recognizer cannot fit into expression.�The worth of the recognizer's spirit is not apparent. Do you know why? Because his spirit is not separate from the Presence. His bodily frame is like a shell, and his soul is like a pearl that originated from the Presence and returned to the Presence. If the soul had come from here, it would be soulish, and if it were soulish, the veil of dispersion would not have been incinerated. The fire of hell does not burn like the fire that burns in the recognizer's soul, for his fire is lit by friendship.
كَذَّبت قوم نوح رسالة نبيهم، فكانوا بهذا مكذبين لجميع الرسل؛ لأن كل رسول يأمر بتصديق جميع الرسل. إذ قال لهم أخوهم نوح: ألا تخشون الله بترك عبادة غيره؟ إني لكم رسول أمين فيما أبلغكم، فاجعلوا الإيمان وقاية لكم من عذاب الله وأطيعوني فيما آمركم به من عبادته وحده. وما أطلب منكم أجرًا على تبليغ الرسالة، ما أجري إلا على رب العالمين، المتصرف في خلقه، فاحذروا عقابه، وأطيعوني بامتثال أوامره، واجتناب نواهيه.
"فاتقوا الله وأطيعون" فقد وضح لكم وبان صدقي ونصحي وأمانتي فيما بعثني الله به وائتمنني عليه.
وما دام أمرى كذلك . ( فاتقوا الله وَأَطِيعُونِ وَمَآ أَسْأَلُكُمْ عَلَيْهِ ) أى على هذا النصح ( مِنْ أَجْرٍ ) دنيوى ( إِنْ أَجْرِيَ ) فيما أدعوكم إليه ( إِلاَّ على رَبِّ العالمين ) فهو الذى أرسلنى إليكم ، وهو الذى يتفضل بمنحى أجرى لا أنتم .
( وَمَا أَسْأَلُكُمْ عَلَيْهِ مِنْ أَجْرٍ ) يقول: وما أطلب منكم على نصيحتي لكم وأمري إياكم باتقاء عقاب الله بطاعته فيما أمركم ونهاكم, من ثواب ولا جزاء ( إِنْ أَجْرِيَ إِلا عَلَى رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ ) دونكم ودون جميع خلق الله.
( وما أسألكم عليه من أجر إن أجري ) ثوابي ، ( إلا على رب العالمين فاتقوا الله وأطيعون ) .
وَمَا أَسْأَلُكُمْ عَلَيْهِ مِنْ أَجْرٍ إِنْ أَجْرِيَ إِلَّا عَلَى رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ (109) وجملة : { وما أسئلكم عليه من أجر } عطف على جملة : { إني لكم رسول أمين } أي علمتم أني أمين لكم وتعلمون أني لا أطلب من دعوتكم إلى الإيمان نفعاً لنفسي . وضمير { عليه } عائد إلى معلوم من مقام الدعوة .
ثم ذكر انتفاء المانع فقال: وَمَا أَسْأَلُكُمْ عَلَيْهِ مِنْ أَجْرٍ . فتتكلفون من المغرم الثقيل، إِنْ أَجْرِيَ إِلا عَلَى رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ أرجو بذلك القرب منه, والثواب الجزيل، وأما أنتم فمنيتي, ومنتهى إرادتي منكم, النصح لكم, وسلوككم الصراط المستقيم.
وما أسألكم عليه من أجر أي لا طمع لي في مالكم . إن أجري إلا على رب العالمين أي ما جزائي إلا على رب العالمين .
Noah’s community rejected him, though his call was fully borne out by the strength of arguments. Besides, his character bore testimony to his truthfulness. The people of his community knew that Noah was a righteous and honest man. They knew that there was no vested self-interest attached to his call for the Truth. Indeed, his personal qualities were enough to prove his seriousness. And a person who is serious about God’s creatures cannot be other than serious about their Creator. Noah’s community rejected his call for the Truth, though they could offer nothing but irrelevant matters to justify this rejection. To say that the companions of a preacher are ordinary people in order to justify rejection of his call, is not a contradiction of the call but amounts rather to self-contradiction. It means that nothing can be found by way of arguments to warrant saying anything against the call of Truth. Such a stance did no credit to Noah’s community.
Commentary
وَمَا أَسْأَلُكُمْ عَلَيْهِ مِنْ أَجْرٍ
And I do not claim from you any reward for it. - 26:109
It is learnt from this verse that charging and acceptance of wages against religious teachings and preaching is not right. Therefore, the righteous elders have ruled it as forbidden, but the later generations have allowed it under compelling circumstances. Its full details have been given under the explanation of the verse لَا تَشْتَرُوا بِآيَاتِي ثَمَنًا قَلِيلًا do not take a paltry price for My signs" - 2:41.
Special note
Here the verse فَاتَّقُوا اللَّـهَ وَأَطِيعُونِ (So, fear Allah and obey me - 110) is repeated twice to make clear that for the obedience of the Messenger and fear of Allah it was enough that the prophet has any one of the two qualities: One, his honesty and integrity, and the second, his teaching and preaching without a fee. But when the Messenger who is personified of all these traits, his obedience and the fear of his God becomes all the more necessary.
(And I ask of you no wage) no provision (therefore) in exchange for the profession of Allah's divine Oneness; (my wage) my provision (is the concern only of the Lord of the Worlds.