Quran Universe
11:29

وَيَٰقَوۡمِ لَآ أَسۡـَٔلُكُمۡ عَلَيۡهِ مَالًاۖ إِنۡ أَجۡرِيَ إِلَّا عَلَى ٱللَّهِۚ وَمَآ أَنَا۠ بِطَارِدِ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓاْۚ إِنَّهُم مُّلَٰقُواْ رَبِّهِمۡ وَلَٰكِنِّيٓ أَرَىٰكُمۡ قَوۡمٗا تَجۡهَلُونَ

Waya qawmi la asalukum AAalayhi malan in ajriya illa AAala Allahi wama ana bitaridi allatheena amanoo innahum mulaqoo rabbihim walakinnee arakum qawman tajhaloona

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.

Word by word
  1. وَيَٰقَوۡمِAnd O my people
  2. لَآnot
  3. أَسۡـَٔلُكُمۡI ask (of) you
  4. عَلَيۡهِfor it
  5. مَالًاۖany wealth
  6. إِنۡNot
  7. أَجۡرِيَ(is) my reward
  8. إِلَّاexcept
  9. عَلَىfrom
  10. ٱللَّهِۚAllah
  11. وَمَآAnd not
  12. أَنَا۠I am
  13. بِطَارِدِgoing to drive away
  14. ٱلَّذِينَthose who
  15. ءَامَنُوٓاْۚbelieved
  16. إِنَّهُمIndeed,they
  17. مُّلَٰقُواْ(will) be meeting
  18. رَبِّهِمۡtheir Lord
  19. وَلَٰكِنِّيٓbut I
  20. أَرَىٰكُمۡsee you
  21. قَوۡمٗا(are) a people
  22. تَجۡهَلُونَignorant
Hud · 11:29Makkah

He asked for no money and dropped no one.

Nuh refuses to send the poor believers away

The chiefs' demand
the chiefstoo important to sit with them
demand
drive them awaythe weak believers
Nuh says
they will meet their LordI will not
Who matters
the important peoplekeep them happy
those who believedhowever low their status

The chiefs wanted Nuh to separate himself from the believers, because they felt too important to sit with them. Quraysh later asked the Prophet ﷺ the same thing, to hold a private gathering just for the elite. Nuh said he took no payment, his reward was with Allah, and he would not drive anyone away.

The masjid committee wants the big donor at the front and the quiet uncle who sweeps the floor out of sight. The work group chat has an inner circle. Nuh kept the poor believers at his side even when it cost him the powerful.

To get the influential people on board, I may have to sideline the ordinary ones.

Those who turned to Allah keep their place, whatever it costs me with the powerful.

Try this

Sit with or message someone at your masjid or work whom others usually overlook.

Related6:53
Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir

And O my people! I ask of you no wealth for it, my reward is from none but Allah. I am not going to drive away those who have believed. Surely, they are going to meet their Lord, but I see that you are a people that are ignorant (29)And O my people! Who will help me against Allah, if I drove them away Will you not then give a thought) Nuh says to his people, "I do not ask you for any wealth in return for my sincere advice to you." Wealth (Mal) here means, "payment that I take from you." Nuh means, "I am only seeking the reward from Allah, the Mighty and Sublime." Concerning the statemen (30)

وَمَا أَنَا بِطَارِدِ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا

(I am not going to drive away those who have believed.) This alludes to the fact that they (the disbelievers) requested Nuh to disassociate himself from the believers, because they were averse to them and felt themselves too important to sit with them. This is similar to the request of disbelievers to the seal of the Messengers ﷺ to disassociate himself from a group of the people who were considered weak in their social status. They wanted the Prophet ﷺ to sit with them in a special gathering of the elite. Therefore, Allah revealed,

وَلَا تَطْرُدِ الَّذِينَ يَدْعُونَ رَبَّهُم بِالْغَدَاةِ وَالْعَشِيِّ

(And turn not away those who invoke their Lord, morning and afternoon.) Allah also says,

وَكَذَٰلِكَ فَتَنَّا بَعْضَهُم بِبَعْضٍ لِّيَقُولُوا أَهَٰؤُلَاءِ مَنَّ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِم مِّن بَيْنِنَا ۗ أَلَيْسَ اللَّهُ بِأَعْلَمَ بِالشَّاكِرِينَ

(Thus We have tried some of them with others, that they might say: "Is it these (poor believers) whom Allah has favored from among us?" Does not Allah know best those who are grateful?)[6:53]