Tafsir of Hud 11:29

"And O my people": He addressed them with this for the sake of gentleness and to lure them toward the truth.

"I do not ask you for it": That is, for the communication [of the message], which is understood from what preceded. It is also said: the pronoun refers to the warning. Or, that Allah, the Exalted, be worshipped alone. It is also said: it refers to the call to monotheism. Other opinions also exist, all of which are closely related. That is, I do not ask you for this:

"any wealth": that you might pay me after you believe, nor a wage in exchange for your guidance.

"My reward is only from Allah": He, the Exalted, will reward me for that in the Hereafter, and He must—according to His promise, which He does not break. Thus, the meaning of "reward" is the reward for communicating the message. It is permitted that it implies the reward for obedience in general, and that [the message] is included therein in a primary sense. In expressing it first as "wealth" and second as "reward," there is a manifest superiority of what is with Allah over what they possess.

"And I am not one to drive away those who have believed": It is said: this is a response to what they hinted at when they said, "And we do not see that you have been followed except by those who are the lowest of us." [The implication being] that if the nobles had followed him, they would have agreed with them, and that the following of the poor was a barrier for them, as they explicitly stated in their words: "Shall we believe you while the lowest follow you?" This was an entreaty from them to drive them away, and a condition they placed upon their own faith in him—peace be upon him—out of disdain to be ranked with them in the same order.

What is narrated from Ibn Jurayj is that they said to him: "O Noah, if you wish for us to follow you, drive these people away; otherwise, we will not be satisfied that we and they be equal in this matter." This is similar to what the Quraysh said to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, regarding the poor companions—may Allah be pleased with them—: "Drive these away from you so that we may follow you, for we are ashamed to sit with them in your gathering." Thus, it is a response to something not explicitly mentioned in the Noble Text, though there is a type of indication toward it.

"Batidin" (one who drives away) is read with tanwin. Al-Zamakhshari said: "It is based on the original form, meaning that when the active participle indicates the present or future, its nature is to be operative [governing an object] and not genitive." This is the obvious view of Sibawayh. Abu Hayyan countered this by saying that it might be said the genitive [construction] is the original, as it is subject to two analogies: one is its resemblance to the present-tense verb (which is a resemblance to a different category), and the other is its resemblance to nouns when they have genitive construction; and attaching it to its own category is more appropriate than attaching it to another.

Perhaps it could be said: the priority of attaching it to nouns is only valid if the genitive construction is indeed the original state of nouns, which is not the case.

"That they will meet their Lord": This is an explanation for the refusal to drive them away. It is as if he said: "I will not drive them away or distance them from my assembly, because they are among the people of proximity, the ones brought near, the successful ones with Allah, the Exalted." The understanding of "success" is assisted by the context; otherwise, "meeting Allah" applies to both the successful and others. Or [it means]: they shall meet their Lord, at which point they will dispute with the one who drove them away before Him, and He will punish him for what he did. To interpret it as "they are believers in this life regarding the meeting of their Lord, certain of it, knowing they will inevitably meet Him, so how could I drive them away?" is contrary to the apparent meaning—especially since this belief is a consequence of faith. It is also said: the meaning is that they will meet Him, the Exalted, and He will reward them for the sincere, firm faith in their hearts, as has appeared to me; or the opposite, of that which you recognize in them—that they base their affairs on first impressions without deep reflection.

And "what" [in "What is for me to..."] implies: "What would move me to tear open their hearts and discover the secret of that within them, such that I would drive them away?"—if the matter were as you claim. The issue here is that, aside from being based on the premise that the request to drive them away was due to their lack of sincerity rather than their perceived inferiority (the state of which is too manifest to be hidden), it is rejected by the certainty of the consequence of Allah's wrath upon driving them away, as will come, if Allah the Exalted wills.

"But I see you are a people who are ignorant": That is, of all that which ought to be known. This includes their ignorance of their standing with Allah, the Exalted; of the danger that results from driving them away; of the stupidity of their opinion in requesting that and conditioning their faith upon it; and other things. The selection of the verb form is to indicate renewal and continuity. He used "vision" (I see you) to match their [earlier] expression.

It is also permitted that "ignorance" means committing injustice against others and doing what is difficult for them, rather than the blameworthy lack of knowledge. This is a common meaning, as in the verse: "Let no one act ignorantly against us, lest we act with greater ignorance than the ignorant." That is: "But I see you are a people who behave foolishly toward the believers by attributing baseness to them."