Prophets Ādam, Nūḥ and Hūd: The Patience of the Prophets
Section 14 of 30 · Lives of the Prophets
I Ask of You No Wealth for It
Nūḥ said:
وَيَـٰقَوْمِ لَآ أَسْـَٔلُكُمْ عَلَيْهِ مَالًا ۖ إِنْ أَجْرِىَ إِلَّا عَلَى ٱللَّهِ ۚ وَمَآ أَنَا۠ بِطَارِدِ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓا۟ ۚ إِنَّهُم مُّلَـٰقُوا۟ رَبِّهِمْ وَلَـٰكِنِّىٓ أَرَىٰكُمْ قَوْمًا تَجْهَلُونَ
“And, O my people, I do not demand from you any wealth for it. My reward is with none but Allah. And I am not the one who could drive the believers away. Surely, they will be meeting their Lord (gracefully), but I do see your behavior is that of ignorance.” (11:29)
Wa yā qawmi lā asʾalukum ʿalayhi mālā: and O my people, I ask of you no wealth for it. It's very important that the dāʿiyah, the one who's calling to the sake of Allah (swt), never wants compensation — financial, material compensation — for what he's doing. It's very important. The work should be done for the sake of Allah (swt) alone. In ajriya illā ʿalā Allāh: my reward is from none but Allah.
And then he told them: wa mā ana bi-ṭāridi alladhīna āmanū — I am not going to drive away those who have believed. These chiefs said: you have to kick out those weak ones and slaves, otherwise we're not going to listen to you. He said: I'm not going to drive them out. These are the believers. These are the ones whom Allah (swt) honoured with Islam.
And then he told them:
وَلَآ أَقُولُ لَكُمْ عِندِى خَزَآئِنُ ٱللَّهِ وَلَآ أَعْلَمُ ٱلْغَيْبَ وَلَآ أَقُولُ إِنِّى مَلَكٌ وَلَآ أَقُولُ لِلَّذِينَ تَزْدَرِىٓ أَعْيُنُكُمْ لَن يُؤْتِيَهُمُ ٱللَّهُ خَيْرًا ۖ ٱللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ بِمَا فِىٓ أَنفُسِهِمْ ۖ إِنِّىٓ إِذًا لَّمِنَ ٱلظَّـٰلِمِينَ
“And I do not say to you that I have the treasures of Allah, nor that I have the knowledge of the unseen, nor do I say that I am an angel. Nor do I say (as you do) about those who are contemptible in your eyes that Allah will never award them any good; Allah knows best what lies in their hearts. (If I were to say so,) then, I would indeed be one of the unjust.”” (11:31)
Wa lā aqūlu lakum ʿindī khazāʾinu Allāh: and I do not say to you that with me are the treasures of Allah. The Anbiyāʾ of Allah (swt) do not have to be wealthy for the people to follow them. Notice: Nūḥ is telling them about things which people usually look for in their leaders. People want to see their leaders rich. We usually respect and honour the rich and the wealthy. If somebody is poor, we don't care about him, and we wouldn't follow him, or we wouldn't accept having him as a leader.
وَقَالَ لَهُمْ نَبِيُّهُمْ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ قَدْ بَعَثَ لَكُمْ طَالُوتَ مَلِكًا ۚ قَالُوٓا۟ أَنَّىٰ يَكُونُ لَهُ ٱلْمُلْكُ عَلَيْنَا وَنَحْنُ أَحَقُّ بِٱلْمُلْكِ مِنْهُ وَلَمْ يُؤْتَ سَعَةً مِّنَ ٱلْمَالِ ۚ قَالَ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ ٱصْطَفَىٰهُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَزَادَهُۥ بَسْطَةً فِى ٱلْعِلْمِ وَٱلْجِسْمِ ۖ وَٱللَّهُ يُؤْتِى مُلْكَهُۥ مَن يَشَآءُ ۚ وَٱللَّهُ وَٰسِعٌ عَلِيمٌ
“Their prophet said to them: “Allah has appointed Tālūt as a king for you.” They said: “How could he have kingship over us when we are more entitled to the kingship than him? He has not been given affluence in wealth.” He said: “Allah has chosen him over you and has increased his stature in knowledge and physique, and Allah gives His kingship to whom He wills. Allah is All-Embracing, All-Knowing.’” (2:247)
Same thing that happened with Ṭālūt. They said: wa lam yuʾta saʿatan min al-māl — he wasn't — he's not rich. Nūḥ is telling them: I don't control the treasures of Allah (swt), and I don't have to be rich.
And he told them: wa lā aʿlamu al-ghayb — and I do not know the unseen. We shouldn't expect from the Anbiyāʾ of Allah (swt) that they know the ghayb. He said: I do not know the unseen, except what Allah (swt) would teach me. And he told them: and I am not an angel. Because always, whenever a Nabī comes, they say: you should be an angel, and you should be different; you shouldn't be in human form. So he told them: wa lā aqūlu lakum innī malak — and I do not tell you that I am an angel.