Surah Al-Furqaan (25) — Ayah 57

(Ayah 57) ➊ { قُلْ مَاۤ اَسْـَٔلُكُمْ عَلَيْهِ مِنْ اَجْرٍ:} This phrase has appeared in several places in the Noble Qur’an; here it means that the disbelievers who are bent on enmity against you, say to them that I do not ask you for any wage for delivering to you the message I have brought from my Lord, so that you would avoid believing in me in order to save your wealth. Elsewhere it is said: «{ اِنْ اَجْرِيَ اِلَّا عَلَى الَّذِيْ }» [ ھود : ۵۱ ] “My wage is not upon anyone except Allah.” What could be greater foolishness than that the person who is spending all his energies for the betterment of your religion and worldly life, and does not even demand any wage from you for it, you have become enemies of his very life.

➋ { اِلَّا مَنْ شَآءَ اَنْ يَّتَّخِذَ اِلٰى رَبِّهٖ سَبِيْلًا :} The commentators have given two explanations of this phrase, and both are correct. One is that I do not ask you for any wage for this call, but whoever among you wishes to spend in jihad and other good deeds to attain closeness to Allah and make it a means of attaining His mercy and reward, then let him do so, as He said: «{ وَ مِنَ الْاَعْرَابِ مَنْ يُّؤْمِنُ بِاللّٰهِ وَ الْيَوْمِ الْاٰخِرِ وَ يَتَّخِذُ مَا يُنْفِقُ قُرُبٰتٍ عِنْدَ اللّٰهِ وَ صَلَوٰتِ الرَّسُوْلِ اَلَاۤ اِنَّهَا قُرْبَةٌ لَّهُمْ سَيُدْخِلُهُمُ اللّٰهُ فِيْ رَحْمَتِهٖ اِنَّ اللّٰهَ غَفُوْرٌ رَّحِيْمٌ }» [ التوبۃ : ۹۹ ] “And among the Bedouins are some who believe in Allah and the Last Day and consider what they spend as means of nearness to Allah and the prayers of the Messenger. Behold! Surely it is a means of nearness for them. Soon Allah will admit them to His mercy. Surely Allah is Most Forgiving, Most Merciful.” In this case, {’’ اِلَّا ‘‘} means {’’لٰكِنْ‘‘} and the exception is disconnected. The second explanation is that I do not ask you for any wage for this call except from the one who wishes to adopt the path of nearness to his Lord. My wage is only the attainment of such people; apart from this, Allah does not demand from you any wealth or status or any wage at all. Yes, the attainment of such people is a great wage and reward for me, because if even one person comes to faith, he is better for me than red camels, and then whatever righteous deeds those who believe in my call do, I will also receive the reward for all of them along with them; for me, this is reward enough. In this case, the exception is connected.

57-1. That is, this is my reward: that you adopt the path of the Lord.

57. Say to them: I do not ask you for any reward for this (preaching). My reward is only that whoever wishes may take the path to his Lord. [70]

[70]
The Reward for the Effort of the Prophets?

In the context of the prophets’ invitation and the disbelievers’ rejection, this statement from the prophets as a response is mentioned at several places in the Quran. There are two aspects to this response. One is that if you do not like my work of inviting towards Allah, it is not as if I am taking any compensation or salary from you that you could stop it and I would abandon my work, nor do I have any such demand from you. Therefore, whether you like this work or not, I will continue to do my work. The second aspect is that I am inviting you to the straight path with complete sincerity and selflessness for your own good, and I do not take anything from you; rather, I hear mockery and ridicule from you and endure hardships, yet you do not even consider that at the very least you should reflect a little on what I am saying. The next part of this verse supports this aspect or meaning, that is, if Allah wills and even a single person among you is guided, I will consider that I have received the reward or compensation for my effort.