The Quran

Preface

ذٰلِكَ الَّذي يُبَشِّرُ اللَّهُ عِبادَهُ الَّذينَ آمَنوا وَعَمِلُوا الصّالِحاتِ ۗ قُل لا أَسأَلُكُم عَلَيهِ أَجرًا إِلَّا المَوَدَّةَ فِي القُربىٰ ۗ وَمَن يَقتَرِف حَسَنَةً نَزِد لَهُ فيها حُسنًا ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ غَفورٌ شَكورٌ

Yusuf Ali

That is (the Bounty) whereof¹ God gives Glad Tidings to His Servants who believe and do righteous deeds. Say: “No reward do I ask of you for this except the love of those near of kin.”² And if any one earns any good, We shall give him an increase of good in respect thereof: for God is Oft-Forgiving, Most Ready³ to appreciate (service).

Heaven may be pictured to our minds in various forms. This is one of the highest, and God announces it freely to the righteous.
No sort of tangible reward does the man of God ask for proclaiming the Glad Tidings of God. But at least he has the right to ask that his kith and kin should not persecute him and put all sorts of obstacles in his way, as did the Quraish against the Prophet. The love of kindred may be extended to mean the love of our common humanity, for all mankind are brothers descended from Adam. Everyone can understand the ordinary love of kindred. (R).
Cf. 35:29-30, and notes 3915 (for increase) and 3917 (for God’s appreciation of service).