Obedience to Allah and His Messenger
Almighty Allah decrees in our blessed book, the Qur’an:
“Say, (O Prophet) ‘If you (sincerely) love Allah, then follow me; Allah will love you and forgive your sins. For Allah is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.’
Say, (O Prophet) ‘Obey Allah and His Messenger.’ If they still turn away, then truly Allah does not like the disbelievers” (Ali Imran, 31-32).
The ayah sheds light on the nature of mahabbah (love), that is, love of Allah Almighty. Our scholars have explained love as the tendency of the nafs towards something that it knows to embody perfection. This inclination drives people to take action that will bring them closer to that object or being.
This means that the nafs tends towards what it considers to be a source of attaining perfection and nourishes a feeling of love for it. We must be careful about what we allow our feelings of love to develop for because depending on the definition of perfection our nafs seeks and the feelings of love it cultivates, such strong predilections can send us adrift following that which tugs at our heart's strings.
If we can realize that absolute, true perfection belongs to Allah Almighty, that His power is infinite, that everything is in need of Him, and He is above everything else, our love will only be for Him and those He loves. This requires obedience to Allah with complete submission. Our scholars have also explained love as being willing to obey one’s beloved. In this case, divine love means following Allah and the way of His Messenger, being sincerely willing to obey Him.
The commentators of the Qur’an have interpreted the first ayah we mentioned at the beginning as follows:
“Allah Almighty says: ‘O Messenger of Allah, say to a person who claims to love Allah but does not follow His Messenger:
– If you love Allah as you claim, then follow me in keeping with my words, actions, and way of life, and Allah will love you. That is, Allah will be pleased with you, draw you closer to Him, and absolve you of your sins. That is, He will remove the veil from your hearts by forgiving your sins and pardoning your errors, thus bringing you closer to His sublime presence. Allah is extremely forgiving and incredibly merciful to those who live their lives in faithful obedience to Him and follow His Prophet.”
They interpreted the second verse as follows:
“Say: Obey Allah in what He has commanded you and what He has forbidden. Follow the way of His Messenger and obey him in what he encourages you to do. Should one turn away from this, they will be subjected to the wrath and punishment of Allah due to their denial. Surely, Allah Almighty does not love disbelievers. That is, He is not pleased with them and does not look upon them with His mercy.”
Our scholars have placed great emphasis on saying, “Allah does not love disbelievers” instead of “Allah does not love them” in the verse. First of all, it is clear that this provision includes all disbelievers. This expression also shows that turning away from the Prophet is kufr (denying, blasphemy). A person who does this is far from Allah’s love because the love of Allah is reserved for believers.
These verses, straightforward provisions on obedience to the Messenger of Allah, were sent after the Christians of Najran claimed, “We love and honor the Messiah (Jesus) for Allah's sake, and worship him.” And Allah the Almighty replied to them:
“Say, (O Prophet) ‘If you (sincerely) love Allah, then follow me; Allah will love you and forgive your sins. For Allah is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.’” (Ali 'Imran, 31)
When this verse was revealed, the leader of the munafiqun (hypocrites), Abdullah bin Ubayy, told the men around him:
“The Prophet makes obedience to himself the same as obedience to Allah; he commands us to love him as the Christians love their prophets.”
Thereupon, Almighty Allah sent down the second verse and said:
“Say, (O Prophet) ‘Obey Allah and His Messenger.’ If they still turn away, then truly Allah does not like the disbelievers” (Ali 'Imran, 32).
Our Prophet (salla allahu alayhi wa sallam) also said:
“Whoever obeys me, obeys Allah, and whoever disobeys me, disobeys Allah, and whoever obeys the ruler I appoint, obeys me, and whoever disobeys him, disobeys me.” (Al-Bukhari, Jihad, 109; An-Nasa'i, al-Bay'ah, 27, 30)
Understanding that it is possible to love Allah and His Messenger only by showing obedience to them has become a necessity that is of utmost importance and priority in this day and age. The reason why this has become such a pressing issue is that bid'ah with the goal of raising doubts and hesitations around the sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), and if possible, eliminating our belief in sunnah entirely, has become a prevalent problem for the last two centuries, and is being voiced publicly today and gathering supporters. Sunnah is the crucial line where truth and falsehood are separated. Its trivialization and withdrawal from our lives is not limited to forgetting miswak and similar sunnahs. Sunnah is a guide that encompasses our entire lives, a lifestyle, and system of practices that forms the identity of a perfect Muslim. From our individual responsibilities to our social relations, our every step and action is within the determining area of the sunnah. This is because the words and actions of the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), in short, his entire life, is a personified interpretation of our holy book, the Qur'an. Every word and every action that follows his orders and recommendations has the quality of good deeds that lead us to Allah’s pleasure. Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) guides us in our homes, on the street, when we are alone, in our relations with neighbors, in worship, in government administration: essentially in every moment and area of life. It is not possible to become a Muslim and remain one without his guidance.
One day, after raising his blessed head to the sky and contemplating for a while, Rasulullah (salla allahu alayhi wa sallam), who was sent as a mercy to the worlds, said:
“This is the time when ilm (knowledge) is to be taken from the people until what remains of it shall not amount to anything.” Some of the companions said: “How will it be taken from us while we recite the Qur’an, and our women and children recite it?” He said: “The Tawrah (Torah) and Injil (Gospel) are with the Jews and Christians, but what do they avail of them?” (At-Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah, Musnad Ahmad)
Indeed, the Tawrah and Injil did not prevent those nations from going astray after a while. This truth not only speaks volumes about the situation of historical tribes but also makes us the subject of the following vital question:
“What will protect the Islamic Ummah from being dragged into a loss similar to that of the Jews and Christians?”
Undoubtedly, the answer to this question is “sunnah as-saniyyah (the path of the Prophet)” because the Jews and Christians abandoned the guidance of their prophets. In that case, the ultimate destination of those who cast doubt on the guidance of the sunnah and those who think they do not require it will be one of abject loss and sorrow in both worlds. The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said: “None of you is a believer till his desire follows what I have brought.” (Al-Baghawi, Sharh al-Sunnah, 1/213)
Our scholars have enlightening explanations that the expression “what I brought” in this hadith is not limited to the Qur’an but that its main emphasis is on the guidance of the sunnah. It is possible to learn and practice this religion properly only by following the sunnah.
We see in our holy book, the Qur’an, that we have a twofold responsibility towards Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) as our prophet: While the Qur'an demands that we show “obedience” to Allah, not only does it want us to do the same to the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), but it also requires a dedicated following (ittiba) of us towards him. That is to follow in his footsteps and adhere to his practices and way of life.
Our Prophet (salla allahu alayhi wa sallam) is a guide that must be obeyed and followed in daily life. In fact, this is the case for all prophets. Therefore, a person must walk in the wake of the Prophet’s steps in daily life, business, relationships, mentality, and conduct.
May Allah Almighty make us among those who obey and follow the Messenger of Allah with love.
With His tawfiq and inayah...
Sheikh Sayyid M. Mübarek Elhüseyni
