الآية رقم (31) - قُلْ إِن كُنتُمْ تُحِبُّونَ اللّهَ فَاتَّبِعُونِي يُحْبِبْكُمُ اللّهُ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ذُنُوبَكُمْ وَاللّهُ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ

(31) - (Say, [O Muhammad], "If you should love Allah, then follow me, [so] Allah will love you and forgive you your sins. And Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.")

Here we have a big issue to touch upon: the separation of the Holy Quran from the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (saws) which is something the Prophet warned of. For example, some people say that they only follow what’s in the Holy Quran as the Sunnah of the Prophet was compiled in the seventh century AH in the Arab Peninsula and isn’t appropriate for our time. Thus, they say that the Quran is sufficient for them. Such claim is simply refuted; and the Prophet is never a postman who fulfilled his duty and it’s over. Nonetheless, this verse responds to whoever calls for separating the instructions of the Holy Quran from those of the Sunnah. Verses of the Quran, as we all know, are either precise or unspecific; and the Almighty addresses His Prophet (saws):

{ وَأَنزَلْنَا إِلَيْكَ الذِّكْرَ لِتُبَيِّنَ لِلنَّاسِ مَا نُزِّلَ إِلَيْهِمْ}

(And We revealed to you the message that you may make clear to the people what was sent down to them.) (An-Nahl: 44)

Therefore, details are mentioned by Prophet Muhammad (saws), and for those who claim that they love Allah (swt) we say that there is a proof of such love:

( قُلْ إِن كُنتُمْ تُحِبُّونَ اللَّهَ فَاتَّبِعُونِي يُحْبِبْكُمُ اللَّهُ  ) (Say, [O Muhammad], “If you should love Allah, then follow me, [so] Allah will love you ): What’s required, then, is to follow the Prophet (saws). On the other hand, our major problem is that we have made it only a matter of listening to rather than following the Sunnah. The Almighty says:

{ لَّقَدْ كَانَ لَكُمْ فِي رَسُولِ اللَّهِ أُسْوَةٌ حَسَنَةٌ لِّمَن كَانَ يَرْجُو اللَّهَ وَالْيَوْمَ الْآخِرَ وَذَكَرَ اللَّهَ كَثِيرًا}

(There has certainly been for you in the Messenger of Allah an excellent pattern for anyone whose hope is in Allah and the Last Day and [who] remembers Allah often..) (Al-Ahzaab: 21)

Love is the affection of the heart towards the Almighty which can only be through Prophet Muhammad (saws).

( فَاتَّبِعُونِي ) (…then follow me ): That is, follow my approach, Sunnah, manners and ethics. This is what religion is about. Religion is not about sayings and slogans nor turbans and beards, it’s about deeds only:

{ وَأَن لَّيْسَ لِلْإِنسَانِ إِلَّا مَا سَعَىٰ * وَأَنَّ سَعْيَهُ سَوْفَ يُرَىٰ * ثُمَّ يُجْزَاهُ الْجَزَاءَ الْأَوْفَىٰ}

(And that there is not for man except that [good] for which he strives

% And that his effort is going to be seen – % Then he will be recompensed for it with the fullest recompense.) (An-Najm: 39-41)

In all, religion is about the love of the Prophet (saws) and following his guidance. This verse is a proof of the same.

( يُحْبِبْكُمُ اللَّهُ ) (…[so] Allah will love you ): What matters is that Allah (swt) loves you rather than you love Him. This is a major issue because what would be the outcome when Allah loves us:

( وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ذُنُوبَكُمْ ) (…and forgive you your sins ): Some statuary laws are retroactive, and so is the love of Allah (swt) which forgive all past sins. Notice that the Quranic verses about Allah’s orders to people are mostly concluded with (and Allah is Forgiving and Merciful). Allah (swt) forgives sins because He knows that default is part and parcel of human nature even if they spend their lives worshipping the Almighty. This is because No one can ever worship Allah (swt) in line with his blessings. Thus, we have sins and need forgiveness and mercy of the Almighty. The blessings of the Almighty, on the other hand, are many and not limited to:

–      The blessing of the creation as He creates you from scratch,

–      The blessing of provision as He provides you with all the blessings, and

–      The blessing of enjoinment.

The blessings of creation and provision are separated from the blessing of enjoinment because the latter is for you and in your favor. For instance, the Almighty bans you from stealing; vis-a-vis, other are prevented from stealing you. The same rule applies for adultery, bribery, telling lies, killing without right and so on. Fiducial enjoinment is a blessing by the Almighty not a burden upon humans. For example, Zakat is meant to get more solidarity in the society when the rich pay the poor of the money the Almighty ruled for. On the other hand, the poor are never jealous, and the fortune of the rich is multiplied in this life and the afterlife. Another example is fasting which causes a spiritual sublimity of the human soul … and so on.