الآية رقم (80) - مَّنْ يُطِعِ الرَّسُولَ فَقَدْ أَطَاعَ اللّهَ وَمَن تَوَلَّى فَمَا أَرْسَلْنَاكَ عَلَيْهِمْ حَفِيظًا

(80) - { He who obeys the Messenger has obeyed Allah; but those who turn away - We have not sent you over them as a guardian.}

( مَّن يُطِعِ الرَّسُولَ فَقَدْ أَطَاعَ اللَّهَ ) (He who obeys the Messenger has obeyed Allah …): This is an absolute divine truth hence, so you are not to say that your relationship is with Allah (swt) only, and you will leave the hadiths, Sunnah, biography, commands and prohibitions of the Messenger (saws).

One of the greatness of this religion is that Allah (swt) did not make the Prophet’s victory by the aid of his clan and tribe “Quraysh”, on the contrary, they showed him hostility, expelled him and fought him, because Allah (swt) did not want this victory to be a matter of tribalism, but rather of belief in the doctrine that the Prophet (saws) came with, which was revealed  on his heart, and belief in the great message of Islam, as well, that makes people love him over all time.

If we ask why this concentration in the Holy Quran on the necessity of obeying the Prophet (swt)? We say that obeying the Prophet (saws) is a non-separable part of believing in Allah (swt) since that the Quran has been revealed on the heart of the Prophet (swt) and he (saws) is not accountable just to convey the message rather, his duty was to legislate by the order of Allah (swt):

وَمَا آتَاكُمُ الرَّسُولُ فَخُذُوهُ وَمَا نَهَاكُمْ عَنْهُ فَانتَهُوا

(And whatever the Messenger has given you – take; and what he has forbidden you – refrain from.) (Al-Hashr: 6)

 قُلْ إِن كُنتُمْ تُحِبُّونَ اللَّهَ فَاتَّبِعُونِي يُحْبِبْكُمُ اللَّهُ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ذُنُوبَكُمْ ۗ وَاللَّهُ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ

(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.”) (Ali-Imran: 31)

The Holy Qur’an is the words of Allah (swt) directed to all the humans, it is miraculous and comprehending all their issues, every time and place, on the other hand, the Prophet (saws) was assigned by Allah (swt) to explain its meanings and to legislate according to Allah’s (swt) orders:

 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)

The Prophet (saws) said:

“All my people will enter paradise except those who refuse.” On being asked who refused, he replied, “He who obeys me will enter paradise, and he who disobeys me has refused.”[1]

For instance, you do not find in the Qur’an the number of Rek’as of every prayer and you do not find the amount of alms (Zakat) as well neither the rituals of Hajj, however, Allah (swt) has assigned the Prophet (saws) to explain these matters and others, hence obeying the Prophet (saws) is a part of obeying Allah (swt) and this verse of our study comes to confirm this meaning. This is not just a matter of a message to be announced to people and then after the Prophet (saws) death everything is over, definitely not, the Prophet (saws) is alive with us through his commands, Sunnah, biography, acts and his sayings:

 وَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّ فِيكُمْ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ۚ لَوْ يُطِيعُكُمْ فِي كَثِيرٍ مِّنَ الْأَمْرِ لَعَنِتُّمْ

(And know that among you is the Messenger of Allah. If he were to obey you in much of the matter, you would be in difficulty,) (Al-Hujurat: 7)

 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-Ahzab: 21)

This is a critical issue that the Holy Qur’an has concentrated on, for Allah (swt) by his knowledge knows that some persons will come one day and say that they will follow what is just mentioned in the Holy Qur’an, leaving the Hadiths of the Prophet (saws) and evoking suspicions about the roots of the religion which cannot be understood unless throughout the Prophet (saws) who clarifies all the divine commands and explain the verses because the Holy Qur’an may be understood in various ways.

The Prophet (saws) spoke about the future saying:

“Soon a Hadith from me will be conveyed to a man, while he is reclining on his couch, and he says: ‘Between us and you is Allah’s Book. So whatever we find in it that is lawful, we consider lawful, and whatever we find in it that is unlawful, we consider it unlawful.’ Indeed whatever the Messenger of Allah (saws) made unlawful, it is the same as what Allah made unlawful.”[2]

  ( وَمَن تَوَلَّىٰ فَمَا أَرْسَلْنَاكَ عَلَيْهِمْ حَفِيظًا ) (…but those who turn away – We have not sent you over them as a guardian.): Whoever turn away from the Hadiths, guidance and acts of the Prophet (saws), the Prophet (saws) has not been sent as guardian over them. Notice the accuracy of the Holy Qur’an in expressing the nature of the Islamic message to confront those who say that Islam is the religion of force and compulsion whereas in fact it is the religion of good and the freedom of choice. As if the verse is saying: Those, to whom you have been sent, will not aid you, rather you will be aided by The One Who sent you. Hence, the methodology of Islam is as stated in this verse is confirmed by:

فَذَكِّرْ إِنَّمَا أَنتَ مُذَكِّرٌ % لَّسْتَ عَلَيْهِم بِمُصَيْطِرٍ

(So remind, [O Muhammad]; you are only a reminder % You are not over them a controller.) (Al-Ghashiya: 21-22)

No person or a group should come and dominate the people and impose the religious orders on them, because they are only stemming from a doctrine that the mind decides first and then settles in the heart. Therefore, Islam does not compel people to pray, put the head cover and perform the Islamic pillars, rather it leaves them to choose out of conviction and contemplate, otherwise, Allah (swt) would not hold people accountable, because the person is held accountable for his choice and not for what he was forced to do. However, the Holy Qur’an contains many verses about this matter.

[1] Sahih al-Bukhari: Chapter: Reliance on the Book and the Sunnah – Section: Following the Sunah of the Prophet (saws), Hadith No. 6851.

[2] Sunan at-Tirmidhi: Chapter of Knowledge, Section of What Saying Has Been Prohibited Regarding The Hadith Of the Prophet (saws), Hadith No. 2664.