(… إِنَّمَا جَزَاءُ الَّذِينَ يُحَارِبُونَ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ ) (Indeed, the penalty for those who wage war against Allah and His Messenger…): War against Allah (swt) is an assault on His authority in legislation, and on His creation, the human being. The law of craftsmanship belongs to the maker, the maker is the Creator, and the Creator is Allah (swt). As for the war against the Messenger of Allah (swt), there are two descriptions:

1- In his life: When his enemies fought him.

2- After his death (saws): The war against his legislation. It is well-known that Allah (swt) granted the Noble Messenger (saws), the authority to legislate with regard to rulings and the clarification of the Holy Qur’an, and the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, fortified this legislation by saying:

“Ascribing false things to me is not like ascribing false things to anyone else. Whosoever tells a lie against me intentionally then surely let him occupy his seat in Hell-Fire.”[1]

Because the words of the Prophet (saws) are legislation, and they are revelation, so we cannot separate the Sunnah of the Prophet (saws) from the Message. This is a very important matter, as the Holy Qur’an gives the overall rulings as:

 وَأَقِيمُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَآتُوا الزَّكَاةَ وَارْكَعُوا مَعَ الرَّاكِعِينَ

(And establish prayer and give zakah and bow with those who bow [in worship and obedience].) (Al-Baqara: 43)

But it did not clarify how to establish it, its obligations and its Sunnahs…, and this what the Prophet (saws) has specified.

So in every affairs in our life we have to refer to the sayings and the acts of the Prophet (saws), Allah (swt) says:

 وَأَطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُوا الرَّسُولَ

(And obey Allah and obey the Messenger) (Al-Maida: 92)

 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: 7)

 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)

  وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَا مِن رَّسُولٍ إِلَّا لِيُطَاعَ بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ ۚ وَلَوْ أَنَّهُمْ إِذ ظَّلَمُوا أَنفُسَهُمْ جَاءُوكَ فَاسْتَغْفَرُوا اللَّهَ وَاسْتَغْفَرَ لَهُمُ الرَّسُولُ لَوَجَدُوا اللَّهَ تَوَّابًا رَّحِيمًا

(And We did not send any messenger except to be obeyed by permission of Allah. And if, when they wronged themselves, they had come to you, [O Muhammad], and asked forgiveness of Allah and the Messenger had asked forgiveness for them, they would have found Allah Accepting of repentance and Merciful.) (An-Nisaa: 64)

Hence, you cannot worship Allah (swt) correctly without referring to the Prophet’s (saws) sayings, approvals, acts and behaviour with his family, neighbours, companions and all the people around.

(… وَيَسْعَوْنَ فِي الْأَرْضِ فَسَادًا أَن يُقَتَّلُوا أَوْ يُصَلَّبُوا أَوْ تُقَطَّعَ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَأَرْجُلُهُم مِّنْ خِلَافٍ أَوْ يُنفَوْا مِنَ الْأَرْضِ …) (…and strive upon earth [to cause] corruption is none but that they be killed or crucified or that their hands and feet be cut off from opposite sides or that they be exiled from the land.…): Allah (swt) mentions corruption on earth in addition to waging war against Allah (swt) and His Messenger, that is because corruption may includes killing, stealing or violation. Therefore, Allah (swt) states a severe punishment for corruption and all what connected to it because Allah (swt) likes the reformers and every act of corruption is really a corruption of Allah’s creation and Allah (swt) accepts the deeds of the pious, not the doings of corruptors. Allah (swt) says:

 إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يُصْلِحُ عَمَلَ الْمُفْسِدِينَ

(Indeed, Allah does not amend the work of corrupters.) (Yunus: 81)

(  ذَٰلِكَ لَهُمْ خِزْيٌ فِي الدُّنْيَا ۖ وَلَهُمْ فِي الْآخِرَةِ عَذَابٌ عَظِيمٌ… ) (…That is for them a disgrace in this world; and for them in the Hereafter is a great punishment): This harshness of punishment for those who wage war against Allah (swt) and His Messenger (saws) and who strive to spread corruption on earth, that they will have disgrace in this world and in the hereafter will get a great torment. “Disgrace” in the Arabic language, either refers to shame or disclose, and it comes with both meanings, for a person is ashamed when his bad acts being disclosed. As well as the disgrace in this world they will have a great torment in the hereafter, which is the punishment of Hell. Albeit, the door of repentance is always open, and this is Allah’s (swt) mercy to his creation.

 

[1] Sahih al-Bukhari: Book of Funerals, Chapter: What (sort of) wailing over a deceased is disliked, hadith No. 1229.