OBEYING THE MESSENGER...
Say: "Obey Allah and the Messenger." But if they turn away, then Allah does not like the disbelievers.
The command to "obey Allah and the Messenger," found in many Quranic verses like the one above, is undoubtedly one of the most important commands of the Quran! Hadith scholars use this Quranic command to defend the legitimacy of following hadiths as a source of religious judgment. They argue that obedience to Allah is achieved through obedience to the Quran, and obedience to the Messenger is achieved through following his hadiths and Sunnah.
They add that if obeying the messenger were the same as obeying the Quran, then Allah would have simply said, "Obey Allah." Therefore, according to their understanding, Allah's inclusion of the phrase "obey the messenger" implies that the messenger possessed his own religious teachings alongside the Quran, which we must also follow. In this way, the process of attributing certain sayings to the Prophet and introducing rulings not found in the Quran into the religion is completed.
With Allah's permission, let us examine these claims in the light of the Holy Quran:
1- Why does the Quran say 'Obey the Messenger'?
A- There are at least 332 verses in the Quran where Allah instructed Prophet Muhammad to convey certain messages to people, specifically stating "Say ." In other words, Allah commanded believers to obey His messenger when he "spoke" the words of the Quran, as instructed by the phrase " Say ."
Here are some examples:
Say, “O My servants who have faith! Be wary of your Lord. For those who do good in this world there will be a good [reward], and Allah’s earth is vast. Indeed the patient will be paid in full their reward without any reckoning.”
Say: "I am only a human being like you. It is inspired in me that your Ilah (God) is One Ilah (God - Allah), therefore take Straight Path to Him and obedience to Him, and seek forgiveness of Him. And woe to Al-Mushrikun (the disbelievers in the Oneness of Allah, polytheists, idolaters, etc.).
Say: "Come, I will recite what your Lord has prohibited you from: Join not anything in worship with Him; be good and dutiful to your parents; kill not your children because of poverty - We provide sustenance for you and for them; come not near to Al-Fawahish (shameful sins, illegal sexual intercourse, etc.) whether committed openly or secretly, and kill not anyone whom Allah has forbidden, except for a just cause. This He has commanded you that you may understand.
Say: "Who has forbidden the adoration with clothes given by Allah, which He has produced for his slaves, and At-Taiyibat [all kinds of Halal (lawful) things] of food?" Say: "They are, in the life of this world, for those who believe, (and) exclusively for them (believers) on the Day of Resurrection." Thus We explain the Ayat(Verse) in detail for people who have knowledge.
Say: "the things that my Lord has indeed forbidden are Al-Fawahish (great evil sins, every kind of unlawful sexual intercourse, etc.) whether committed openly or secretly, sins, unrighteous oppression, joining partners with Allah for which He has given no authority, and saying things about Allah of which you have no knowledge."
Say, "I only warn you by revelation." But the deaf do not hear the call when they are warned.
Therefore, the content of such verses includes the words of Prophet Muhammad that we must follow. These are the "words" of Prophet Muhammad, confirmed by Allah in the Holy Quran. All 332 verses are from Allah's command to Prophet Muhammad to speak special words to humanity and for people to obey those words.
All 332 verses constitute one of the legitimate reasons why Allah commanded believers to "obey His Messenger."
B - Which of the companions of Prophet Muhammad heard Allah's revelations directly from God? None! Consequently, they cannot obey Allah except what comes from the mouth of Prophet Muhammad. This situation necessitates that Allah command people to obey the messenger; for he is the one who conveys Allah's message to humanity.
C- The Quran was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad primarily to a community inhabited by idolaters and also followers of previous scriptures, namely Jews and Christians. We understand the necessity of the phrase "obey the messenger" for the benefit of the followers of previous scriptures. If the command in the Quran had only been "obey Allah" instead of "obey the prophet," Jews and Christians would have said, "But we have already obeyed Allah! Allah has sent us a book." The Quran is indeed conveyed to all of humanity and is the final revelation that Allah sent to all of humanity, and therefore the Quran replaces all previous scriptures.
And We have sent down to you the Book (this Quran) in truth, confirming the Scripture that came before it and Mohayminan (trustworthy in highness and a witness) over it (old Scriptures). So judge between them by what Allah has revealed, and follow not their vain desires, diverging away from the truth that has come to you. To each among you, We have prescribed a law and a clear way. If Allah willed, He would have made you one nation, but that may test you in what He has given you; so strive as in a race in good deeds. The return of you is to Allah; then He will inform you about that in which you used to differ.
2- The Messenger's Duty in Other Verses Related to Obedience
And obey Allah and obey the Messenger and beware. And if you turn away - then know that upon Our Messenger is only [the responsibility for] clear notification.
And obey Allah and obey the Messenger; but if you turn away - then upon Our Messenger is only [the duty of] clear notification.
The role of a messenger is very well defined in the Quranic verses above. These verses tell us that the duty of every messenger is to convey Allah's message. From this, it follows that the duty of Prophet Muhammad was to convey Allah's message (the Quran). There is a very strong connection between the Quranic verses above:
1- To obey the messenger
2- The messenger's job is to deliver the message.
When the two previous orders are considered together, it becomes clear that our obligation is to comply with the message they convey.
3- Obey to Himself or to the Message He Brought?
God is the most effective at conveying any meaning. All the words in the Quran have been chosen by Allah to express a precise meaning. There are no accidental words in the Quran.
Nowhere in the Quran do we find expressions like "Obey Muhammad , " or "Obey Jesus, O Moses ." The words used are always "Obey the messenger ." This is to emphasize that what should be obeyed is not the messenger's personal words or opinions, but Allah's "message."
The confirmation that obedience is related to the "message" and not the person is further reinforced by Quranic verses stating that the messenger's duty is to convey Allah's message.
The Messenger’s sole duty is to convey. Allah knows what you reveal and what you conceal.
4- The Only 'Message' Revealed to Prophet Muhammad was the Quran...
Guided by the Quran, it can be established that Prophet Muhammad received no revelation from Allah other than the Quran. While Prophet Muhammad received inspiration from Allah on some personal matters, he received no revelation from Allah outside of the Quran. An example of such inspiration is found in the following verse, where Allah inspires the Prophet regarding the truth of a family matter.
And (remember) when the Prophet (SAW) disclosed a matter in confidence to one of his wives (Hafsah), so when she told it (to another i.e. 'Aishah), and Allah made it known to him, he informed part thereof and left a part. Then when he told her (Hafsah) thereof, she said: "Who told you this?" He said: "The All-Knower, the All-Aware (Allah) has told me".
This was not a religious revelation for people to follow, but rather an inspiration from Allah specifically for the benefit of Prophet Muhammad. The difference between inspiration and revelation is that Allah inspires all people; consider how Allah inspired Moses' mother, who was not a messenger:
And We inspired the mother of Musa (Moses), (saying): "Suckle him [Musa (Moses)], but when you fear for him, then cast him into the river and fear not, nor grieve. Verily! We shall bring him back to you, and shall make him one of (Our) Messengers."
Allah also inspires animals:
And your Lord inspired the bee, saying: "Take you habitations in the mountains and in the trees and in what they erect.
We read in the Quran that Prophet Muhammad did not receive any revelation from Allah other than the Quran itself.
Say: "What thing is the most great in witness?"
Say: "Allah (the Most Great!) is Witness between me and you; this Quran has been revealed to me that I may therewith warn you and whomsoever it may reach. Can you verily bear witness that besides Allah there are other aliha (gods)?" Say "I bear no (such) witness!" Say: "But in truth He (Allah) is the only one Ilah (God). And truly I am innocent of what you join in worship with Him."
This testimony, which Allah describes as "the greatest testimony," was the Prophet Muhammad's testimony that he received the Quran from Allah. This testimony refers to the Quran, the only revelation the Prophet Muhammad received from Allah. If the Prophet Muhammad had received revelation from Allah other than the Quran, this would have been included in the testimony of what the Prophet Muhammad received from Allah.
Moreover, insisting that every word spoken by Prophet Muhammad was inspired by Allah would directly contradict another point in the Quran. The Quran tells us about various instances where the Prophet was criticized by Allah for his mistakes. For example, Prophet Muhammad forbidding something that Allah had made permissible. Forbidding what Allah has made permissible is a grave sin.
Say: "Bring forward your witnesses, who can testify that Allah has forbidden this. Then if they testify, testify not you with them. And you should not follow the vain desires of such as treat Our Ayat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.) as falsehoods, and such as believe not in the Hereafter, and they hold others as equal (in worship) with their Lord."
O Prophet! Why do you ban (for yourself) that which Allah has made lawful to you, seeking to please your wives?
And Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.
If every word spoken by Prophet Muhammad was inspired by God, then how was it that God warned him about these matters?
And say not concerning that which your tongues put forth falsely: "This is lawful and this is forbidden," so as to invent lies against Allah. Verily, those who invent lies against Allah will never prosper.
5- Allah Promises to Protect the Quran, and Nothing Else!
Verily We: It is We Who have sent down the Dhikr (i.e. the Quran) and surely, We will guard it (from corruption).
These words proclaim Allah's promise to protect the Quran. Nowhere else in the Quran do we read that God protected the personal words of the messenger. Indeed, previous holy books such as the Torah and the Gospel were not protected. Only the Quran was promised protection.
In the Quran, we read that everything that is not from Allah will ultimately contain many contradictions:
Do they not then consider the Quran carefully? Had it been from other than Allah, they would surely have found therein much contradictions.
Despite these clear statements, staunch defenders of hadith claim that some hadith books, such as the compilations of Bukhari and Muslim, are authentic and free from contradictions or distortions!
6- The command: Follow the Quran and nothing else.
In the Quran, Allah commands all believers to follow only the Quran. This command appears in many verses; the following are examples:
And this is a blessed Book (the Quran) which We have sent down, so follow it and fear(be Godwary) Allah, that you may receive mercy (i.e. saved from the torment of Hell).
Follow what has been sent down unto you from your Lord, and follow not any Auliya' (protectors and helpers, etc. who order you to associate partners in worship with Allah), besides Him (Allah). Little do you remember!
And if We had destroyed them with a torment before this, they would surely have said: "Our Lord! If only You had sent us a Messenger, we should certainly have followed Your Ayat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.), before we were humiliated and disgraced."
The above statements are very clear; the command is to obey the Quran, and no other source.
7- The Prophet Muhammad Being a Good Example...
Those who unconditionally follow the hadiths and sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (due to their conformity with the Quran) use a distorted interpretation of the following verse to imply that we should follow the Sunnah of the Messenger.
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..
These words in the verse are very clear in precisely defining how the messenger sets a good example. A beautiful example of this is his constant remembrance of Allah and his seeking of Allah and the Day of Judgment.
Unfortunately, those who follow hadith and sunnah have sought the very specific meaning of "good example" not in being an example of someone who constantly thinks of Allah and the Day of Judgment, but in matters such as how to eat, which foot to use when entering a place, how to enter the toilet, which side to lie on, how to urinate, and all other details left to human discretion...
Allah states in the Quran that the only true Sunnah (way/path) is the Sunnah of Allah. Nowhere in the Quran is there any mention of the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad.
[This is] the established way of Allah with those who passed on before; and you will not find in the way of Allah any change.
8. Are We Commanded to Follow the Hadiths?
Many verses of the Quran clearly state that the only divinely ordained authority is the Quran itself.
These are the Ayat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, revelations, etc.) of Allah, which We recite to you with truth. Then in which speech after Allah and His Ayat will they believe?
Do they not look in the dominion of the heavens and the earth and all things that Allah has created, and that it may be that the end of their lives is near. In what message after this will they then believe?
This Quran could not have been fabricated by anyone besides Allah; rather, it is a confirmation of what was [revealed] before it, and an elaboration of the Book, there is no doubt in it, from the Lord of all the worlds.
So in what saying, beyond this, will they believe?
Proponents of hadith argue that we must obey it because its authenticity has been proven! However, we see that the issue of authenticity is not a factor in the commands mentioned above.
The approach regarding hadiths should be as follows: If a hadith does not receive a reference from the Quran or contradicts the Quran, we cannot make that hadith a ruling of Islam, since it is certain that Prophet Muhammad only followed the Quran and it is impossible for him to say anything contrary to or contradicting it. Otherwise, there is no problem.
For more details on the subject of Hadith ...
9- The Messenger is not Permitted to Spread Any Teaching
Other Than or Alongside the Quran.
Was he authorized by Allah?
Allah warns Prophet Muhammad against teaching anything other than the Quran or mistakenly attributing anything to Allah, otherwise he will face severe punishment from Allah.
43. This is the Revelation sent down from the Lord of the 'Alamin (mankind, jinns and all that exists).
44. And if he had forged a false saying concerning Us (Allah),
45 .We surely should have seized him by his right hand (or with power and might),
46. And then certainly should have cut off his life artery (Aorta),
47. And none of you could withhold Us from (punishing) him.
Those who insist that the Prophet left us a second source of religious law (hadith) are either accusing the Prophet of disobeying Allah's commands in these verses, or at best, they lack sufficient knowledge of the Quran.
10- Instructions Left by Prophet
In accordance with many other clear verses in the Quran, the Prophet Muhammad himself commanded his people not to write down their hadiths. This is documented in the very hadith books they consider 'authentic':
"Do not write anything from me except the Qur'an. Whoever writes anything other than this, let him erase it."
(Ahmed b. Hanbel, Volume 1, page 171; also Muslim, Zuhd 72)
During the first 200 years after the Prophet's death, including the period when four caliphs ruled, the writing down of his hadiths was forbidden, as per his instructions. Of the six hadith sources we have today that are considered 'sahih' (authentic), we see that the first author of all six was Imam al-Bukhari, who was born in 194 AH. This means that no hadith considered authentic was documented during the first 200 years after the Prophet's death.
If God's command, "Obey God and His Messenger," means adhering to the hadiths as the source of Islam, then what was the situation of the believers who lived in the first two centuries after the Hijra? Did God not provide them with the opportunity to obey His command?
To counter the Prophet Muhammad's command not to write down his hadiths, hadith scholars claim that the Prophet gave this instruction (not to write down his hadiths) only during the early period of the Quranic revelation and only because he was concerned that his hadiths would become mixed with the Quran. And rightly so! They also add that this command was later revoked!
If so, why do we not have a hadith that states the prophet abrogated his earlier command? More importantly, if the command only covers the early years of the Quranic revelation, why is there at least a 200-year gap between the Hijra and the first recorded authentic hadith?
Moreover, hadith scholars, claiming that the Prophet feared his own hadiths being mixed in with the Quran, have (Allah forbid) distrusted Allah and the promises in His verses. The following verse provides assurance that Allah will ensure the safe compilation of the Quran:
Indeed it is up to Us to put it together and to recite it.
Verily We: It is We Who have sent down the Dhikr (i.e. the Quran- Reminder) and surely, We will guard(preserve) it (from corruption).
Allah's promise regarding the secure collection of the Quran, and also His promise regarding the preservation of the Quran, refutes the claim of the followers of hadith (that the Prophet was concerned about his own hadiths being mixed with the Quran). Either they do not believe in Allah's words, or they imply that our Prophet (Allah forbid) had personal doubts about Allah's fulfillment of His word!
11. Did the Prophet Follow Anything Other Than the Quran?
The answer to this question is definitively given in the Quran:
Say :"I am not a new thing among the Messengers (i.e. I am not the first Messenger) nor do I know what will be done with me or with you. I only follow that which is revealed to me, and I am but a plain warner."
And when Our Clear Verses are recited unto them, those who hope not for their meeting with Us, say: Bring us a Quran other than this, or change it."Say: "It is not for me to change it on my own accord; I only follow that which is revealed unto me. Verily, I fear if I were to disobey my Lord, the torment of the Great Day (i.e. the Day of Resurrection)."
And if you do not bring them a miracle, they say: "Why have you not brought it?" Say: "I but follow what is revealed to me from my Lord. This (the Quran) is nothing but evidences from your Lord, and a guidance and a mercy for a people who believe."
If Prophet Muhammad followed only the Quran and nothing else, then believers must do the same to follow him. From this, it follows that anyone who follows anything other than the Quran is not following what Prophet Muhammad followed.
God's command to the Prophet to follow only what was revealed to him (the Quran) is clear and certain in the following Quranic verses.
Follow that which is revealed to you from your Lord. Indeed Allah is well aware of what you do.
Follow that which has been revealed to you from your Lord, there is no god except Him, and turn away from the polytheists.
And follow that which is revealed to you, and be patient until Allah issues [His] judgement, and He is the best of judges.
In conclusion, obeying the Messenger should not mean following books written 200 years after the Prophet's death, books that contradict God's will and the Prophet's wishes. Obeying the Messenger does not mean following books filled with lies and fabrications attributed to the Prophet, books containing countless contradictions and inconsistencies with the Holy Quran.
The command, "Obey Allah and His Messenger," is one and the same; this means that believers must obey the Quran as it came from the mouth of Prophet Muhammad, the entire Quran, and only the Quran. Ultimately, obeying Prophet Muhammad means obeying what was revealed to him by Allah.
Say, ‘If I go astray, my going astray is only to my own harm, and if I am rightly guided that is because of what my Lord has revealed to me. Indeed He is all-hearing and nearmost.’