In the name of Allah, The Most Beneficient, The Most Merciful.
Here, we will discuss the number of times Allah has directly referred to the Believers in the Qur'an and the orders He has directly betided upon us.
"O you who have believed, do not put [yourselves] before Allah and His Messenger but fear Allah . Indeed, Allah is Hearing and Knowing."
[A-Hujarat 49:1]
In the first verse of Surah Hujarat, Allah prohibits believers from following their personal will when Allah and His Messenger (salAllahu alayhi wasallam)have commanded otherwise, commands the believers to keep taqwa alive in their hearts and wants the believers to be aware that He is Watchful over them.
This is the foremost and basic demand of the faith. If the person who regards Allah as his Lord and accepts Allah’s Messenger (salAllahu alayhi wasallam) as his guide and leader, is true in his belief, he can never have the attitude that he should give his own opinion and view precedence over the decision of Allah and His Messenger (salAllahu alayhi wasallam), or should adopt an independent opinion in the matters, and pass his own judgments without caring to find out whether Allah and His Messenger have given any guidance in those matters or not, and if they have given it, what it is. This verse delivers the message to not go ahead of Allah and Prophet Muhammad (salAllahu alayhi wasallam), but follow behind. Do not precede them, but be subordinate to them.
This command is, in its application and effect, a step further to a verse from surah Ahzab.
"It does not behove a believer, male or female, that when Allah and His Messenger have decided an affair they should exercise their choice. And whoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger has strayed to manifest error."
[Surah Ahzab 33:36]
It is said there that it is not allowed for a believing man and a believing woman that when Allah and His Messenger have given their decision in a matter, they should exercise an option in that matter of theirs, and here it is said that the believers should not decide their matters on their own whims, but should look for guidance in Allah’s Book and His Prophet’s (salAllahu alayhi wasallam) sunnah concerning those matters.
This command it not confined only to individual matters of the Muslims but it also applies to their collective affairs. This is in fact the fundamental article of the Islamic law, which can neither be set aside nor ignored by a Muslim government, or by a Muslim court, or by a parliament.
A tradition has been reported with authentic chains of transmitters, saying that when the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasallam) was sending Muadh bin Jabal to Yaman as a judge, he asked him: By what will you decide the matters?
He submitted: By the Book of Allah. The Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasallam) said: If you do not find the command concerning a matter in the Book of Allah, what will you turn to? He replied: To the sunnah of Allah’s Messenger (salAllahu alayhi wasallam).
The Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasallam) asked: If this also fails you? He replied: Then I shall exert and find out a solution by myself.
Thereupon the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasallam) placed his hand on Muadh’s chest and said: Thank God Who has helped His Messenger’s deputy to adopt the way that is approved by His Messenger.
This giving of precedence to the Book of Allah and the sunnah of His Messenger over one’s own exercise to find out a solution and to turn to them first to obtain guidance is the thing that marks the distinction between a Muslim judge and a non-Muslim judge. Likewise, in the matter of legislation also there is absolute consensus that the first and foremost source of the law is the divine Book and after it the sunnah of the Messenger (salAllahu alayhi wasallam) of Allah. Even the consensus of the entire ummah cannot go against or remain independent of them, not to speak of the individual Muslim’s reasoning and endeavor to interpret the law.
If ever we adopted an attitude of independence as against Allah and His Messenger (salAllahu alayhi wasallam), or gave priority to our own opinion and view over their command, we should know that we have to deal with that God Who is hearing whatever we utter and is even aware of our secret intentions.
Hence, having a strong taqwa makes a believer independent of following his own will and a believer submits his will infront of Allah and Prophet Muhammad's (salAllahu alayhi wasallam) will due to that strong taqwa that is alive in a believer's chest.
Keeping taqwa alive in one's heart not only rewards us in ways we can't imagine, guarantees Jannah for us and makes Allah happy, but it also prevents a believer from going against Allah's will and keeps a believer submitted to Allah.
The message in this verse is to maintain taqwa alive in our hearts and to prioritise Allah and His Messenger's (salAllahu alayhi wasallam) orders with utmost importance and awareness.
Prophet Muhammad's (salAllahu alayhi wasallam) life provides the believers a complete set of instructions and Allah is Al-Hadi meaning The Guide who guides the believers by showing His signs to them.
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Things we learnt:
> Allah commands His believing servants to put His and His Messenger's (salAllahu alayhi wasallam) orders before themselves in any situation.
> The next command within the same verse is to be aware that Allah is Watchful over us. This serves as an encouraging fact for those who seek their reward only from Allah and are badmouthed from everyone because they follow Allah's commands. This also serves as a caution to those who discard Allah's commands and puts his own will ahead of Allah's commands. Every human is a sinner. Every human should know Allah forgives openly. Every human should know that Allah is Watchful over us. Every human should fear Allah and be aware of Allah.
> Allah hears the whispers in the lowest pits of our hearts and Allah sees through the darkest corners of our hearts.
May Allah guide us to the right path. Ameen. Wama alayna illal balaghul mubeen.
