The Quran declares in al-nisāa⋆4/80 that “whoever obeys the messenger then surely he obeyed God.” This is because the messenger was instructing and guiding people with the Quran, which is made clear in numerous verses like yūnus⋆10/15:

๏ And when Our āyāt are recited upon them as clear evidences, said those who do not hope for the meeting with Us: “Bring us a qur’ān other than this or change it!” Say: “It is not for me that I change it of my own leaning, I follow nothing except what is revealed to me. Indeed I fear, if I should disobey my lord, a punishment of a tremendous day.” ๏

The messenger declares here that he can neither change the āyāt he is reciting nor bring them anything different, and that he follows nothing but the āyāt revealed to him.

In ib’rāhīm⋆14/52, the Quran is described as balāgh, a conveyance or notification, by which mankind may be warned and guided. In al-naḥl⋆16/35 the Quran says:

๏ And said, those who associate partners: “If God willed, not would we have worshipped other than Him anything, we nor our fathers, nor would we have made sacred other than Him anything!” Thus did do those before them. So what is there upon the messengers except the clear conveyance (al-balāghu l-mubīn)? ๏

From this we understand that to deliver the balāgh clearly (mubīn) is the only duty the messenger has. The messenger does not act as a secondary or alternative source of divine law.

This is definitive. However, the question as to why this wording was chosen does come up. Why does the Quran tell us to obey God and the messenger? Saying one or the other would have sufficed, surely?

There are a few reasons this might be. One is that God’s guidance comes via multiple channels, which means obedience to God is not just via the āyāt of the Quran. al-baqarah⋆2/164, speaks of God’s āyāt in nature. An example of this is the winds in al-naml⋆27/63, sent to people in darkness. In āl ʿim’rān⋆3/190 God says the succession of the night and the day are also “āyāt for those of understanding”. God’s signs are in the heaven and the earth according to yūsuf⋆12/105, and in fuṣṣilat⋆41/53 God shows His signs in our own selves and upon the horizon. This could be something as common as love and companionship (al-rūm⋆30/21), or other instances we may be prone to overlook (al-māidah⋆5/31). And aside from the Quran itself being guidance (al-baqarah⋆2/185), we know awwala bayt mentioned in āl ʿim'rān⋆3/96–97 is guidance to all mankind.

To obey God is to heed to His āyāt wherever they become apparent to you. And so we see the overall picture emerging from this is that to obey God and obey His messenger is in fact a singular obedience. The Quran reminds us through this wording that a believer must heed the guidance of God however it may manifest, and to obey the messenger is to heed the āyāt of the Quran he recites to you. All the āyāt are from God.

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tagged: #quran #messenger #obey

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