Tasreef of the term 'Obey the Messenger'
The traditionalist view:
Quote
Proof of the importance of the Sunnah:
1) The Qur’an speaks of the importance of the Sunnah, for example:
(a) Allah says: “He who obeys the Messenger has indeed obeyed Allah…” (an-Nisa’: 80) Allah described obedience to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) as being a part of obedience to Him. Then He made a connection between obedience to Him and obedience to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): “O you who believe! Obey Allah and obey the Messenger…” (an-Nisa’: 59)
(b) Allah warns us not to go against the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and states that whoever disobeys him will be doomed to eternal Hell. Allah says: “…And let those who oppose the Messenger’s commandment beware, lest some fitnah (trial, affliction, etc.) befall them or a painful torment be inflicted on them.” (an-Nur: 63)
(c) Allah has made obedience to His Prophet a religious duty; resisting or opposing it is a sign of hypocrisy: “But no, by your Lord, they can have no Faith, until they make you [Muhammad] judge in all disputes between them, and find in themselves no resistance against your decisions, and accept (them) with full submission.” (an-Nisa’: 65)
(d) Allah commands His servants to respond to Him and His Messenger: “O you who believe! Answer Allah (by obeying Him) and (His) Messenger when he calls you to that which will give you life…” (al-Anfal: 24)
(e) Allah also commands His servants to refer all disputes to him: “(And) if you differ in anything amongst yourselves, refer it to Allah and His Messenger…” (an-Nisa’: 59)
What Allah says about the Quran in the Quran:-There is no doubt in this Book (2:2).
-Allah has taken the responsibility to explain it (75:19).
-Allah says He has revealed the Quran and He will protect it (15:9).
-Allah’s revelation to the Prophet (PBUH) is written in the Quran (6:19). There is no verse in the Quran which says that Allah’s revelation to the Prophet (PBUH) is outside the Quran.
-Momineen are asked to obey the revelation from Allah (7:3).
-The Prophet (PBUH) was asked to obey the revelation sent down on him (10:109).
-He was asked to follow the Quran (75:18).
-Allah required the Prophet (PBUH) to follow the blessed Book sent down on him (6:155).
-The Prophet (PBUH) used to judge matters according to the revelation sent down on him (5:48).
-Those who do not judge matters according to what Allah has revealed are Kaafirs (5:44).
-In the Quran, Allah has completed His message and no one can change anything in it (6:34, 6:115).
-The Quran encompasses the message of earlier revelations (5:48). So, the truth of earlier revelations is now contained in the Quran.
-In it there are no contradictions (4:82).
-Allah has called the Quran "Tibyaanan li Kulli Shaiyin (16:89)". This means it explains everything.
-Allah gives many verses on a particular topic over and over again (6:105, 17:41). This means that we have to collect all the verses on a topic in order to understand it fully. This is the Divine method of understanding the Quran.
-The Prophet (PBUH) was required to solve all human differences through the Quran (16:64).
-The Prophet (PBUH) was required to admonish and remind people through the Quran (50:45).
-The Quran itself is light (5:15). So, it is not dependent on another source of light.
-This light (i.e., the Quran) has been given so that human beings, using this light, can travel safely on the path of life (6:122).
-Allah undertook the responsibility to collect the Quran (75:17). [The logical conclusion from this verse is that the Quran was collected and put together by the Prophet (PBUH). Allah decided the sequence of surahs and verses and no one else besides the Prophet (PBUH) could have received the direction from Allah on how to put them together. There is no verse in the Quran asking the Prophet (PBUH) to delegate this extremely important responsibility to anyone else.]
-Whatever difference human beings have, the decision is with Allah (42:10). [Since Allah’s decision is contained only in the Quran, it is logical to believe that it has the power to serve as the constitution for the entire world, creating a universal brotherhood. The model implemented by the Prophet (PBUH) is a proof of this.]
What do we know about the Quran, and what do we know about Hadith and Sunnah:-The Quran is the final word of God.
-It has been preserved exactly as it was revealed to the Prophet (PBUH).
-The Prophet (PBUH) left only the Quran in written form since he forbade writing of hadith during his life time (Sahih Al-Muslim).
-The Quran was written by very honorable scribes (80:16).
-There were many companions who had memorized the entire Quran word by word.
-Unlike the authenticity of hadith, there is no dispute among scholars (Sunni or Shi’ia) about the authenticity of the Quranic verses.
-There are six Sunni books of hadith which are normally referred to as "sa’hha sitta" (six true books). Shi’ias have their own four important books of -hadith. These were compiled and written based on (a chain of) oral narration mostly in the third century Hijrah or later.
-Scholars agree that the chain of narrators transmitted the meaning of hadith and not the exact words of the Prophet (PBUH).
-It is generally agreed that the chain of narrators, no matter how reliable, were humans and subject to human errors. Consequently, their narrations -are subject to errors. The Quran is the only Book beyond error.
-As a consequence, ahadith are classified into several categories starting from "correct" on one side to "coined" on the other. (Verses of the Quran do not have such classification.)
-Shi’ia scholars do not accept Sunni books of hadith. Even among the Sunnis, there are some ahadith which are accepted as ‘correct’ by one group of scholars (Ahlul-Hadith, for example) but not by other groups (like Ahlul Fiqh and others).
-The authenticity of hadith is not equal to the authenticity of the verses of the Quran.
-"The sayings of the Prophet (PBUH) and the sayings we find in the books of ahadith are not necessarily one and the same." (Maulana Maududi, Rasayel-o-Massayel, Volume I, 1951 edition, page 270).
-Sahih Bukhari: This was compiled by Imam Muhammad Isma’il Bukhari. He was born in Bukhara and died near Samarqand in 256 A.H. (or in 260 A.H.). It is said that he collected about 600,000 ahaadith. From these he selected about 7,300 for his book, having discarded the rest.
-Sahih Muslim: This was compiled by Imam Muslim Bin Hujjaj. He was born in 204 A.H. in the famous Iranian city of Nishapur and died in 261 A.H. He collected about 300,000 ahaadith and selected 4,348 for his book.
-Tirmidhi: This was compiled by Imam Abu ‘Isa Muhammad Tirmidhi. He was born in the Iranian city of Tirmidh in 209 A.H. and died in 279 A.H.. He collected 300,000 ahaadith and selected 3,115.
-Abu Daawood: He was born in 202 A.H. in the Iranian city of Sistaan and died in 275 A.H. He collected 500,000 ahaadith and kept only 4,800 in his book.
-Ibn Maaja: This was compiled by Imam Abu Abdullah Muhammad Bin Zayd Ibn Maaja. He was from the Iranian city of Qazwin. He was born in 209 A.H. and died in 273 A.H. He collected 400,000 ahaadith and selected only 4,000 for his book.
-Nisayee: This was compiled by Imam Abdul Rahman Nisayee. He was born in the village of Nisa in the province of Khurasaan in Iran. He died in 303 A.H. He collected 200,000 and selected 4,321 for his book.
Traditional Islam refers to that we must obey Allah AND the Messenger, but they forgot this important verse:
4:59. O you who believe, obey God and the Prophet and those in authority among you; and if you are at variance over something, refer it to God and the Messenger, if you believe in God and the Last Day. This is good for you and the best of settlement.
So we now have these very important issues gained from our research:
1. The Quran contains the complete timeless Code of Law for the Islamic Ummah.
2. No outside Revelation is given to the Messenger, only the Quran.
3. We must obey the Messenger.
4. We must obey the Leaders of the Islamic State.
So to what realm does obeying the Messenger refer too? Muhammed was the ruler of the Islamic State. People had to swear an oath to accept him as their leader, he was chosen:
60:12 O Prophet! When believing women come unto you taking oath of
allegiance to you (they shall pledge that they will) -
- Not associate anyone with Allah.
- Not steal the rights of others.
- Not commit immodesty.
- Neither kill their children, nor deprive them of good rearing.
- Not indulge in fabricating slander, either overtly or covertly.
- Not disobey you in the Qur’anic Values.
When they have made the pledge, accept their allegiance and ask Allah to
bestow upon them the protection of forgiveness. For, behold, Allah is
the Protector, Ever giving for those who strive for it.So this means the first Muslims were asked to obey Muhammed as a leader of the Islamic State, these decisions were made due to circumstances that they encountered in their time. These were always in line with the Quranic Values. But since their circumstances were truly circumstances of the 6th century in Arabia, these are timebounded and mostly cannot be used for modern times. Just like custom is timebound, as it is dependent on the knowledge of its age. So Sunnah does not refer to the custom of the Prophet, but to the bye-laws of the Islamic State that is determined according to its need of its time. This can refer to large matters as taxes to small matters as hygiene, which is determined by the situation and knowledge of the time.
To keep holding on to customs which have turned obselete is non-Quranic and illogical, and makes it dangerous to see these customs as Divine. This behaviour can be seen in the Quran:
7:28 (As an example) when people commit an indecency they say, "We found our forefathers doing it and Allah has enjoined it upon us." (Made it natural for us). Say (O Prophet), "Allah never enjoins indecency. Do you attribute to Allah of which you have no knowledge?"Obedience to the Messenger refers to POLITICAL obedience, after the death of the Prophet, this obedience is shifted to the Khalif that comes after him, and so on and so on. This is why the Quran says:
3:144 Remember that Muhammad is only a Messenger. The Messengers before him have passed on. So, if he died or were slain, would you turn about on your heels? But he that turns about his heels, would not at all harm Allah. And Allah will soon reward those who remain appreciative (for Guidance. They shall reap the fruit of the Benevolent System here and then, in the Hereafter 3:101, 3:185, 35:10).Obeying the Prophet can thus not be done anymore. This is why the first generations of Muslims did not write down any sayings of the Prophet, as his ruling was replaced by his succesor. And so obeying the Prophet has shifted towards obeying the chosen Khalif and Shura, counsel. This obedience can only be done in an Islamic State that upholds the Quran as its only rule of Law, and only upholds bye-laws that are in line with present needs of the Ummah and the Quranic Values.
So the obedience the traditionalists refer too is non-Quranic and based on Jewish Theology, where the obedience is only on an religious level, and can be thus followed under any non-Islamic form of State. This concept is false, as Islam can only be truly followed under a pure Islamic State. There is no State on Earth that has a Law System that does not contradict with the Quran and the need of its people. As long as there is no chosen Khalif and Law System that is in line with the Quranic Values, the obedience of the Prophet/Leaders has no value and is impossible.
This view is supported abundantly by the Holy Quran. The Quranic arguments may be summarised below:
1. In Islam obedience is essentially and basically due only to the Laws of Allah as embodied in the Holy Quran.
"Shall I (Rasoolullah, PBUH) look for a judge other than Allah. He who has revealed to you a book defining things clearly"? (6/115).2. He who does not adjudicate in accordance with the Holy Quran is not a Muslim (5/44).
3. Obedience to Divine Laws is not a thing belonging to the individual plane in the sense that one might, of his own, consult the Holy Quran, interpret it for himself and act according to his individual interpretation. The obedience has to be disciplined and ordered under an organised system (called State in the present day terminology) controlled by a central authority, the first central authority having been Allah's Rasool. Obedience to the central authority is obedience to Allah. Says the Holy Quran:
"One who obeys the Rasool obeys Allah" (4/80), the Rasool adjudging everything according to the Holy Book (5/48).
4. Barring a few exceptions, the Holy Quran enunciates generally fundamental principles without touching subsidiary law. About these principles or the basic provisions, the Holy Quran says: "The Kalema (basic principle) revealed by the Nourisher has been made complete in truth and justice. There is none who can change His principles (6/116).
5. The reason for leaving out subsidiary laws from the Holy Quran has been explained thus: "Ask not for things which if revealed would inconvenience you, and if you ask for them while the Quran is being revealed, they will be disclosed to you....Before you a people (the Israelites) did ask for them and then disbelieved (and defied) them". (5/101-2). In elucidation of the above verses, a Hadith is cited which says: "Allah has placed on you certain obligations, do not violate them. Some things have been forbidden, do not go near them. Some limitations have been imposed, do not transgress them. Some things have been left unspoken of without being overlooked, do not probe into them".
6. The question as to how details, which have deliberately been left undetermined in the Holy Quran, will be formulated in the light of the Quranic principles, is answered by the direction given in the Holy Quran to Rasoolullah (PBUH) to "consult them (the believers) in the affairs (of the Society)" (3/158).
There are numerous instances recorded in Traditions showing how Rasoolullah (PBUH) consulted his Companions in the day-today affairs. This process of consultation was not confined to any particular sphere but covered all matters in which details were not given in the Holy Quran.
7. While he lived, Rasoolullah determined subsidiary laws in consultation with the Ummat. The question is as to what was to be done after his demise. The Holy Quran answers the question by saying,
"Muhammad is but a Rasool. there have been several Rasool before him. Will you turn back on your heels if he dies or is slain?" (3/143). It follows that the process of framing laws within the frame-work of the Quranic principles was not to discontinue after the death of Rasoolullah but was to go on as before. Therefore, after his demise, the first thing the Companions did was to elect a Successor so that he could carry on the process of determining subsidiary laws and enforcing Divine Principles as did Rasoolullah himself. "One who obeys the Rasool obeys Allah" now took the form of "One who obeys the Rasool's successor obeys Allah". Rasoolullah himself is reported to have said: "You have to follow my practice and the practice of my mature and rightly guided Successors", (Mishkat chapter on adherence to Book and Sunnah). The Holy Quran directed Rasoolullah to "consult the believers in determining the affairs of the people" (3/158); it guided his successors by saying
"and they determine their affairs by mutual consultation" (42/38). "Mutual consultation" within the ambit of the eternal and inviolable Laws given in the Holy Quran is the
"way of the believers" (4/115) which should never be given up.
8. There is material available in the record of traditions of Rasoolullah and the doings of his Companions to show how subsidiary laws were formulated under the Khilafat-e-Rashida. The procedure followed was:
a) Where subsidiary law had not already been framed it was formulated by mutual consultation. For example no punishment was prescribed for drunkenness in the time of Rasoolullah. Hazrat Abu Bakr prescribed for it forty stripes, which Hazrat Umar later increased to eighty.
b) If a subsidiary law once enacted needed no amendment or change it was retained intact, just as any constitutional government would continue to enforce the laws of its predecessors until the need for a change arose.
c) Subsidiary enactment’s, which needed amendment in consequence of a change in circumstances, were duly modified. Since they were not prescribed initially by Revelation, it was not necessary that they should undergo changes through Revelation. Here are a few instances:
-Rasoolullah had fixed the amount of ransom for prisoners of war at one Deenar per head. Hazrat Umar fixed different amounts for different parts of the State.
-Rasoolullah (PBUH) did not prescribe rates of Zak’at for different varieties of produce of land. Hazrat Umar did so.
-For Taleef-i-Quloob, Rasoolullah used to give financial assistance from the State Exchequer. Hazrat Umar discontinued the practice.
-Rasoolullah distributed among the fighters the land acquired in certain conquered areas. Hazrat Umar abrogated this system.
-Rasoolullah allowed maintenance allowance at uniform rate. Hazrat Abu Bakr continued the practice. But Hazrat Umar re-fixed the rates in proportion to the services rendered by recipients.
-Rasoolullah did not realise Zak’at on tradable horses and the produce of the sea. Hazrat Umar did it.
-Hazrat Umar decided that the scheduled punishment for offences should be made light for belligerents and that the punishment of manusection for theft should not be inflicted on the famine-stricken.Instances of this kind can be multiplied if those measures are taken into account which Hazrat Umar introduced initially. Their number, according to historians, ranges between forty and fifty. This number, however, is not the issue. The real issue is that the rightly guided Successors of Rasoolullah accepted and worked according to the principle that the decisions taken during the time of Rasoolullah could be modified, if the changed circumstances so demanded. They extended the principle to the decisions taken among themselves, and a Successor felt no hesitation in amending the decisions of his predecessor.
