In many Ayahs from His Glorious Book and in many authentic Hadiths reported from the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), Allah (Exalted be He) commanded that His Noble Book should be followed and that people should abide by it, follow the Sunnah, magnify it and beware of all that disagrees with it.
[Say (O Muhammad ﺻﻠﻰ ﺍﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ) to these idolaters (pagan Arabs) of your folk:] Follow what has been sent down unto you from your Lord (the Qur'ân and Prophet Muhammad's Sunnah), and follow not any Auliyâ' (protectors and helpers who order you to associate partners in worship with Allâh), besides Him (Allâh). Little do you remember!
And this is a blessed Book (the Qur'ân) which We have sent down, so follow it and fear Allâh (i.e. do not disobey His Orders), that you may receive mercy (i.e. be saved from the torment of Hell).
Verily, this Qur'ân guides to that which is most just and right and gives glad tidings to the believers (in the Oneness of Allâh and His Messenger, Muhammad ﺻﻠﻰ ﺍﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭ ﺳﻠﻢ), who work deeds of righteousness, that they shall have a great reward (Paradise).
(This is) a Book (the Qur'ân) which We have sent down to you, full of blessings, that they may ponder over its Verses, and that men of understanding may remember.
These are the limits (set by) Allâh (or ordainments as regards laws of inheritance), and whosoever obeys Allâh and His Messenger (Muhammad ﺻﻠﻰ ﺍﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ) will be admitted to Gardens under which rivers flow (in Paradise), to abide therein, and that will be the great success. And whosoever disobeys Allâh and His Messenger (Muhammad ﺻﻠﻰ ﺍﷲ ﻋﻠﻴـﻪ ﻭﺳـﻠﻢ), and transgresses His limits, He will cast him into the Fire, to abide therein; and he shall have a disgraceful torment.
O you who believe! Obey Allâh and obey the Messenger (Muhammad ﺻﻠﻰ ﺍﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ), and those of you (Muslims) who are in authority. (And) if you differ in anything amongst yourselves, refer it to Allâh and His Messenger (ﺻﻠﻰ ﺍﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ), if you believe in Allâh and in the Last Day. That is better and more suitable for final determination.
And We have also sent down unto you (O Muhammad ﺻﻠﻰ ﺍﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭ ﺳﻠﻢ) the Dhikr [reminder and the advice (i.e. the Qur'ân)], that you may explain clearly to men what is sent down to them, and that they may give thought.
And We have not sent down the Book (the Qur'an) to you (O Muhammad ﺻﻠﻰ ﺍﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭ ﺳﻠﻢ), except that you may explain clearly unto them those things in which they differ, and (as) a guidance and a mercy for a folk who believe.
He who obeys the Messenger (Muhammad ﺻﻠﻰ ﺍﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ), has indeed obeyed Allâh, but he who turns away, then we have not sent you (O Muhammad ﺻﻠﻰ ﺍﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ) as a watcher over them.
So those who believe in him (Muhammad ﺻﻠﻰ ﺍﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳـﻠﻢ), honour him, help him, and follow the light (the Qur'ân) which has been sent down with him, it is they who will be successful. Say (O Muhammad ﺻﻠﻰ ﺍﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ): "O mankind! Verily, I am sent to you all as the Messenger of Allâh to Whom belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth. Lâ ilâha illa Huwa (none has the right to be worshipped but He). It is He Who gives life and causes death. So believe in Allâh and His Messenger (Muhammad ﺻﻠﻰ ﺍﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ), the Prophet who can neither read nor write (i.e. Muhammad ﺻﻠﻰ ﺍﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ), who believes in Allâh and His Words [(this Qur'ân), the Taurât (Torah) and the Injeel (Gospel) and also Allâh's Word: "Be!" and he was, i.e. 'Isâ (Jesus) son of Maryam (Mary), ﻋﻠﻴﻬﻤﺎ ﺍﻟﺴﻼﻡ], and follow him so that you may be guided."
O you who believe! Obey Allâh and His Messenger, and turn not away from him (i.e. Messenger Muhammad ﺻﻠﻰ ﺍﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ) while you are hearing. O you who believe! Answer Allâh (by obeying Him) and (His) Messenger when he (ﺻﻠﻰ ﺍﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ) calls you to that which will give you life
Say: "Obey Allâh and obey the Messenger, but if you turn away, he (Messenger Muhammad ﺻﻠﻰ ﺍﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ) is only responsible for the duty placed on him (i.e. to convey Allâh's Message) and you for that placed on you. If you obey him, you shall be on the right guidance. The Messenger's duty is only to convey (the message) in a clear way (i.e. to preach in a plain way)."
blessings of Allah be upon him) is an obedience to Allah (Glorified be He) and following His Glorious Book,
as He (Exalted be He) says: He who obeys the Messenger (Muhammad ﺻﻠﻰ ﺍﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ), has indeed obeyed Allâh
He (Exalted be He) also says at the end of Surah AlNur: And let those who oppose the Messenger's (Muhammad ﺻﻠﻰ ﺍﷲ ﻋﻠﻴـﻪ ﻭﺳـﻠﻢ) commandment (i.e. his Sunnah legal ways, orders, acts of worship, statements) (among the sects) beware, lest some Fitnah (disbelief, trials, afflictions, earthquakes, killing, overpowered by a tyrant) should befall them or a painful torment be inflicted on them.
This is a stern warning against one who turns away from his command (peace be upon him) and follows his own desires and whims.
He (Exalted be He) also says in Surah AlFath: No blame or sin is there upon the blind, nor is there blame or sin upon the lame, nor is there blame or sin upon the sick (that they go not for fighting). And whosoever obeys Allâh and His Messenger (Muhammad ﺻﻠﻰ ﺍﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ), He will admit him to Gardens beneath which rivers flow (Paradise); and whosoever turns back, He will punish him with a painful torment.
He (Exalted be He) says in Surah AlHashr: And whatsoever the Messenger (Muhammad ﺻﻠﻰ ﺍﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ) gives you, take it; and whatsoever he forbids you, abstain (from it). And fear Allâh; verily, Allâh is Severe in punishment.
There are many verses related to obeying Allah (Exalted be He) and His Messenger (peace be upon him) and following the Book of Allah (Exalted be He) and abiding by its guidance. We have already, praise be to Allah, mentioned many of these verses that suffice in this regard and satisfy for the one who is guided to accept the truth.
There are many Hadiths in this regard and we will mention as many as we can. For example, it is authentically reported in the Two Sahih (authentic) Books of Hadith (i.e. AlBukhari and Muslim) from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: Whoever obeys me, obeys Allah, and whoever disobeys me, disobeys Allah, and whoever obeys the ruler I appoint, obeys me, and whoever disobeys him, disobeys me.
Obedience to the ruler is to obey him in goodness as has been authentically established in sound and authentic Hadiths of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him). It is a known fact that the indefinite declaration of Sunnah is qualified by definite Sunnah in the same way indefinite of the Noble Book is also qualified by the definite as previously mentioned while stating His (Exalted be He) saying: O you who believe! Obey Allâh and obey the Messenger (Muhammad ﺻﻠﻰ ﺍﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ), and those of you (Muslims) who are in authority.
It is reported in the Sahih of AlBukhari from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) from the Prophet (peace be upon him) that he said: My entire Ummah will enter Paradise except who refuses, then it was said: O' Messenger of Allah, who will refuse? He said, "Whoever obeys me will enter Paradise, and whoever disobeys me is the one who refuses".
It is also reported by Imam Ahmad, Abu Dawud and AlHakim with a good and sound chain of transmission from AlMiqdam ibn Ma'dy Karib from the the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) that he said: Beware! I have been given the Qur'an and something like it, yet the time is coming when a man laying on his couch will say: Adhere to the Qur'an; what you find in it to be permissible take it as permissible, and what you find in it to be prohibited take it as prohibited.
On the other hand, it is reported by Abu Dawud and Ibn Majah with a good and sound chain of transmission from Ibn Abu Rafi' from
his father, from the Prophet (peace be upon him) that he said: Let me not find one of you reclining on his couch and when he hears something of which I have commanded or forbidden, he says: I do not know; what we found in Allah's Book we have followed.
Furthermore, it is reported from AlHasan ibn Jabir who said: I heard AlMiqdam ibn Ma'dy Karib (may Allah be pleased with him) saying: On the Day of Khaybar, Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) forbade some things and said, "One of you as he is laying around is about to make me a liar when he hears something regarding me which I have commanded or forbidden and saying: "Adhere to Allah's Book; what you find in it to be permissible treat as permissible, and what you find in it to be prohibited treat as prohibited. What the Prophet (peace be upon him) prohibited is like what Allah (may He be Exalted) prohibited. Reported by AlHakim, AtTirmidhy and Ibn Majah with a good and sound chain of transmission.
Many Hadiths have been authentically reported from the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) establishing that he used to advise his companions in his sermons that the attendants among them should convey the message to those who are absent and he used to say to them: The informed one might comprehend it (what I have said) better than the present audience
It is also reported in the Two Sahih (authentic) Books of Hadith (i.e. AlBukhari and Muslim) that When the Prophet (peace be upon him) addressed people in the Farewell Hajj on the Day of `Arafah (9th of DhulHijjah) and on the Day of Nahr (Sacrifice, 10th of DhulHijjah, when pilgrims slaughter their sacrificial animals), he (peace be upon him) told them: It is incumbent upon those who are present to inform those who are absent, because those who are absent might comprehend (what I have said) better than the present audience.
If his Sunnah was not a proof against those who hear it and those to whom it is conveyed, and if it were not to remain valid until the Day of Resurrection, then he (peace be upon him) would not have commanded them to convey it. Therefore, it is known that the authority of Sunnah was made against those who heard it directly from him (peace be upon him) and against those to whom it is conveyed through sound and authentic chains of transmission.
I ask Allah (may He be Exalted and Sublime) by His Beautiful Names and His Most High Attributes to guide us and all Muslims to hold fast to His Book and to the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace be upon him), to act according to both of them, to judge according to their laws and to refer the matters of difference among Muslims to both of them. I also ask Allah to guide the Muslim rulers and their leaders to follow His Book and the Sunnah of His Prophet (peace be upon him), to judge by both of them in all affairs, to unite their opinions on the truth and support them against their enemies. I ask Him (may He be Exalted and Sublime)
to make His religion victorious, to make His word the highest, to disgrace His enemies, to guide those who strive hard in His Cause to have His pleasure, to unite them on following the truth, to bring love and harmony among their hearts and to support them against their enemies and the enemies of Islam. Indeed, He is the Grantor of this and the One Able to achieve it.
May Allah's Peace and Blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, upon his family, his companions and upon those who follow them in piety and righteousness!
'Abdul 'Aziz ibn 'Abdullah ibn Baz
Chairman of the Constituent Assembly of the Muslim World League in Makkah AlMukarramah, the Chairman of the International Supreme Council of the Masjids and the Chairman of the Departments of Scholarly Research, Ifta, Da'wa and Guidance in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.