To all Muslims, may Allah guide them and us to the True Path of His believing Servants. May Allah save us all from the way of those damned and those who went astray, Amen! Assalamu `alaykum warahmatullah wabarakatuh (May Allah's Peace, Mercy, and Blessings be upon you!)
By Al'Asr (the time). Verily, man is in loss, Except those who believe (in Islâmic Monotheism) and do righteous good deeds, and recommend one another to the truth [i.e. order one another to perform all kinds of good deeds (AlMa'ruf) which Allâh has ordained, and abstain from all kinds of sins and evil deeds (AlMunkar which Allâh has forbidden], and recommend one another to patience
what Allah warns you against and haste to perform whatever Allah ordains for you sincerely, truthfully, humbly and with fear. Thus, you can win all goodness and safeguard yourselves from every evil in this life and the Hereafter.
One of the greatest acts of obeying Allah and His Messenger is to make His Shari`ah (Islamic law) the judge, be satisfied with its ruling, recommend one another to stick to this and abstain from those who act against it.
But no, by your Lord, they can have no Faith, until they make you (O Muhammad ﺻﻠﻰ ﺍﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ) judge in all disputes between them, and find in themselves no resistance against your decisions, and accept (them) with full submission.
In this noble Ayah (Qur'anic verse), Allah swears that Servants can not have any faith until they make the Messenger (peace be upon him) their judge in all disputes among them and accept his decisions submissively with no aversion or objection. This includes all disputes in religion and in life, as the Prophet (peace be upon him) used to judge these disputes by himself during his life and by his Sunnah after his death. Verily those who abstain from this or do not accept it, have no Iman (faith). Allah, the Exalted, says:
And in whatsoever you differ, the decision thereof is with Allâh (He is the ruling Judge).
He, the Glorified, is the judge among people concerning anything they dispute about in the life of this world through what He revealed to His Messenger (peace be upon him) of the Qur'an and Sunnah. On the Day of Resurrection, Allah, the Glorified and Exalted, will judge among people Himself. He, the Exalted, says:
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.
In this Ayah, Allah, the Glorified, commands Muslims to obey Him and obey His Messenger (peace be upon him) because this brings about the bounty and the glory of the life of this World and the Hereafter and help them escape the torment of Allah on the Day of Resurrection. Allah ordains the obedience of the rulers after the obedience of Allah and the Messenger (peace be upon him) without repeating the same subject. The rulers should be obeyed in accordance with the ordinances of Allah and His Messenger. It is not permissible to obey anyone regardless of their authority in any act of disobedience to Allah and His Messenger according to the Prophet's (peace be upon him) saying:
Submission is obligatory only in what is good (and reasonable).
There is no submission to anyone in matters involving Allah's disobedience or displeasure.
Allah, the Glorified, commands His Servants to resort to Allah and the Messenger in all their disputes. He, the Exalted, says: (And) if you differ in anything amongst yourselves, refer it to Allâh and His Messenger (ﺻﻠﻰ ﺍﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ) Resorting to Allah means to resort to His Noble Book (Qur'an) and resorting to the Messenger means to resort to the acts he (peace be upon him) used to do during his life and his Sunnah after his death. Afterwards, Allah, the Glorified, says: That is better and more suitable for final determination. Allah manifests to His Servant that referring all their disputes to Allah and the Messenger is better for them and brings about good reward in this life and in the Hereafter. Beware! May Allah be Merciful with you! Hold fast to the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace be upon him), you win the blessed life and the perpetual happiness. Allah, the Glorified, says:
Whoever works righteousness whether male or female while he (or she) is a true believer (of Islâmic Monotheism) verily, to him We will give a good life (in this world with respect, contentment and lawful provision), and We shall pay them certainly a reward in proportion to the best of what they used to do (i.e. Paradise in the Hereafter). Verily,
one of the gravest sins and the most grievous prohibited acts is to judge according to laws other than those of Allah i.e. manmade laws, human regimes, habits of ancestors and grandfathers and the rulings of soothsayers, sorcerers and fortunetellers that deceived many people nowadays and they considered them as a substitute for the Law of Allah which He revealed to His Messenger (peace be upon him). Undoubtedly, this act is one of the most grievous acts of hypocrisy and the greatest rites of Kufr (disbelief), oppression, corruption and the rulings of Jahiliyyah (preIslamic time of ignorance) which the Qur'an nullified and against which the Messenger warned . Allah, the Exalted, says:
Have you not seen those (hypocrites) who claim that they believe in that which has been sent down to you, and that which was sent down before you, and they wish to go for judgement (in their disputes) to the Tâghût (false judges) while they have been ordered to reject them. But Shaitân (Satan) wishes to lead them far astray.
And when it is said to them: "Come to what Allâh has sent down and to the Messenger (Muhammad ﺻﻠﻰ ﺍﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳـﻠﻢ)," you (Muhammad ﺻـﻠﻰ ﺍﷲ ﻋﻠﻴـﻪ ﻭﺳـﻠﻢ) see the hypocrites turn away from you (Muhammad ﺻـﻠﻰ ﺍﷲ ﻋﻠﻴـﻪ ﻭﺳـﻠﻢ) with aversion.
And so judge (you O Muhammad ﺻﻠﻰ ﺍﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ) among them by what Allâh has revealed and follow not their vain desires, but beware of them lest they turn you (O Muhammad ﺻﻠﻰ ﺍﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ) far away from some of that which Allâh has sent down to you. And if they turn away, then know that Allâh's Will is to punish them for some sins of theirs. And truly, most of men are Fâsiqûn (rebellious and disobedient to Allâh). Do they then seek the judgement of (the days of) Ignorance? And who is better in judgement than Allâh for a people who have firm Faith.
And whosoever does not judge by what Allâh has revealed, such are the Kâfirûn (i.e. disbelievers of a lesser degree as they do not act on Allâh's Laws). And whosoever does not judge by that which Allâh has revealed, such are the Zâlimûn (polytheists and wrongdoers of a lesser degree). And whosoever does not judge by what Allâh has revealed (then) such (people) are the Fâsiqûn [the rebellious i.e. disobedient (of a lesser degree) to Allâh].
This is a serious warning from Allah, the Glorified, for all His Servants against the abstinence from His Book and the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace be upon him) and against seeking the judgment of anything
other than both of them. It is an obvious ruling from our Lord (Glorified and Exalted be He) deeming those, who judge according to laws other than those of Allah, disbelievers, oppressors, corrupt peopleand copying the manners of the hypocrites and the people of Jahiliyyah. O Muslims, beware of whatever Allah warns you against! Judge according to His Law in every matter! Abstain from every act opposing His Law, advise one another to hold fast to it, and have aversion and dislike for those who abstain from the Law of Allah, dispraise or neglect it, or find it easy to seek the judgment of any law other than the Law of Allah. You could win the Honor of Allah and escape His punishment. You hereby could carry out the ordinance of Allah regarding your support to His Awliya' (pious people) who judge according to His law and are satisfied with His Book and the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace be upon him) and your aversion to His enemies who abstain from His Law and stay away from His Book and the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace be upon him). May Allah guide you and us to AlSiratulMustaqim (the Straight Path) and protect us from imitating the disbelievers and hypocrites. May Allah support His Religion and frustrate His enemies, for He has power over all things.
Peace and blessings be upon His Servant and His Messenger Muhammad, his family and Companions until the Day of Resurrection!