Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.  (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

i hv to appreciate that u r a good writer.....i admire your writing skills.... u talk abt who is right n rong......then let me tell u that alike u even i hv read n understood Quran..... i hv been researching over Quran for past many years.......n will continue the same....

Bring to me the answer of one Question......

Allah says......O you who brought Iman.....Worship Allah .... Worship His Messenger.....and the Person of dignity who shall lead and hold the powers in the absence of Messenger.....

I shall Await ur answer.......

(There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in confidentiality.)

Answer:

Does Allah say obey those in authority amongst you?

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and who-ever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is no one (no idol, no person, no grave, no prophet, no imam, no dai, nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

All Praise is due to Allah Alone, Who revealed the Glorious Quran to His Slave and Messenger Mohamed ibn Abdulla (saws), so that people could be guided aright. May Allah reward you for your efforts and increase your knowledge in understanding the Glorious Quran. This is indeed one of the biggest Mercies of our Lord and Creator! Every muslim must strive to read, understand, study, research and ponder over the aayahs of this Glorious Book. May Allah bless you and us all to increase our understanding of the Holy Quran.

Your Comment: Allah says......O you who brought Iman.....Worship Allah .... Worship His Messenger.....and the Person of dignity who shall lead and hold the powers in the absence of Messenger.....

Brother, you mention that Allah says the above words; thus I am assuming you have quoted the above sentence from the Holy Quran. There is absolutely no verse in the Holy Quran that says ‘Worship His Messenger”, or for that matter, worship anything else other than Allah! That would be manifest shirk (associating, invoking or worshipping others with Allah)! The Quran persistently guides towards the invocation and worship of the One Allah Alone (Tawheed), and there are absolutely no aayahs in the whole Quran which guides towards ‘shirk’!

We would really appreciate it if you could give us the reference number of the aayah you have quoted above, because our scholars have not found the above aayah in the Quran that was revealed by Allah to Prophet Mohamed (saws).

Maybe the aayah that you have tried to quote from the Holy Quran is from Chapter 4 Surah Nisaa verse 59: O you who believe, obey Allah, and obey the Messenger, and those entrusted with authority amongst you. Then if there arises any dispute about anything, refer the dispute to Allah and the Messenger, if you truly believe in Allah and the Last Day. That would be the best way and most suitable for final determination.

The Arabic word ‘ati’ means obey.. In the above aayah, Allah commands the believers to obey Allah, and obey the Messenger, and those entrusted with authority (olil-amr) amongst you. The above verse is extremely clear whereby Allah says:

‘Ati-Allah’ meaning ‘obey Allah’

‘wa ati-ar Rasool’ meaning ‘obey the Messenger’

‘wa olil-amr minkum’ meaning ‘and those entrusted with authority amongst you.’

Allah does not say ‘wa ati olil amr minkum’. The command ‘ati’ (obey) is not placed independently before the ‘olil-amr’. And anyone who knows even basic Arabic grammar will confirm with you that because the word ‘ati’ (obey) is not placed before ‘olil-amr’ (those entrusted with authority), then it becomes a ‘mashroot’ (condition), that you have to obey those entrusted with authority amongst you, ONLY IF THEY OBEY ALLAH AND THE MESSENGER!

Then Allah states in the same aayah, that if there arises a dispute about anything, refer the dispute back to Allah (the Quran) and the Messenger (His Sunnah or Way)…. If you truly believe in Allah and the Last Day.

The commandment is extremely clear … Obey Allah, obey the Messenger, and those entrusted in authority amongst you, (only if they obey Allah and the Messenger.) But if there arises any disputes, then refer the dispute back to Allah (The Quran) and the Messenger (His Sunnah).

Thus, we are commanded to obey the people who have authority amongst us, as long as they obey Allah and the Messenger (saws). But if for any reason, these people who have authority amongst us, go against anything from the Quran and Sunnah, we are not to obey them in that thing at all. Allah and the Messenger have a bigger right in Islam that we obey their commandments. And anyone who thinks that someone else has more authority than Allah and His Messenger (saws), he obviously leaves the fold of Islam!

The people who have authority amongst us, have to lead us from the Quran and Sunnah only! That is the pre-condition for our obedience to them. Nobody in Islam, is allowed or has the authority to change or alter in any way, any of the commandments of Allah and His Messenger (saws)… and if they do change, alter, innovate, invent or abrogate any command of Allah and His Messenger (saws), then we have to follow only what Allah and His Messenger (saws) command, and leave the orders of these leaders alone! But the commandment to refer back is only for those who truly believe in Allah and the Last Day … thus, the ones who believe their leaders blindly, without referring to Allah and the Messenger (saws) in their disputes, do not truly believe in Allah and the Last Day.

Lets state a few fundamental disputes and see who are the true believers in Allah and the Last Day!

Dispute 1: Can we invoke beings other than Allah?

Can one invoke a person in his absence, and assume that this person can hear and answer his supplications when not in audience with him? Can one invoke the person in the grave, and assume that the dead can hear and answer his prayers?

Lets refer the dispute to Allah:

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 7 Surah Aaraf verses 197: Those whom you call besides Allah, cannot help you, nor can they help themselves.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 34 Surah Saba verses 22: (O Prophet) say, “Call on those whom you invoke as deities besides Allah. They neither own an atom’s weight of anything in the heavens, nor in the earth. Nor have they anything to share in either, nor is any of them a helper of Allah”

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 22 Surah Hajj verses 13: Then, instead of Allah, he invokes those who can do him neither harm nor good. This is the last extremity of deviation. He invokes those who are more likely to do him harm, than good! What an evil ‘MAULA’ he chooses, and what an evil companion.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 36 Surah Yaa Seen verses 74-75: Yet, they have set up others besides Allah, hoping that they would be helped! They (those invoked) do not have the power to help them, yet these people stand as an ever ready troop at their service!

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 3 Surah Ale Imran verses160: If Allah helps you, none can overcome you! And if Allah forsakes you, who is there, then, after Allah that can help you? Therefore, the true believers should trust in Allah Alone.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 22 Surah Hajj verse73: O mankind! A parable is related to you, so listen to it! Those on whom you call besides Allah, cannot create a fly, even though they may all combine together for this purpose! Nay! If a fly snatches away anything from them, they would have no power to release it from the fly! How weak are the those who petition, and how weak are those to whom they supplicate!

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 5 Surah Maidah verse76: (O Prophet) say to them, “Do you worship besides Allah that which has no power to harm you nor benefit you? In fact, it is Allah Alone Who hears everything and knows everything.”

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 10 Surah Yunus verses 106-107: And do not call besides Allah, any being that can neither do you any good nor any harm. For if you will do so, you shall be one of the doers of wrong. If Allah afflicts you with a calamity, there is none to remove it, but He Himself. Likewise, if Allah wills to bestow a favor on you, there is none to withhold Allah’s bounty. He bestows His bounty on anyone of His servants He wills. And He is The Forgiving, The Merciful.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 17 Surah Isra (Bani Israel) verses 56-57: (O Prophet) say, “You may call for help those, besides Allah, whom you fancy. They have neither the power to remove your troubles from you, nor change them!” In fact, those beings whom these people call for help themselves seek the means of approach to Allah, and vie with one another to be nearer to Him, and hope for His Mercy and fear His Wrath. The fact is that the Wrath of your Lord is a thing to be dreaded!

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 39 Surah Zumar verse 38: If indeed you (O Prophet) asked them, “Who is it that created the earth?”, they would surely say, “Allah”. Say, “See you then? The things that you invoke besides Allah, can they, if Allah wills some penalty for me, remove His penalty? Or if Allah wills some mercy for me, can they keep back his mercy?” Say: “Sufficient is Allah for me! In Him trust those who put their trust.”

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 13 Surah Raad verse 14: To Him Alone is prayer, in Truth! As regards the other beings whom they call besides Allah, they cannot answer their prayers. It is as if a man were to stretch out his hands towards water and ask it to rise to his mouth, when it cannot reach it! Likewise the prayers of the disbelievers are nothing but aimless efforts!

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chater 40 Surah Mumin verse 60: And Your Lord says, “Call upon Me. I will answer your prayers. Those who disdain My worship on account of arrogance, shall certainly enter Hell in disgrace!”

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 2 Surah Baqarah verse 186: And if My servants ask you, O Prophet, concerning Me, tell them that I am quite near to them. I hear and answer the prayer of the suppliant, when he calls on Me. So let them respond to My call and believe in Me. (Convey this to them), perhaps they may be guided aright!

Conclusion to Dispute 1:

Those who truly believe in Allah and the Last Day, invoke Allah Alone, without any intermediary or messenger to take his supplication to Allah. For Allah Alone has the powers to hear and answer the prayers of every supplicant.

Those who do not truly believe in Allah and the Last Day, obey their self-made leaders and invoke Allah through humans, alive and dead in their graves … and supplicate them to get their prayers answered by Allah. This is precisely what Allah calls ‘shirk’ in the Holy Quran!

Dispute 2: Can we do the act of ‘sajdah’(in tahdeem, shukr and worship) to beings other than Allah?

Can we do sajdah to human beings who are alive? Can we do sajdah at the graves of the pious slaves and martyrs of Allah?

Lets refer the dispute to Allah:

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 41 Surah Fusselat verse 37: Do not do ‘sajdah’ to the sun and the moon, but do ‘sajdah’ to that Allah, Who Created them, if you really are indeed His worshippers.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 13 Surah Raad verse 15: For it is Allah Alone before whom everything in the heavens and the earth do ‘sajdah’ willingly or un-willingly. Even the shadows of all things do ‘sajdah’ to Allah in the morning and evening!

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 16 Surah Nahl verse 48-50: And don’t they observe anything created by Allah: how it casts its shadow right and left, doing its ‘sajdah’ to Allah Alone? Thus do all things express their humility to Allah. All the animate creation in the heavens and the earth and all the angels do ‘sajdah’ in adoration to Allah Alone. They do not show any arrogance at all, and fear their Lord, Who is above them, and do whatever they are bidden by Allah.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 22 Surah Hajj verse 77: O you who believe, do ‘rukoo’ and ‘sajdah’ to Allah Alone, worship Allah Alone, and do righteous deeds. It may be that you attain true success.

Lets refer the dispute to the Messenger of Allah:

No companion ever did sajdah to the Messenger of Allah (saws) in his lifetime, and neither did they go to his grave and do sajdah there after his (saws) death! The Messenger of Allah (saws) forbade the muslims to do the act of sajdah to anything or anyone other than Allah Subhanah Alone!

Conclusion to Dispute 1:

Those who truly believe in Allah and the Last Day, do the act of sajdah (in tahdeem, shukr and worship) to none but Allah Alone.

Those who do not truly believe in Allah and the Last Day, do the act of sajdah to Allah, and share this rite of worship due to Allah Alone by also doing sajdah human beings who are alive, and at the graves of their pious ancestors. This is another manifestation of ‘shirk’.

Dispute 3: Can we do the act of circumambulation ‘tawaaf’ at the graves of the pious slaves and martyrs of Allah?

Lets refer the dispute to Allah:

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 2 Surah Al Baqarah verse 125: And remember that We made this House (The Kaabah) the center and sanctuary for mankind and enjoined the people to dedicate to worship the place where Ibrahim used to stand for prayer, and We urged Ibrahim and Ismail to keep My House pure for those who would go around it, and for those who would retire to it for devotion and prayer, and for those who would bow down and prostrate themselves there in worship.

Lets refer the dispute to the Messenger of Allah (saws):

The Messenger of Allah did tawaaf of the Kabaah and nothing else in his whole lifetime. There is absolutely no evidence that he (saws) would go to the grave of his beloved uncle Hamza (r.a.) who was martyred in the Battle of Uhud and did ‘tawaaf’ there!

Conclusion to Dispute 3:

Those who truly believe in Allah and the Last Day, do the act of ‘tawaaf’ only at the Sacred House of Allah and nowhere else on this planet earth!

Those who do not truly believe in Allah and the Last Day, do ‘tawaaf’ at the Kaabah, and share this rite of worship of Allah Alone, by doing ‘tawaaf’ at the graves of their pious slaves and martyrs of Allah. This is another manifestation of the heinous crime, ‘shirk’.

Dispute 4: Are we allowed to read the Quran with understanding ourselves? Or do we have to depend on some self-proclaimed holy men to guide us from the Quran. If we read the Quran with understanding ourselves, will it misguide us? Was the Quran revealed so that only one family can claim monopoly to understand it, or was it for the guidance of all of mankind? Is the Quran easy and straightforward to understand, or is it full of hints and innuendoes for us to decipher?

Lets refer the dispute to Allah:

Allah says in Chapter 2, Surah Baqarah aayat 185: "Ramadan is the month in which the Quran was sent down: this Book is a perfect guidance for mankind and consists of CLEAR teachings which show the right way and are a Criterion of the Truth and falsehood."

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 44 Surah Dukhan verse 58: We have made this Book easy in your own tongue so that they may ponder and take good counsel.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 43 Surah Zukhruf verses 1-3: Haa Meem. By this lucid (clear or open) Book. We have made it an Arabic Quran, so that you may understand it.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 12 Surah Yusuf verse 1-2: These are the verses of the Book that makes its object perfectly clear. We have sent it down as a Quran in Arabic, so that you may understand it well.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 16 Surah Nahl verse 89: We have sent down to you this Book, which makes everything plain, and is a guidance, blessing and good news to those who have surrendered themselves entirely.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 19 Surah Maryam verse 97: O Mohamed, We have made this Quran easy, and sent it down in your tongue so that you should give good news to the pious and warn the stubborn people.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 18 Surah Kahf verse 1-3: All praise is for Allah Alone, Who has sent down this Book to His Servant (Mohamed (saws), and assigned nothing crooked to it. This Book says everything directly, so that he may warn the people of the severe chastisement of Allah and give good news to the believers, who do righteous deeds, that they will have an excellent reward.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 2 Surah Baqarah verse 99: We have sent down to you Revelations that clearly expound the Truth, and none but the disobedient reject them.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 4 Surah Nisaa verse 82: Do they not ponder over the Quran? Had it been from any other than Allah, surely there would have been many contradictions in it.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 43 Surah Zukhruf verses 43-44: So, hold fast to the Book that has been revealed to you, you are surely on the Siraat al Mustaqeem. The fact is that this book is a great honor for you and your people, and soon you shall be CALLED TO ACCOUNT for it.

Conclusion to Dispute 4:

Those who truly believe in Allah and the Last Day, read, understand and follow the clear commandments of the Glorious Quran.

Those who do not truly believe in Allah and the Last Day, recite the Quran in Arabic without understanding, and believe it is a sin to understand the Quran in any other language if they cannot understand Arabic! And because they do not understand the clear guidance of the Holy Quran, they have made some people their leaders and holy men, and follow them blindly, without ever referring to the Glorious Quran! And these self-appointed leaders and self-proclaimed holy men then relate one aayah here, and one aayah there … without relating the whole Quran to them in context! And once the Quran is out of the understanding of their followers, there is no way to refer back to this Criterion whether the leaders are guiding them aright or astray!

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 2 Surah Al-Baqarah verse 174: Indeed those, who conceal the commands that Allah has sent down in His Book and barter them away for paltry worldly gains, fill their bellies with fire. Allah will not speak to them on the Day of Resurrection, nor will He regard them as pure and there is a painful torment for them!

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 2 Surah Baqarah verse 159: Those who conceal the clear (Revelations) and Guidance We have sent down, after We have made it clear for the people in the Book, on them shall be Allah’s ‘laanah’ and the ‘laanah’ of those who are entitled to curse!

Every muslim, on whom Allah has bestowed the knowledge to read, must read and understand the Glorious Quran. This is the only way he will know what is Right and what is Wrong in Islam!

Refer every dispute back to Allah and His Messenger (saws), if indeed you truly believe in Allah and the Last Day! Follow the commandment of Allah and His Messenger (saws) if indeed you are true believers.

And if anyone believes his leaders and holy men blindly, without ever referring to the Quran and the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (saws), prepare yourselves for a severe accounting in the Court of Allah on an Inevitable Day!

All the promises that Allah makes in the Quran will come true! And all the promises made by these self-made leaders and self-proclaimed holy men, without any authority from the Quran will turn out to be falsehood!

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 4 Surah An-Nisa verse 122: The promise of Allah is true, and who can be truer in his word than Allah?

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 6 Surah Anam verse 94: (And Allah will say), “So, you have come before Us all alone, as We created you at first. Now, you have left behind all that We gave you in the world. Now We do not see with you those ‘shufa’a’(intercessors), who, you believed, had a share in molding your destinies! All the relations between you and them have been cut off, and all those, in whom you trusted, have left you in the lurch.”

May Allah guide you and us all to the Straight Path of Islam!

May Allah guide you and us to read and understand the simple and plain words of the Glorious Quran. May Allah increase our knowledge from the Holy Quran. May Allah guide us to the Siraat al Mustaqeem.

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

Burhan