❖ True Believers Submit to the Command of Allah and His Messenger ﷺ
Allah ﷻ says:“The only statement of the [true] believers when they are called to Allah and His Messenger to judge between them is that they say, ‘We hear and we obey.’ And it is they who will be successful.”
— (Surah An-Nur: 51)
This verse exemplifies the attitude of true believers—they submit immediately and unconditionally to the rulings of the Qur’an and Sunnah.
❖ Obedience to Allah and His Messenger ﷺ is Obligatory
“O you who believe! Obey Allah and His Messenger and do not turn away from him while you hear [his command].”— (Surah Al-Anfal: 20)
“And obey Allah and the Messenger so that you may receive mercy.”
— (Surah Aal Imran: 132)
“Say, [O Prophet], ‘If you love Allah, then follow me; Allah will love you and forgive your sins.’... Say, ‘Obey Allah and the Messenger.’ But if they turn away, then Allah does not love the disbelievers.”
— (Surah Aal Imran: 31–32)
Ibn Kathir (رحمه الله) writes:
This verse is an argument against those who claim to love Allah but do not follow the way of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. Such people are false in their claim until they fully adopt the Sunnah in their words and actions.
❖ Warning Against Opposing the Command of the Messenger ﷺ
“So let those beware who oppose his [the Messenger’s] command, lest some trial or painful punishment befall them.”— (Surah An-Nur: 63)
This highlights the danger of opposing the Sunnah. It is obligatory to weigh all actions against the scale of the Prophet’s ﷺ Sunnah. That which conforms is accepted; otherwise, it is rejected, regardless of the speaker or actor.
❖ No Precedence Over Allah and His Messenger ﷺ
“O you who believe! Do not put yourselves forward before Allah and His Messenger, and fear Allah. Verily, Allah is All-Hearing, All-Knowing.”— (Surah Al-Hujurat: 1)
This prohibits making decisions or taking action without first referring to the Qur’an and Sunnah.
❖ Resolution of Disputes Must Refer to Qur’an and Sunnah
“O you who believe! Obey Allah and obey the Messenger and those in authority among you. And if you dispute over anything, refer it to Allah and the Messenger, if you believe in Allah and the Last Day. That is best and the best in result.”— (Surah An-Nisa: 59)
This verse establishes that every disagreement must be settled by referring to Qur’an and Sunnah. The phrase “فَرُدُّوهُ إِلَى اللَّهِ وَالرَّسُولِ” (refer it to Allah and the Messenger) means refer it to the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ.
❖ True Faith Requires Full Acceptance of the Prophet’s ﷺ Judgment
“But no, by your Lord, they will not [truly] believe until they make you [O Muhammad] judge in all disputes between them, and find in themselves no resistance against your decisions, and submit with full submission.”— (Surah An-Nisa: 65)
This divine oath proves that belief is incomplete unless the Prophet’s ﷺ decision is accepted fully in heart and action.
❖ No Choice After a Command from Allah and His Messenger ﷺ
“It is not for a believing man or woman, when Allah and His Messenger have decided a matter, to have any other choice in their decision. And whoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger has certainly gone far astray.”— (Surah Al-Ahzab: 36)
Ibn Kathir (رحمه الله) affirms that this command applies to all matters, leaving no room for personal opinions once a divine or prophetic command is clear.
❖ Obedience to the Messenger ﷺ Equals Obedience to Allah
“Whoever obeys the Messenger has indeed obeyed Allah...”— (Surah An-Nisa: 80)
❖ Prophet ﷺ Spoke Only Through Divine Revelation
“He does not speak from his own desire. It is but a revelation revealed [to him].”— (Surah An-Najm: 3–4)
❖ The Sunnah is Part of the Divine Revelation
“Allah has sent down to you the Book and the Wisdom...”— (Surah An-Nisa: 113)
Imam Al-Shafi‘i (رحمه الله) said:
“Wisdom (ḥikmah) refers to the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.”
— Al-Risalah, p.13
Ibn Qayyim (رحمه الله):
“The Sunnah is the Wisdom, by consensus of the Salaf.”
— Kitab al-Ruh, p.119
❖ Incident Proving Sunnah as Revelation
Yala ibn Umayyah (RA) observed the Prophet ﷺ during a moment of revelation and heard the sound similar to that of a camel. After revelation ended, the Prophet ﷺ instructed the man who had asked about ‘Umrah, basing his answer on divine revelation.— Sahih Bukhari, 1536; Sahih Muslim, 1180
❖ Following Sunnah Protects Deeds from Becoming Void
“O you who believe! Obey Allah and the Messenger and do not nullify your deeds.”— (Surah Muhammad: 33)
❖ Allah is the One Who Will Ensure the Explanation of the Qur’an
“Indeed, upon Us is its collection and recitation. So when We have recited it, follow its recitation. Then upon Us is its explanation.”— (Surah Al-Qiyamah: 17–19)
This confirms that the Prophet ﷺ’s explanation of the Qur’an—recorded as hadith—is divinely guided.
❖ Conclusion: Sunnah is Inseparable from the Qur’an
From the Qur’anic verses presented above, it is clear that:✔ The Sunnah is divinely revealed
✔ The Messenger’s rulings are binding
✔ Disobedience to the Prophet ﷺ equals disobedience to Allah
✔ Sunnah is essential for understanding the Qur’an
✔ The claim of faith is invalid without full submission to the Prophet ﷺ
❖ A Poetic Summary:
“Mustafā se hum ko wirsay mein mili hain do kitāb,
Ek kalām Allah, dūm āp ka fi‘l-ul-khitāb.”
