Believing that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allaah is the second part of the Shahaadah. The first part of Muhammadur-rasoolullaah was discussed in the previous post. It is the belief that whatever Allaah told us about Muhammad (salallaahu ‘alayhi wasalam) must be true. Now we continue on to the second part of the meaning of Muhammadur-rasoolullaah.
2) That we must worship Allaah as taught by Muhammad (salallaahu ‘alayhi wasalam)
The obedience to Muhammad (salallaahu ‘alayhi wasalam) is an Order from Allaah:
وَمَا آتَاكُمُ الرَّسُولُ فَخُذُوهُ وَمَا نَهَاكُمْ عَنْهُ فَانتَهُوا وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ شَدِيدُ الْعِقَابِ
“And whatsoever the Messenger gives you, take it, and whatsoever he forbids you, abstain (from it), and fear Allâh. Verily, Allâh is Severe in punishment.” (Al-Hashr 59:7)
The meaning of the above ayah (verse) is very well illustrated in the following
narration:
Narrated ‘Alqama: Abdullaah (bin Mas’ud) said, “Allaah curses those ladies who practice tattooing and those who get themselves tattooed, and those ladies who remove the hair from their faces and those who make artificial spaces between their teeth to look more beautiful whereby they change Allaah’s creation. “His saying reached a lady from Bani Asd called Um Ya’qub who came (to Abdullaah) and said: “I have come to know that you have cursed such-and-such (ladies)?” He replied: “Why should not I curse these whom Allaah’s Messenger cursed and who are cursed in Allaah’s Book!” Um Ya’qub said, “I have read the whole Qur’an and I have not found in it what you say.” He said, “Verily if you have read it (i.e. the Qur’an), you have found it. Didn’t you read: “And whatsoever the Messenger gives you, take it and whatsoever he forbids you, abstain (from it).” She replied, “Yes, I did.” He said, “Verily, Allaah’s Messenger forbade these things.” She said, “But I see your wife doing these things?” He said, “Go and watch her.” She went and watched her but could not see anything in support of her statement. On that he said, “If my wife were as you thought, I would not keep her in my company (i.e. I would divorce her).”
Allaah The Mighty, The Majestic said:
مَّنْ يُطِعِ الرَّسُولَ فَقَدْ أَطَاعَ اللّهَ وَمَن تَوَلَّى فَمَا أَرْسَلْنَاكَ عَلَيْهِمْ حَفِيظًا
“He who obeys the Messenger (Muhammad), has indeed obeyed Allâh, but he who turns away, then we have not sent you (O Muhammad) as a watcher over them.” (An-Nisa 4:80)
The Messenger of Allaah (salallaahu ‘alayhi wasalam) said:
“Whoever obeys me, he obeys Allaah, and whoever disobeys me, he disobeys Allaah,and whoever obeys the ruler I appoint, he obeys me, and whoever disobeys him, he disobeys me.” [Collected by Al-Bukhaaree].
He (salallaahu ‘alayhi wasalam) also said:
“All of my followers will enter Paradise except those who refuse.” They said: ‘O Allaah’s Messenger! Who will refuse?’ He said,”Whoever obeys me will enter Paradise and whoever disobeys me is the one who refuses (to enter it).” [Collected by Al-Bukhaaree].
The matters discussing worship of Allaah, discipline, orders, advice, approvals, and recommendations as detailed by Muhammad (salallaahu ‘alayhi wasalam) are collectively known as Sunnah. The Sunnah is also meant to emphasize the correct way of understanding the deen of Islam, in contrast with the ways of deviations and (or) innovations. The Sunnah is an inspiration from Allaah and is not the Prophet’s own ideas, thoughts or desires, as Allaah said in souratun-najm:
وَمَا يَنطِقُ عَنِ الْهَوَى / إِنْ هُوَ إِلَّا وَحْيٌ يُوحَى
“Nor does he speak of (his own) desire. It is only an Inspiration that is inspired.” (An-Najm 53:3-4)
So, in obeying the Prophet’s Sunnah we are obeying Allaah. There should be no resistance to the way of the Prophet (salallaahu ‘alayhi wasalam). He must be taken as a judge in all disputes as Allaah clearly commands:
فَلاَ وَرَبِّكَ لاَ يُؤْمِنُونَ حَتَّىَ يُحَكِّمُوكَ فِيمَا شَجَرَ بَيْنَهُمْ ثُمَّ لاَ يَجِدُواْ فِي أَنفُسِهِمْ حَرَجًا مِّمَّا قَضَيْتَ وَيُسَلِّمُواْ تَسْلِيمًا
“But no, by your Lord, they can have no Faith, until they make you (O Muhammad) judge in all disputes between them, and find in themselves no resistance against your decisions, and accept (them) with full submission.” (An-Nisa 4:65)
And He, the Most High, also said:
فَلْيَحْذَرِ الَّذِينَ يُخَالِفُونَ عَنْ أَمْرِهِ أَن تُصِيبَهُمْ فِتْنَةٌ أَوْ يُصِيبَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ
“And let those who oppose the Messenger’s commandment (i.e. his Sunnah legal ways, orders, acts of worship, statements, etc.) (among the sects) beware, lest some Fitnah (disbelief, trials, afflictions, earthquakes, killing, overpowered by a tyrant, etc.) befall them or a painful torment be inflicted on them.“(An-Nur 24:63)
The Prophet (salallaahu ‘alayhi wasalam) said in a hadeeth:
“He who does an act which our matter (i.e. our religion) is not in agreement with,
will have it rejected.” [Related by Muslim and Al-Bukhaaree with a different
wording].
The Sunnah of the Prophet (salallaahu ‘alayhi wasalam) is surely safeguarded as Allaah promised to save the Message of Islam from any human corruption. The following of the Sunnah of the Prophet (salallaahu ‘alayhi wasalam) is the manifestation of the declaration that “MUHAMMAD IS THE MESSENGER OF ALLAAH”:
Allaah, the Most High, said:
قُلْ إِن كُنتُمْ تُحِبُّونَ اللّهَ فَاتَّبِعُونِي يُحْبِبْكُمُ اللّهُ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ذُنُوبَكُمْ وَاللّهُ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ
“Say (O Muhammad to mankind): “If you (really) love Allâh then follow me (i.e. accept Islâmic Monotheism, follow the Qur’ân and the Sunnah), Allâh will love you and forgive you of your sins. And Allâh is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” (Aali Imran 3:31)
In SUMMARY
The declaration that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allaah is an integral part of faith. Muhammad (salallaahu ‘alayhi wasalam) must be trusted in all that he informed us about Islaam. He must be obeyed in all that he ordered and we must stay away from all that he forbade. The obedience to Muhammad is an obedience to Allaah. He left us with all that leads to Paradise and warned us from all that leads to Hell.
Reference
