Obey Allah and Obey The Messenger!!!
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Peace all,
The title of this thread is one of the most favorite quotes from the Quran that they like to isolate and take totally out of context. Even though there are quite a few verses in the Quran which mention things such as
"Obey Allah and obey His messenger."
"He who obeys Allah and His messenger does so for his own soul."
"Those who are enemies of Allah and His messenger.", etc.Part of the problem, I believe, is that sometimes we as GOD Alone/Quran Alone believers cam make the same mistake as the traditional muslims, namely "isolating" the Quran to a specific time and place.
The traditional muslims do this by quoting those few verses out of context and saying that we are to follow the ways, customs, traditions and mannerisms of someone who had lived over 1,400 years ago.
Some GOD Alone believers will put forth the argument that the messenger is no longer with us, that he did his duty when he relayed the Quran to the people and we now have GOD's eternal message which is sufficient for us as guidance.
Although this is entirely correct, I don't believe we are approaching the argument from the correct angle when we put forth this type of argument/rebuttal. Sometimes, putting forth that argument can make us almost as guilty as the traditional muslims, by isolating the Quran in some fashion to a specific time and place.
The Quran is not static. It is eternal and it is dynamic. We have to treat it as such and we have to present to humanity in similar fashion. GW, I would like to present my argument to the traditional muslim world who insist on following hadith and who justify hadith by quoting the Quran where it says "Obey Allah and obey His messenger."
First and foremost, we have to ask "Which Messenger?" GOD says to obey the messenger, but He never specified which messenger and He could have. Muhammad is mentioned by name in the Quran, but I cannot find where we are told to obey, follow and support "GOD and Muhammad".
There are many messnegers mentioned in the Quran by name and their are others that are not mentioned by name. But Which messenger is GOD telling us to obey and follow? There's Jesus. He was a messenger of GOD. Then there's Moses and his brother Aaron. We also have Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Ishmael, Saleh, Hud, Lot, etc.
Ask a traditional muslim which messenger to follow and they will without fail say it is Muhammad because he was the one to whom the Quran was revealed. But to me that's a very weak argument and has no Quranic validation. I ask why Muhammad above all the other messengers sent by GOD and then I call their attention to GOD's Book.
"The messenger believes in what was sent down to him from his Lord. And the believers, all who believe in GOD, and His angels, and His scriptures, and His messengers; we do not differentiate between any of His messengers; and they said "We hear and we obey, forgive us O Lord, and to you is our destiny."
The traditional muslims speak of Prophet Muhammad as if he's still roaming among us. They will make statements such as "Refer all issues to GOD and His messenger". They also mention his name in their "ritual" prayer as if he can hear them. And when they say Sallalaahu alayhi wasalaam(peace and blessings be upon him), it is as if they are speaking in the present tense.
How can we refer our problems to Muhammad? And how can we obey him, support him and follow him?
"O you who believe, be aware of GOD and give up what is left of the financial interest if you are truly believers.
And if you will not do this, then take notice of a war from GOD and His messenger; but if you repent, then you will have back your principle money, you will not be wronged nor will you wrong."
I can clearly understand GOD waging war on the transgressors, but I cannot see how a messenger who is no longer alive can also wage war on transgressors. To beleive that Prophet Muhammad can somehow still wage war in our day and time is to make him more than human. And this relationship between the traditional muslim world and Muhammad resembles the relationship between Christians and the Messiah Jesus in that they treat their respective messengers as if they are either still alive or that they can somehow see us and everything we do or say. Last I checked in the Quran, those were abilities possessed only by GOD.
In order for GOD and His messenger to wage war on the transgressors, I would have to believe that this messenger is alive and able to wage a war. Hence, it cannot be Muhammad.
So far, we've covered the fallacies of differentiating between the messengers and we've addressed the inability of the deceased to be a contemporary guide. We must also address the issue of a people even recieving a messenger to begin with.
"And for every nation is a messenger; So when their messenger comes, the matter is decreed between them with justice, and they are not wronged."
"And We have sent a messenger to every nation 'You shall serve GOD and avoid evil.' Some of them were guided by GOD, and some of them deserved to be misguided. So travel in the land, and see how the punishment was of those who denied."
The above two verses from the Quran clearly state that GOD sends a "Messenger" to all people, to every nation. Moreover, 1636 clearly states what "Message" these messengers will bring, namely that you shall "SERVE GOD ALONE and AVOID EVIL."
GOD also informs us that He sends a messenger to a people who is of them and speaks the same language as them.
"And We have not sent any messenger except in the language of his people, so he may clarify to them. But GOD misguides whom He wills, and He guides whom He wills. And He is The Noble, The Wise."
So clearly this messenger that has to obeyed and followed must come in a language that the people understand, so that he can clarify the message.
Technicaly speaking, even the spoken Arabic of 7th century Arabia is not the same as the colloquial Arabic of present day Saudi Arabia. To me this makes it clear that the two important things are that the messenger comes in the language of the people and that the Message Itself is what is really important and not the words or language used to convey that message.
Many people all over the world are totally clueless when it comes to the Arabic Language. You even have some who have no idea whatsoever who Muhammad is, never heard of the Quran and have no idea what Islam is and is not. Is GOD going to punish these people for something they do not know?
"Whoever is guided is guided for himself, and whoever is misguided is for his own loss. And no person shall carry the load of another, and We were not to punish until We send a messenger."
If Muhammad is not the one who is to fulfill the duies we just spoke of in our present day and time, then who is it?
Well, obviously it is one who comes with the Quran to the people. This is the message that is being delivered to the people. Muhammad was the final Prophet, but he was not the final messenger. Also, there will be no more scripture, but a messenger doesn't have to come with divine revelation. A messenger reminds the people with what they already have.
"And those who rejected will be driven to Hell in groups. When they reach it, and its gates are opened, its guards will say to them 'Did you not recieve messengers from among you, who recited to you the revelations of your Lord, and warned you about meeting this day?' They will answer 'Indeed, but the promise of retribution was destined to be upon the rejectors.' "
So you see, a messenger does not have to recieve scripture to recite what is already with the people and to warn them of the Day of Terrible Regret.
The Duites/functions of messengers are are explained in GODs book in the following verses
2101,129,143,151
567,92,99
648 1340 144 1635 1856 2125 2454 2918 3617 4248 6412 982So when GOD says "Obey GOD and obey His messenger", my two questions are, who is that messenger and what is the message that he/she brings.
I believe these verses from the Quran tells us who that messenger is.
Abraham implored his Lord
"Our Lord, and let us surrender to you and from our progeny a nation surrendering to you, and show us our rights and forgive us; You are the Most Forgiving, Most Merciful."
"Our Lord, and send amongst them a messenger from among themselves, that he may recite to them Your revelations and teach them the scripture and the wisdom, and purify them. You are the Noble, the Wise."
How would I recgonize that person? By the message he/she brings. And What is that message? The message that is contained in the Quran. And that message is the message of true Monotheism.
So We sent a messenger to them from amongst them 'SERVE GOD, YOU HAVE NO OTHER GOD BESIDES HIM. Will you not take heed?' "
That is the message of the Quran. That's the message that I follow, support and obey. Therefore I will follow and support those that represent that message. In essence, those that truly represent The Quran.
GOD Alone/Quran Alone.There is no god but GOD. He is One and has no partners or associates.
Peace,
Damon.
