WE HEAR AND WE OBEY

IN THE NAME OF ALLAH THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE MOST MERCIFUL

سَمِعنا وَأَطَعنا

“WE HEAR AND WE OBEY”

The only saying of the faithful believers, when they are called to Allah (His Words, the Qur’an) and His Messenger (), to judge between them, is that they say: “We hear and we obey.” And such are the prosperous ones (who will live forever in Paradise).

And whosoever obeys Allah and His Messenger (), fears Allah, and keeps his duty (to Him), such are the successful ones.

QUR’AN SURAH AN NUR (24) verses 51-52

1. What does this phrase means?
2. Goodness of following these command
3. Examples of various prophets who implemented this
4. Example of sahabah
5. Mercy of Allah
6. Why are people still not following these command
7. How to follow the command
8. What does this phrase means

Islam means complete submission to Allah – until death. It is a way of life for every single one of us to follow in order for us to be able to meet our final destination, which will be in paradise inshaAllah. Allah, as our Rabb, Knows exactly how to Guide us. Through His commands in the Qur’an and through the Messenger (SallAllahu walayhi sa Sallam which He sent to help us find the right path, and to guide us in the straight path, all of have been clearly informed on how to reach our final destination.

Allah Reminded us that his command has been complete:

“….This day, I have perfected your religion for you, completed My Favour upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion…” Qur’an surah al Maedah (5) verse 3

There are many paths in this life – many which may divert us from our final destination (Paradise). The ONLY way to find this straight path is to OBEY ALLAH COMPLETELY AND UNCONDITIONALLY, WITHOUT QUESTION HIS INTENTION OR REASONS WHY HE PLACE THE COMMANDS FOR US TO FOLLOW.

Allah Commanded us:

“O you who believe! Obey Allah and obey the Messenger (Muhammad ), and those of you (Muslims) who are in authority. (And) if you differ in anything amongst yourselves, refer it to Allah and His Messenger (), if you believe in Allah and in the Last Day. That is better and more suitable for final determination.”  QUR’AN SURAH AN NISA’ (4) VERSE 59

So, we cannot only obey Allah if and only if Allah Grant us whatever we want in this life. Allah’s command is NOT to be compromised. Previous nations/creations had tried to compromise at their peril. Look at:

1. Iblis
2. Nations of Prophets Nuh Lut, etc
3. Bani Israel who disobeyed Allah concerning Sabbath
4. GOODNESS IN OBEYING ALLAH

We have to obey ALL the command of Allah because Allah has Granted us many things. BUT Allah Knows many of our shortcomings:

And He gave you of all that you asked for, and if you count the Blessings of Allah, never will you be able to count them. Verily! Man is indeed an extreme wrong-doer, – a disbeliever. QUR’AN SURAH IBRAHIM (14) VERSE 34

And if you would count the graces of Allah, never could you be able to count them. Truly! Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. QUR’AN SURAH AN NAHL (16) VERSE 18

There are many hidden blessings which only Allah Knows and the outcome may be known ONLY much later:

1. Alcohol causes liver problems
2. Gambling destroys your life and your family’s life
3. Unlawful sex causes family problems and even sexual diseases
4. Coming near zina may prompted one to commit zina

Eventually obedience will lead one to TAQWA inshaAllah which will enable us to be honoured by our Rabb:

“…Verily, the most honourable of you with Allah is that (believer) who has At-Taqwa …” Qur’an surah al Hujurat (49) verse 13

Allah also Promised us:

“…And whosoever fears Allah and keeps his duty to Him, He will make a way for him to get out (from every difficulty).

And He will provide him from (sources) he never could imagine. And whosoever puts his trust in Allah, then He will suffice him. Verily, Allah will accomplish his purpose. Indeed Allah has set a measure for all things.” QUR’AN SURAH TALAQ 65: 2-3

We will eventually earn Allah’s Love which is the ultimate Love:

My slave approaches Me with nothing more beloved to Me than what I have made obligatory upon him, and My slave keeps drawing nearer to Me with voluntary works until I love him. And when I love him, I am his hearing with which he hears, his sight with which he sees, his hand with which he seizes, and his foot with which he walks. If he asks me, I will surely give to him, and if he seeks refuge in Me, I will surely protect him” (Fath al-Bari, 11.34041, hadith 6502); This hadith was related by Imam Bukhari, Ahmad ibn Hanbal, al-Bayhaqi, and others with multiple contiguous chains of transmission, and is sahih.

We will then be forever Guided by Allah until our last breath.

1. Examples of prophets who obeyed Allah without questions

• Adam (AS) – yes he eventually made a mistake but he asked Allah for forgiveness
• Nuh (AS) – when Allah Ordered him to build an ark
• Ibrahim (AS) – when he was Commanded by Allah to bring his beloved wife Hajjah and son Ismail to settle in the middle of the desert
• Ibrahim (AS) – when he was Commanded by Allah to slaughter his son
• Ismail (AS) – obeying Allah when his father had a revelation to slaughter him

And, when he (his son) was old enough to walk with him, he said: “O my son! I have seen in a dream that I am slaughtering you (offer you in sacrifice to Allah), so look what you think!” He said: “O my father! Do that which you are commanded, Insha’ Allah (if Allah will), you shall find me of As-Sabirin (the patient ones, etc.).” QUR’AN SURAH AS SAFFAT 37: 102

1. Examples from sahabah

The prohibition of alcoholic beverages is mentioned three times in the Holy Qur’an.

ln Surah Al-Baqarah, Allah says:

“They question thee about strong drinks and games of chance. Say: In both is great sin, and (some) utility for men; but the sin of them is greater than their usefulness.”Al-Qur’an 2:219

There is a great sin in wine drinking and one of the things that Allah forbade is sins. The last portion of the verse tells us that there is greater harm in wine and gambling than the benefit. No sane man will approach or do anything that has a greater harm than benefit for him.

ln Surah An-Nisa, Allah says:

“O ye who believe! Draw not near unto prayer when ye are drunken, till ye know that which ye utter … “Al-Qur’an 4:43

There are some ignorant and misguided Muslims who try to argue on the basis of this verse that the Qur’an has not specifically prohibited Khamr. They tend to forget that it refers to the time before intoxicants were prohibited. Before the prohibition of intoxicants altogether was promulgated, it was at least unbecoming that people should come to prayers in a state of intoxication or in a dazed state of mind on account of drowsiness or some other cause. Islam regards prayers as a monologue between a Muslim and the Creator of the universe. So he is prohibited to approach this monologue while he is drunk. He must purify himself first before he approaches Salat. He must be pure in mind and body, therefore, he must be sober. He must be clean in clothes too.

Salat (prayer) is Islam’s most important act of worship. The Holy Prophet said : “Prayer is the pillar of Islam. The one who performs it has established his religion and the one who abandons it has ruined (his) religion.” That is why some of the leading Muslim jurists consider that person as murtad (renegade) who abandons his prayers altogether.

In Surah Al-Maidah, Allah says:

“O ye who believe ! Strong drinks and games of chance and idols and divining of arrows are only an infamy of Satan’s handiwork. Leave it aside in order that ye may succeed. Satan seeketh only to cast among you enmity and hatred by means of strong drink and games of chance, and turn you from remembrance of Allah and from (His) worship. So will ye not then abstain?”Al-Qur’an 5:90-91

These three passages from the Qur’an (2:219, 4:43 and 5:90-91) are related to the prohibition of alcoholic beverages. They were revealed in the above order but on different times and occasions. The last verse (5:91) makes the prohibition of alcohol categorical.

We are told in the last revealed verses on intoxicants that drinks, gambling etc., are abomination of Satan’s handicraft. We must, therefore, be very careful about the instigations of our mortal enemy – Satan. That is why we are to rid ourselves of all abominable things.

Another point from these ayat is that Satan wants to excite enmity and hatred between us. We want to live happily and friendly and no hatred is to be aroused. So when the final stage of prohibition was revealed in the third year after the Battle of Uhud, it was only to be announced before the Muslims that liquor and drug were not to be taken by a Muslim. When the reciters of the revealed verse reached “will ye not then abstain?” all Muslims said, “We have really abstained, O Allah”. Hence they poured on the earth all the drinks that remained whether it was in a jar, mug or in anything else. They also spat out what was in their mouths.

The Messenger of Allah (may blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) ordered people to throw away all drinks that was in their possession. Soon after the revelation, some of the companions came back and told the Prophet that there was some drink that belonged to some orphans, what were they to do about this; spill it or leave it. He ordered the companions to throw away all drinks, no matter to whom they belonged.

Had it not been Haram (unlawful), the Prophet (peace be upon him) wouldn’t have ordered them to throw it away. Had he not, the Apostle of Allah (may blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), understood that alcohol was Haram, he wouldn’t have forbidden Muslims from drinking.

Had it not been unlawful, the Messenger of Allah wouldn’t have cursed it, as well as the brewer or winemaker, the drinker, the buyer, the server (waiter) and those present at the party. And the Prophet (peace be upon him) wouldn’t have ordered that the drinker was to be flogged.

Another example from the sahabah was when the verse in surah 2 verse 284 was revealed. The complained to prophet Muhammad SallAllahu alayhi wa salaam that they could control their actions but could not control what is in their hearts. Prophet Muhammad SallAllahu alayhi wa sallam scolded them and asked them if they were following the examples of Bani Israel who always disobeyed. They were advised to be patient, listen and obey the command of Allah even though it was very difficult. ONLY when they submitted then Allah Revealed the next verse, 285. And Allah, with His Mercy, abrogated verse 284 with verse 286 and Informed us that only actions will be accountable and whatever is in the heart will NOT be accountable. The last verse was revealed in the heavens during Isra’ Mi’raj.

• 5. Mercy from Allah

We know that human beings are not perfect. We will always fail to submit to Allah. We have our Rabb who has all the beautiful Names which means He will forgive us if we did not obey Him, provided that we fulfil all the requirements of repentance.

Prophet Adam (AS) asked Allah for forgiveness for disobeying Allah:

“Our Lord! We have wronged ourselves. If You forgive us not, and bestow not upon us Your Mercy, we shall certainly be of the losers.” (7: 23)

Prophet Nuh (AS) asked Allah for forgiveness for questioning Allah when Allah Killed his son:

“O my Lord! I seek refuge with You from asking You that of which I have no knowledge. And unless You forgive me and have Mercy on me, I would indeed be one of the losers.” (11: 47)

Yunus (AS) asked Allah for forgiveness in the belly of the whale:

“[none has the right to be worshipped but You (O Allah)], Glorified (and Exalted) are You

[above all that (evil) they associate with You]

. Truly, I have been of the wrong-doers.” 21: 87

In addition, we were given 6 hours to repent before the angel records our sins

Abu Umamah reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “The scribe on the right is trustworthy over the scribe on the left. When a person does a good deed, he records it immediately. When a person does a bad deed, he says to the scribe on the left: Stay your hand for six hours. If the person seeks forgiveness from Allah, then he will not write it. Otherwise, it will be recorded as a single bad deed.”

Source: Mu’jam Al-Kabeer 7685

Grade: Sahih (authentic) according to As-Suyuti

6. Why some people are not following this command

1. Lack of knowledge
2. on Allah
3. on the Qur’an
4. on prophet Muhammad SallAllahu alayhi wa salaam

1. Allah Guides whomever he Wills
   1. Shaytan
   1. Too many sins – heart becomes hardened
   1. No taqwa – no Furqan
   1. Does not read and understand the Qur’an
   1. Love of the dunya
   1. Peer pressure – poor companions
   1. Want to be accepted in society
   1. Culture
   1. Arrogance

1. How to gain obedience

1. Seek knowledge
2. Understand tawheed
3. Understand Aqeedah
4. Understand purpose of life
5. Read the Qur’an regularly
6. Ask questions from those who understand Qur’an and sunnah
7. Read about stories of prophets and sahabah

1. Perform obligatory deeds – especially the prayers, asking sincerely to Allah for Guidance and understanding of the Deen
2. Perform voluntary deeds
3. Attain Taqwa
4. Choose correct companions
5. Be patient
6. Strive continuously until death
7. Du’a