Page 64 - Loyalty Described in the Qur'an
P. 64

LOYALTY DESCRIBED IN THE QUR'AN
            verses of the Qur'an, Allah speaks of the importance of obedience, and
            the wonderful things it will bring to believers. In verse 132 of Surah Al
            ‘Imran, Allah says that believers will win His mercy through their obe-

            dience: "Obey Allah and the Messenger so that hopefully you will
            gain mercy" (Surah Al ‘Imran, 132). For this reason, believers regard
            this matter as being of the greatest importance. As Allah says in Verse
            32 of Surah Al ‘Imran, they know it will earn them Allah's favor and
            are meticulous in their obedience:
                 Say, "Obey Allah and the Messenger." Then if they turn
                 away, Allah does not love the disbelievers. (Surah Al

                 ‘Imran, 32)
                 In the Qur'an, Allah refers to the determination exhibited by be-
            lievers in their faithfulness and obedience towards His messengers:
                 The believers are those who believe in Allah and His
                 Messenger and who, when they are with him on a matter of
                 common concern, do not leave until they have asked him for
                 permission. Those people who ask you for permission are
                 the ones who truly believe in Allah and His Messenger. If
                 they ask your permission to attend to their own affairs, give

                 permission to any of them you please; and ask Allah's for-
                 giveness for them. Allah is Ever-Forgiving, Most Merciful.
                 (Surat an-Nur, 62)
                 Allah tells us in this verse of the fact that believers cannot under-
            take an endeavor without the permission of His Messenger. This is one
            of the clearest indications of the sincere devotion and faithfulness they
            feel towards him. This submission on the part of the believers shows
            the importance they attach to the opinion of our Prophet (saas), and

            their unquestioning obedience to his rulings, whatever they may be. In

                                           62
   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69