Obedience to the Prophet

Obedience to the Prophet (blessings and peace be upon him) has been mentioned in thirty different verses of the Qur’an. It implies following his commands and avoiding what he prohibited. Obedience to the Prophet (blessings and peace be upon him) indicates the true fulfillment of the second part of the declaration that brings a person into Islam, “I bear witness that Muhammad is Allah’s Messenger.”

When we examine anything the Prophet (blessings and peace be upon him) encouraged, urged or ordered, we find that it is all from Allah and that it leads to something good either for us personally or for others who are close to us in our families or for our wider community, whether it is the Muslim community in general or humanity at large. He has only prohibited what is harmful or of no benefit, like adultery, gambling, alcohol, lying, disrespect to parents and so on. The Prophet (blessings and peace be upon him) prohibited satanic ways in many statements because these tend to pull a person away from the right path.

A good believer reaches a state of mind when his or her desires and pleasures in this life are in line with what Allah wants from him or her. Every individual should be obedient to Allah and His Prophet (blessings and peace be upon him), and observe strictly the instructions from Allah. The spirit develops by following Islamic teachings, while it decays and suffers from a spiritual loss if these teachings are abandoned.