Verse No. 5

“There is always a man among those who believed that obedience to him is obligatory for them like obedience to Allah and the Prophet.”

قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى:

﴿يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا أَطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُوا الرَّسُولَ وَأُولِي الْأَمْرِ مِنْكُمْ﴾[1]

Translation:

Allah Almighty has said:

“O you who believed! Obey Allah and obey the Prophet and those in authority from among you.”

Considerations

1 . أَخْبَرَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ الشِّيرَازِيُّ، قَالَ: سَأَلْتُ الْمَنْصُورَ عَنْ قَوْلِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى: ﴿يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا أَطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُوا الرَّسُولَ وَأُولِي الْأَمْرِ مِنْكُمْ﴾، فَقَالَ: لَا يَزَالُ فِي الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا رَجُلٌ طَاعَتُهُ مُفْتَرَضَةٌ عَلَيْهِمْ كَطَاعَةِ اللَّهِ وَالرَّسُولِ، مَنْ أَطَاعَهُ فَقَدْ أَطَاعَ اللَّهَ وَالرَّسُولَ، وَمَنْ عَصَاهُ فَقَدْ عَصَى اللَّهَ وَالرَّسُولَ، وَهُوَ مَنْ وَلَّاهُ اللَّهُ وَالرَّسُولُ، وَلَيْسَ مَنْ وَلَّاهُ النَّاسُ بِأَهْوَائِهِمْ، قُلْتُ: إِنَّهُمْ يَقُولُونَ أَنَّ كُلَّ مَنْ وَلِيَ أَمْرَهُمْ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ فَهُوَ مِنْ أُولِي الْأَمْرِ مِنْهُمْ، قَالَ: صَدَقُوا! قُلْتُ: كَيْفَ صَدَقُوا وَقَدْ قُلْتَ مَا قُلْتَ؟! قَالَ: كُلُّ مَنْ وَلِيَ أَمْرَهُمْ دُونَ الَّذِي وَلَّاهُ اللَّهُ وَالرَّسُولُ فَلَيْسَ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ، بَلْ هُوَ مِنَ الْفَاسِقِينَ، وَقَدْ أَمَرَ اللَّهُ بِطَاعَةِ أُولِي الْأَمْرِ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ، وَلَمْ يَأْمُرْ بِطَاعَةِ أُولِي الْأَمْرِ مِنَ الْفَاسِقِينَ! ﴿أَفَمَنْ كَانَ مُؤْمِنًا كَمَنْ كَانَ فَاسِقًا ۚ لَا يَسْتَوُونَ﴾![2] ثُمَّ قَالَ: أَزِيدُكَ؟ قُلْتُ: نَعَمْ، قَالَ: إِنَّمَا أُولُوا الْأَمْرِ مَالِكُوهُ، وَهُمُ الَّذِينَ وَلَّاهُمُ اللَّهُ وَالرَّسُولُ، وَأَمَّا مَنْ يَقُومُ بِهِ مِنْ دُونِهِمْ فَهُوَ غَاصِبُهُ، وَلَيْسَ الْغَاصِبُ مِنَ الْمَالِكِينَ، ﴿لَوْ كَانُوا يَفْقَهُونَ﴾![3] قُلْتُ: جَزَاكَ اللَّهُ خَيْرًا، فَقَدْ زَوَّدْتَنِي بِحِكْمَتَيْنِ بَالِغَتَيْنِ لَمْ أَسْمَعْ بِهِمَا قَطُّ أَبَدًا! قَالَ: ﴿ذَانِكَ بُرْهَانَانِ مِنْ رَبِّكَ﴾![4] ثُمَّ دَخَلْتُ عَلَيْهِ بَعْدَ شُهُورٍ، فَقُلْتُ: إِنِّي حَدَّثْتُ بِحِكْمَتَيْكَ رَجُلًا فِي إِيرَانَ، فَقَالَ: لَعَنَهُ اللَّهُ! مَا أَعْلَمَهُ بِكِتَابِ اللَّهِ! قَالَ: يَا مُحَمَّدُ! أَلَمْ تَعْلَمْ أَنِّي عِنْدَ أَهْلِ إِيرَانَ كَمَا كَانَ عَلِيُّ بْنُ أَبِي طَالِبٍ عِنْدَ أَهْلِ الشَّامِ؟! خَدَعَهُمْ بَنُو أُمَيَّةَ بِالْبُهْتَانِ حَتَّى لَعَنُوهُ بِغَيْرِ ذَنْبٍ نَحْوَ سِتِّينَ سَنَةً!

Translation:

Muhammad ibn Ibrahim al-Shirazi informed us, he said: I asked Mansoor about the statement of Allah Almighty Who says: “O you who believed! Obey Allah and obey the Prophet and those in authority from among you.” So, he said: “There is always a man among those who believed whose obedience is obligatory for them, just like obedience to Allah and the Prophet. Whoever obeys him has obeyed Allah and the Prophet, and whoever disobeys him has disobeyed Allah and the Prophet. And he is one whom Allah and the Prophet have appointed, not one whom people have appointed by their desires.” I said: “They say that whoever among believers takes control of their authority is among those in authority from among them.” He said: “They are right!” I said: “How can they be right while you said what you said?!” He said: “Whoever other than the one whom Allah and the Prophet have appointed takes control of their authority is not among believers; rather, he is among sinners, and Allah has commanded obedience to those in authority from among believers, and He has not commanded obedience to those in authority from among sinners! ‘Is he who is a believer equal to he who is a sinner?! They are not equal!’” Then he said: “Shall I increase for you?” I said: “Yes.” He said: “Those in authority are its owners, and they are the ones whom Allah and the Prophet have appointed, and whoever other than them takes control of it is a usurper, and the usurper is not considered among the owners—‘if only they could understand!’” I said: “May Allah reward you well; because you gave me two profound words of wisdom that I had never heard before!” He said: “They are two proofs from your Lord!” I came to him a few months later. Then I said: “I told your two words of wisdom to a man in Iran. So, he said: ‘May Allah curse him! How well he knows the Book of Allah!’” He said: “O Muhammad! Do you not know that I am to the people of Iran like Ali ibn Abi Talib is to the people of Sham?! Banu Umayyah deceived them with slander, to the extent that they cursed him for nearly sixty years without any sin!”

2 . أَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو إِبْرَاهِيمَ السَّمَرْقَنْدِيُّ، قَالَ: قُلْتُ لِلْمَنْصُورِ: إِنَّكَ تَنْهَى عَنِ الْحَدِيثِ وَقَدْ قَالَ اللَّهُ: ﴿يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا أَطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُوا الرَّسُولَ﴾، قَالَ: أَتِمَّ الْآيَةَ! قُلْتُ: ﴿وَأُولِي الْأَمْرِ مِنْكُمْ﴾، قَالَ: مَنْ يُطِعْ أُولِي الْأَمْرِ مِنْكُمْ فَقَدْ أَطَاعَ الرَّسُولَ، وَمَنْ يُطِعِ الرَّسُولَ فَقَدْ أَطَاعَ اللَّهَ، فَمَا لِهَؤُلَاءِ الْقَوْمِ لَا يَكَادُونَ يَفْقَهُونَ حَدِيثًا؟! قُلْتُ: وَمَنْ أُولُوا الْأَمْرِ مِنَّا؟ قَالَ: رِجَالٌ وَلَّاهُمُ اللَّهُ أَمْرَ هَذِهِ الْأُمَّةِ بَعْدَ الرَّسُولِ، يُطِيعُونَ اللَّهَ وَالرَّسُولَ! قُلْتُ: مَنْ هُمْ؟ قَالَ: لَا تَسْأَلُونِي عَمَّنْ مَضَى مِنْهُمْ، وَلَكِنْ سَلُونِي عَمَّنْ بَقِيَ، فَإِنَّ بَقِيَّةَ اللَّهِ خَيْرٌ لَكُمْ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ مُؤْمِنِينَ! قُلْتُ: وَمَنْ بَقِيَّةُ اللَّهِ؟ قَالَ: الْمَهْدِيُّ، فَإِذَا لَقِيتُمُوهُ فَقُولُوا: السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكَ يَا بَقِيَّةَ اللَّهِ!

Translation:

Abu Ibrahim al-Samarqandi informed us, he said: I said to Mansoor: “You prevent (people) from (acting on) hadith, while Allah has said: ‘O you who believed! Obey Allah and obey the Prophet.’” He said: “Complete the verse!” I said: “And those in authority from among you.” He said: “Whoever obeys those in authority from among you has obeyed the Prophet, and whoever obeys the Prophet has obeyed Allah. So what is the matter with these people who hardly understand any word?!” I said: “Who are those in authority from among us?” He said: “They are men whom Allah has entrusted with the authority of this nation after the Prophet. They obey Allah and the Prophet!” I said: “Who are they?” He said: “Do not ask me about those of them who passed away, but ask me about the one who has remained; because the remnant of Allah is better for you if you are believers!” I said: “Who is the remnant of Allah?” He said: “The Mahdi. So when you meet him, say: ‘Peace be upon you, O remnant of Allah!’”