Question: In Islam, obedience to the Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) is regarded as synonymous with obedience to God. Muslim scholars also emphasize this point with full seriousness. For example, Shah Wali Allah, at the beginning of his book Hujjat Allah al-Balighah, writes: “And God has made His obedience contingent upon their obedience” (وجعل طاعته منوطة بطاعتهم). In your view, what is meant by making obedience to God contingent upon obedience to the prophets, and how do you explain this within your own thought?
Answer: The meaning of making obedience to God contingent upon obedience to the prophets is that the guidance which God has conveyed to human beings through His prophets—the only means of attaining it is the prophets themselves; there is no other. They are the ones who, on God’s behalf, inform us that a connection has been established with the heavens; that revelation has come to them; that realities have been disclosed to them; that they have been made aware of the truths of the mala al-ala; and that, in this manner, they then become—so to speak—witnesses with complete consciousness and confidence, as the Qur’an declares:
لِتَکُوۡنُوۡا شُہَدَآءَ عَلَی النَّاسِ وَ یَکُوۡنَ الرَّسُوۡلُ عَلَیۡکُمۡ شَہِیۡدًا
So that you may become witnesses over all people, and the Messenger may be a witness over you (Surah Al- Baqarah, 2:143).
This means that we receive God’s detailed guidance not directly from God, but through His prophets. I have expressed this same reality in these words:
…On this earth, the sole source of religion is now the most exalted person of Muhammad (PBUH) alone. It is only through his being that the children of Adam can receive their Lord’s guidance until the Day of Judgment; and it is only his station such that whatever he, by his word and deed and by his endorsement or approval, declares to be religion—only that will, until the end of this world, be recognized as the true religion.” (Meezan, 13)