In His address to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), Allah commanded him:
“Say, ‘I am only a man like you, to whom it has been revealed that your god is one God. So whoever would hope for the meeting with his Lord let him do righteous work and not associate anyone with the worship of his Lord.’” (Quran 18:110)
Thus, the Prophet’s religious reference is the Glorious Quran, when Allah (the Exalted) commanded him in His address to carry the message of Allah to the people, saying:
“So hold firmly to what has been revealed to you. Indeed, you are on a straight path.” (Quran 43:43)
Allah commands His Prophet (peace be upon him) to hold fast to the verses of the Quran and that it is his religious reference to convey to the people the purposes of the wise reminder of what benefits them in this worldly life and saves them from the punishment of the Day of Judgment. This means that he should make it clear to the people that they should not take him as a reference for Islam, but rather he should convey to them My message and its purposes for My servants, as Allah commands His Prophet, addressing him, saying:
“Say, ‘What is the greatest witness?’ Say, ‘Allah is witness between me and you.’ And this Quran was revealed to me that I may warn you with it and whomever it reaches. Do you bear witness that there are other gods with Allah?’ Say, ‘I do not bear witness.’ Say, ‘He is only one God, and indeed, I am innocent of what you associate with Him.'” (Quran 6:19)
This verse confirms once again that the Prophet has no saying other than the Quran with which he conveys to the people about his Lord, clarifies His wisdom and purposes, and explains to the people the rituals of worship and following the law and path of Allah to protect them from committing sins and evil deeds.
It is not permissible for Muslims to take as a reference for Islam what has been attributed to the Prophet from fabricated and false sayings attributed to Allah and His Messenger, while the verses of the Quran clarify to the people what the Prophet spoke with his tongue, that they should make the Quran alone the only reference for the Islamic religion without any consideration for any narration or saying attributed to the Prophet, in order to preserve a single reference for Islam.
This is what the Prophet advised the Muslims to do so that they would not go astray from the straight path.
Then the Prophet (peace be upon him) explains to us in the saying of Allah (the Exalted) in His address to His Prophet, confirming the invalidity of all that has been narrated from him of fabricated hadiths:
“These are the verses of Allah which We recite to you in truth. So in what hadith after Allah and His verses will they believe?” (Quran 45:6)
The divine command continues to address the Prophet, specifying the Prophet’s mission to convey the verses of Allah to the people:
“O Prophet, indeed We have sent you as a witness, and a bringer of good tidings, and a warner, and an inviter to Allah by His permission, and a lamp giving light.” (Quran 33:45-46)
And Allah adds to the mission of His Prophet in His address to him, saying:
“And obey Allah and obey the Messenger; but if you turn away, then upon Our Messenger is only the clear notification.” (Quran 64:12)
Thus, Allah (the Exalted) has defined the mission of the Prophet as follows:
- Allah has entrusted His Prophet with the task of carrying the message of Islam to the people and being a witness over them in their following of the verses of Allah, applying His law and path, seeking the pleasure of Allah, and avoiding all sins and evil deeds.
- Allah has entrusted His Prophet with the task of giving good tidings to the believers of the bliss and gardens of the width of the heavens and the earth prepared for the righteous who follow what the trustworthy Messenger conveys to them.
- Allah has entrusted His Prophet with the task of warning those who turn away from the verses of Allah and what the Messenger conveys to them of the verses of the wise reminder and what they will face on the Day of Judgment of great torment, so that they may protect themselves by following the verses of the Quran and obey the Messenger in all that Allah has entrusted him with, which he presents to the people of what benefits them in their worldly life from the verses of the Quran and within the limits of the mission of the Prophet that people know him for, peace be upon him, in commitment to honesty in conveying the message of his Lord to the people.
He was not given the right to legislate, nor was he entrusted with being a reference for Islam. So is it logical for the Prophet to adhere to the divine command that is revealed to him to hold fast to the wise reminder and to believe that the Quran is the message of Allah to the people and the only reference for the religion of Islam? Then the Prophet disobeys his Lord and composes sayings, going beyond the mission that Allah has entrusted him with, in order to fabricate sayings from himself that have no connection to his specific mission in the address of the command?
In addition, Allah (the Exalted) informs all people, denying that His Prophet composes sayings to mislead people, when Allah warned His Prophet, saying:
“And if he had invented about Us any sayings, We would have seized him by the right hand, and then We would have cut off his aorta, and there is no one of you who could prevent Us from [doing] that. And indeed, it is a reminder for the righteous, and We certainly know that among you are deniers, and indeed, it is a regret for the disbelievers, and indeed, it is the truth of certainty. So exalt the name of your Lord, the Great.” (Quran 69:44-52)
So Allah (the Exalted) makes it clear to the people that it is impossible for the Prophet to disobey Allah’s command in carrying the trust. And if it happened that he spoke falsely about Allah, then that is the reckoning, confirming to the people that the trustworthy Messenger, peace be upon him, will carry out the trust in the most complete way, with all sincerity, loyalty, and dedication in conveying the message of Allah to all people. The Prophet has nothing to convey to the people except the verses of the Quran and to explain their purposes for the benefit of man.
Just as the Prophet, peace be upon him, took the Quran as the only reference for the religion of Islam, so all Muslims must follow the Prophet in what he conveyed to them from his Lord, saying to the people:
“Indeed, the ally of Allah is he who has sent down the Book, and He is the ally of the righteous. But those whom you call upon besides Him, they are not able to help you, nor can they help themselves.” (Quran 7:196-197)
O Allah, guide my people, for they do not know.
