Obedience to Allah and His Messenger, Muhammad (SAW), is incumbent upon each and every believer in Islam. We all must obey the commands of Allah, enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong, regardless of our circumstances or our conditions. Allah The Most High says in Surah Al-Anfal, “O you who believe! Answer Allah (by obeying Him) and (His) Messenger when he (SAW) calls you to that which will give you life, and know that Allah comes in between a person and his heart (i.e. He prevents an evil person to decide anything). And verily to Him you shall (all) be gathered” (The Noble Qur’an, 8:24).

“O you who believe! Obey Allah and obey the Messenger (Muhammad SAW), and those of you (Muslims) who are in authority. (And if you differ in anything amongst yourselves, refer it to Allah and His Messenger (SAW), if you believe in Allah and in the Last Day. That is better and more suitable for final determination” (The Noble Qur’an, 4:59).

“And whoso obeys Allah and the Messenger (Muhammad SAW), then they will be in the company of those on whom Allah has bestowed His Grace, of the Prophets, the Siddiqun (those followers of the Prophets who were first and foremost to believe in them, like Abu Bakr As-Siddiq-- RA.), the martyrs, and the righteous. And how excellent these companions are!” (The Noble Qur’an, 4:69).

Narrated Abu Hurairah (RA): Allah’s Messenger (SAW) said, “All my followers will enter Paradise except those who refuse.” They said, “O Allah’s Messenger! Who will refuse?” He said, “Whoever obeys me will enter Paradise, and whoever disobeys me is the one who refuses (to enter it)” (Sahih Al-Bukhari). In another hadith of the Prophet (SAW) we learn again the importance of following the Sunnah. Narrated Jabir bin ’Abdullah (RA): Some angels came to the Prophet (Muhammad SAW) while he was sleeping. Some of them said, “He is sleeping.” Others said, “His eyes are sleeping but his heart is awake.” Then they said, “There is an example for this companion of yours. Then set forth an example for him.” One of them said, “He is sleeping.” Another said, “His eyes are sleeping but his heart is awake.” Then they said, “His example is that of a man who built a house and then offered therein a banquet, and whoever did not accept the invitation of the inviter, did not enter the house, nor did he eat of the banquet.” Then the angels said, “Interpret this parable to him so that he may understand it.” One of them said, “He is sleeping.” The others said, “His eyes are sleeping but his heart is awake” And then they said. “The house stands for Paradise and the call-maker is Muhammad (SAW) and whoever obeys Muhammad (SAW), obeys Allah; and whoever disobeys Muhammad (SAW), disobeys Allah. Muhammad (SAW) separated the people (i.e. through his message, the good is distinguished from the bad, and the believers from the disbelievers)” (Sahih Al-Bukhari).

We live in a age in which we are constantly being bombarded with un-Islamic sights and sounds, much of which we have no control over. It’s nearly impossible to go through an entire day without seeing or hearing something that is haram in nature, especially for those of us who are living in “Westernized” countries. Whether we are at school, at work, or at home, we must strive to maintain our Muslim identities and live according to the Qur’an and Sunnah. Allah has made clear to us the path that leads us to Paradise and the path that leads us to the Hellfire, and obeying Allah and His Messenger (SAW) is a must if we want to continue down the path that will lead us to Jannah.

Allah says in the Holy Qur’an, “...And whatsoever the Messenger (Muhammad SAW) gives you, take it, and whatsoever he forbids you, abstain (from it),...” (59:7). Allah also says, “And let those who oppose the Messenger’s (Muhammad SAW) commandment (i.e. his Sunnah - legal ways, orders, acts of worship, statements, etc.) (among the sects) beware, lest some fitnah (disbelief, trials, afflictions, earthquakes, killing, overpowered by a tyrant, etc.) befall them or a painful torment be inflicted upon them” (24:63).

There are numerous ayat in the Qur’an that teach us the importance of obeying Allah and of learning and following the guidance that Prophet Muhammad (SAW) was sent with. So it is up to us to learn and adhere to what has been prescribed for us. We simply cannot pick and choose the commands that we want to follow, or disobey Allah in some things because we fear what the kufar might think of us. Allah the Almighty says in the Qur’an, “And if you obey most of those on earth, they will mislead you far away from Allah’s path. They follow nothing but conjectures, and they do nothing but lie” (6:116).

We must try our very best to follow the example set by our beloved Messenger (SAW), because it is through his example that we can attain the supreme success -- Jannah!