In this article will find out what “obey the Messenger” really means in the Quran.
One of the very first arguments—and honestly, usually an accusation—I get from Muslims when I say we should follow the Quran alone, is that Allah commanded us to “obey the Prophet.” They use this as the proof that we MUST follow Hadith. Check my article about “Does the Quran tell us to follow Hadith”?
But if you actually read the Quran carefully, you’ll notice something: Allah never says “obey the Prophet” when it comes to religious law. He always says “obey the Messenger.”
Some of the verses where Allah commands believers to obey the Messenger include Quran 3:32, 4:59, 5:92 and 24:54.
If there was no difference between those words, then why didn’t Allah simply use “Prophet” every time?
Don’t rush to say it’s the same thing, because it isn’t.
Today, we are going back to the source to look at the exact words Allah used.
What does “Messenger” (Rasool) really mean?
We need to understand the linguistic distinction between Nabi (Prophet) and Rasool (Messenger). Allah doesn’t make mistakes, and He never uses words without a specific meaning.
Why does He always use “Messenger” when commanding obedience? Because a messenger, by definition, has only one duty: to deliver a message. Without a message, he is not a messenger.
The revelation given to him was the Quran itself. The message from Allah can’t be wrong. To understand his true function, look at how Allah defines it in the Quran:
“The duty of the Messenger is only to deliver the message. And Allah knows what you reveal and what you conceal.”
Surah Al-Ma’idah 5:99
Why We Obey the Messenger?
I’m gonna give you an example to make this easy to understand.
Think about why you obey a police officer in the street.
When you are told to obey a police officer, you don’t obey him as a regular human being. You obey the uniform, the status, and the legal authority he represents.
But you don’t suddenly start copying everything he does in his private life.
You only obey what falls under his official duty.
The exact same goes for the Messenger.
His authority comes strictly from the Message he delivers. You don’t obey the messenger as a person, you obey the message that he came with for us.
This is why understanding the difference between Nabi and Rasool matters.
The title “Messenger” points us back to the Message.
What Was the Messenger’s (Rasool) Duty?
The Quran answers this question very clearly and leaves no room for confusion. The text is very direct in defining his exact limitations.
The majority of muslims believe the Prophet had his own “legislative powers.” But Allah sets clear boundaries:
Surah Ash-Shura 42:48
“You have no duty except delivering the message.”
Surah Al-Ma’idah 5:99
“The messenger has no function except delivery of the message.”
Allah is defining the role Himself. He explicitly commands him in:
“Follow what has been revealed to you from your Lord.”
Surah Al-An’am 6:106
If Allah says he has NO OTHER function, why do Muslims insist on giving him the role of creating extra laws through Hadith?
What Did the Messenger Himself Follow?
If you want to know if the Messenger followed an outside oral tradition or his own sayings, the Quran answers this too. The Messenger himself is commanded to declare his source of guidance.
Surah Al-Ma’idah 5:99
“Say, ‘I am not something unprecedented among the messengers, nor do I know what will be done with me or with you. I only follow what is revealed to me, and I am not but a clear warner.'”
The Messenger says clearly in Surah Yunus 10:15: “I only follow what is revealed to me.” He never claimed to follow or produce anything else.
Surah Al-Ahqaf 46:9
Read that again carefully. The Messenger himself says he follows revelation. Not a second religious source. Not personal opinions elevated to divine law. Not a parallel authority beside Allah’s Book.
So if the Messenger himself followed revelation, then what does it mean to obey him? It means obeying the revelation he delivered: The Quran.
This is why the Quran constantly brings believers back to the Book itself:
6:106
“Follow what has been revealed to you from your Lord.”
If Allah wanted us to follow all the rules from Hadiths, why not include them directly in the Quran? Does Allah not have enough words? Why not include and protect them like the Quran from the start?
The Prophet’s Human Mistakes
To obey the Prophet in every single human step he made is actually like taking him as your Lord. The Prophet was a human being just like us, and he could make mistakes.
The Quran itself gives us explicit proof of this. When Allah addresses the Prophet’s human mistakes in the Quran, He specifically calls him Nabi (Prophet), not Rasool. Look at Surah
“O Prophet (Nabi)! Why do you prohibit yourself from what Allah has made lawful to you, seeking to please your wives?”
At-Tahrim 66:1
This is an example from the Quran that you maybe didn’t notice before.
Allah tells us multiple times to read the Quran. You’ll see that, even if you have read it many times until now, you’ll still find new meanings in the Quran that you didn’t think about.
All the stories from the Quran that Allah gave us are meant for us to reflect on and learn from.
That’s the beauty of the Quran and the guidance of Allah. It’s not like an ordinary book.
Follow the Quran and the Prophet’s Sunnah?
Many people will tell you that we must follow the Quran and the Prophet’s Sunnah. But if you search the Quran from cover to cover, you will never find the phrase “Sunnah of the Prophet.”
The Quran only ever mentions “Sunnatullah”—the Way of Allah. The Quran explicitly says it is complete, detailed, and a clarification for all things.
Muslims will say that Allah told us to follow the Prophet’s Sunnah by using the verse where Allah tells us that we have an excellent example in the Messenger.
“Indeed, in the Messenger of Allah you have an excellent example for whoever hopes in Allah and the Last Day and remembers Allah often.”
Quran 33:21
They say this is a command to follow his steps and that the Prophet is Allah’s beloved and we also should love him.
Now I will tell you this:
Of course, in all the messengers of Allah we have a great example because they are chosen by Allah. But they had their own character and personality, and we aren’t asked to copy their personal habits.
Allah never tells us in the Quran that the Prophet is His beloved, and even if this were true, Allah can choose whenever he wants, but we are commanded to make no difference between them:
“Say, [O believers], ‘We have believed in Allah and what has been revealed to us and what has been revealed to Abraham and Ishmael and Isaac and Jacob and the Descendants and what was given to Moses and Jesus and what was given to the prophets from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them, and we are Muslims [in submission] to Him.'”
Surah Al-Baqarah 2:136
“The Messenger has believed in what was revealed to him from his Lord, and [so have] the believers. All of them have believed in Allah and His angels and His books and His messengers, [saying], ‘We make no distinction between any of His messengers.’ And they say, ‘We hear and we obey. [We seek] Your forgiveness, our Lord, and to You is the [final] destination.'”
Surah Al-Baqarah 2:285
“Say, ‘We have believed in Allah and in what was revealed to us and what was revealed to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, and the Descendants, and in what was given to Moses and Jesus and to the prophets from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them, and we are Muslims [in submission] to Him.'”
Surah Ali ‘Imran 3:84
“But they who believe in Allah and His messengers and do not discriminate between any of them – to those He will shortly give their rewards. And ever is Allah Forgiving and Merciful.”
Surah An-Nisa 4:152
Allah commands us directly to make no difference between them.
So What Does “Obey the Messenger” Mean?
After looking at all these verses, my conclusion is simple.
Obeying the Messenger means obeying the message he came with — The Quran.
For the people who were with him when he was alive, he also had authority over them.
But for us, he has no authority over our matters anymore because he is not with us.
And all the authority in his name is now taken by imams and scholars. You’ll always find someone who tells you “You have to refer to an imam or scholars”.
But Allah never gave them the authority to speak in the Prophet’s name.
So why would you trust them?
Moreover, Allah told us:
“And do not pursue that of which you have no knowledge. Indeed, the hearing, the sight, and the heart—about all of these [one] will be questioned.”
Surah Al-Isra (17:36)
Because if imams or scholars deceive you, they have their punishment, but their punishment doesn’t exempt you from yours. They won’t be responsible for your actions in choosing to believe their words instead of Allah’s only unmodified and protected Book.
“And Satan will say when the matter has been concluded, ‘Indeed, Allah had promised you the promise of truth. And I promised you, but I betrayed you. But I had no authority over you except that I invited you, and you responded to me. So do not blame me; but blame yourselves. I cannot be called to your aid, nor can you be called to my aid…'”
Surah Ibrahim (14:22)
The Messenger delivered the message.
The message was the Quran.
And the Quran is still with us today.
If you have any concerns or questions, leave them in the comments section.
I answer all of them, Insha Allah.
Peace be upon you.
Raised in Truth — Back to the source. Back to the Quran.
