The respect of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) is paramount

We need to think deeply over this.  The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) forbade Hadhrat Abu Bakr Siddiq (May Allah be well pleased with him) from turning back.  He also ordered Hadhrat ‘Ali (May Allah be well pleased with him) to erase His name from the document of the Treaty of Hudaibiyah.  However, these gentlemen were not able to obey these orders.

 

Although Almighty Allah says in the Holy Quran:

 

And whatever the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) gives you, take that and whatever he forbids you, abstain (from that)..Surah Hashr (59:07)

 

The Lord Almighty also says:

 

And neither a believing man nor a believing woman has (this) right that, when Allah and His Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) have given judgment (or a command) about an affair, they should exercise their own choice in (doing or not doing that) work of theirs.  Surah Ahzaab (33:36)

 

Here, there is some confusion indeed.  One can deny that these great personalities did not obey the express command of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam).  This is also undeniable that these people would never disobey the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam).  What more proof does one need more than the fact that they didn’t consider laying down their lives on His orders as something worthwhile!

 

One cannot say that this “disobedience” was against the will of Almighty Allah and His Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam).  If it were, the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) Himself would have taken them to task for it.  Maybe some verse of the Holy Quran would have been revealed…because they were going to be the next leaders of the era. 

 

When we look at all of this, we do feel confused.  But this confusion will be dispelled when we understand that the respect and reverence of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) that they had was such that when compared to it, their apparent “disobedience” was not considered as having any weight at all.

 

Just think of this, provided one has absolute respect and reverence of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) in one’s heart, what their condition would have been.  On one hand, the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) is giving the order, on the other hand, the verses of the Holy Quran and the Hadith are declaring that the command of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) cannot be taken lightly, but their hearts are so overwhelmed by the love and respect of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) that neither does the hand twitch nor do the feet move to obey that command.  Eventually, this respect compelled them so much that they could not follow the order and ended up doing what respect and reverence demanded.

 

Now, every person can understand that if respect is given preference even over an express command, then how much does our religion value respect and reverence.

 

[Excerpted from Anwaar-e-Ahmadi, Pg. No. 242-243]