فَٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُونِ 108
Translations
So fear Allāh and obey me.
Transliteration
Fattaqū Allāha wa-aṭīʿūn
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah is the refrain repeated by each of the messengers (Nūḥ, Hūd, Ṣāliḥ, Lūṭ, and Shuʿayb) in Surah Ash-Shu'ara, commanding their people to fear Allah and obey the messenger. According to classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Ṭabarī, this dual command emphasizes that true piety (taqwā) must be coupled with obedience to Allah's appointed messenger, as the messenger conveys the divine message and embodies its implementation. The repetition throughout the surah underscores the universal consistency of this message across all prophetic missions.
Revelation Context
This surah was revealed in Mecca during the early period of Prophet Muhammad's mission. The ayah appears as the central message of each messenger narrated in this surah, serving to remind the Meccan polytheists that all previous messengers conveyed the same fundamental call: fear Allah and obey His messenger. The repetition of this refrain throughout the surah emphasizes that rejection of the messenger's call is not a new phenomenon but a recurring pattern in human history.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallam) said: 'Whoever obeys me has obeyed Allah, and whoever disobeys me has disobeyed Allah' (Sahih Bukhari 7137). Additionally, 'The best of you are those who fear Allah the most' (Jami' at-Tirmidhi 3853), connecting taqwā to the highest moral standing.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that authentic faith requires both internal consciousness of Allah's presence and external compliance with divine guidance through the messenger—neither dimension alone suffices. For believers today, it emphasizes that following the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad is inseparable from fearing Allah, making obedience to his teachings a cornerstone of genuine piety.
Related Ayahs
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّاسُ ٱتَّقُوا۟ رَبَّكُمْ وَٱخْشَوْا۟ يَوْمًا لَّا يَجْزِى وَالِدٌ عَن وَلَدِهِۦ وَلَا مَوْلُودٌ هُوَ جَازٍ عَن وَالِدِهِۦ شَيْـًٔا ۚ إِنَّ وَعْدَ ٱللَّهِ حَقٌّ ۖ فَلَا تَغُرَّنَّكُمُ ٱلْحَيَوٰةُ ٱلدُّنْيَا وَلَا يَغُرَّنَّكُم بِٱللَّهِ ٱلْغَرُورُ
O mankind, fear your Lord and fear a Day when no father will avail his son, nor will a son avail his father at all. Indeed, the promise of Allāh is truth, so let not the worldly life delude you and be not deceived about Allāh by the Deceiver [i.e., Satan].
ٱلَّذِينَ يَخْشَوْنَ رَبَّهُم بِٱلْغَيْبِ وَهُم مِّنَ ٱلسَّاعَةِ مُشْفِقُونَ
Who fear their Lord unseen, while they are of the Hour apprehensive.
ٱلَّذِينَ يَظُنُّونَ أَنَّهُم مُّلَـٰقُوا۟ رَبِّهِمْ وَأَنَّهُمْ إِلَيْهِ رَٰجِعُونَ
Who are certain that they will meet their Lord and that they will return to Him.
لَهُم مِّن فَوْقِهِمْ ظُلَلٌ مِّنَ ٱلنَّارِ وَمِن تَحْتِهِمْ ظُلَلٌ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ يُخَوِّفُ ٱللَّهُ بِهِۦ عِبَادَهُۥ ۚ يَـٰعِبَادِ فَٱتَّقُونِ
They will have canopies [i.e., layers] of fire above them and below them, canopies. By that Allāh threatens [i.e., warns] His servants. O My servants, then fear Me.