فَٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُونِ 163
Translations
So fear Allāh and obey me.
Transliteration
Fattaqū allāha wa-aṭīʿūn
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah contains the command of Prophet Salih (peace be upon him) to his people, urging them to fear Allah and obey him as His messenger. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari emphasize that this represents a fundamental call to both taqwa (God-consciousness) and obedience to the messenger, which are inseparable principles in Islam. The conjunction of fearing Allah with obeying the prophet underscores that true piety manifests through submission to divine guidance conveyed through His messengers.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears within the narrative of Surah Ash-Shu'ara, which recounts the stories of various prophets and their peoples. Ayah 163 specifically occurs in the account of Prophet Salih's mission to the Thamud people. The surah establishes a pattern wherein each prophet calls his nation to worship Allah alone and to obey him as a messenger, demonstrating the consistency of the prophetic message throughout history.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: 'Whoever obeys me, obeys Allah; and whoever disobeys me, disobeys Allah' (Sahih Bukhari 7137). Additionally, the principle is reinforced in the hadith: 'The closest of you to me on the Day of Judgment will be those best in character' (Jami' at-Tirmidhi 1162), emphasizing that obedience to prophetic guidance cultivates spiritual excellence.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that genuine faith requires both internal consciousness of Allah (taqwa) and external obedience to divine guidance through the prophets. For contemporary believers, this underscores the importance of following the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad alongside Quranic adherence, as obedience to the messenger is obedience to Allah Himself.