to Allah and His Messenger, and to no one else. Whoever directs that referral (1) to any other authority stands in opposition to Allah’s command, and whoever, when disagreement arises, calls for the arbitration (2) of someone other than Allah and His Messenger is uttering the watchword of pagan ignorance. A person does not truly enter the fold of faith until he submits every disputed matter to Allah and His Messenger. Hence the Almighty’s words: “if you truly believe in Allah and the Last Day.” As we noted earlier, this is a conditional clause whose effect is negated when the condition is absent. It therefore proves that whoever appoints anyone besides Allah and His Messenger to settle disputes has removed himself (3) from the requirements of faith in Allah and the Last Day. This verse is both devastating and protective—devastating to the backs of those who oppose it, protective of those who cling to it and comply with its injunctions: “so that those who perish may perish upon clear evidence, and those who live may live upon clear evidence; and Allah is All-Hearing, All-Knowing” (42) (4).

The early and later generations unanimously agreed that referring a matter to Allah means referring it to His Book, and referring it to the Messenger (5) means referring it to him during his lifetime and to his Sunnah (6) after his death (7).