because the unqualified reference (1) is, on its face, directed to the one who possesses the authority to command and forbid, namely the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.

A group dissented on this point (2), holding fast (3) to the remote possibility that something else might be intended—such as a Qur’anic injunction, the consensus, one of the caliphs, or personal reasoning!

They were answered that the primary assumption is the first meaning, whereas all other options, though possible, are outweighed in comparison to it.

Furthermore, whenever someone under the authority of a superior says, “I was ordered,” no one (4) understands from him that the order came from anyone other than his superior (5).

As for those who say, “It is conceivable that he might have imagined something that is not truly a command to be a command!” (7)—this objection is not peculiar to the present issue; the same could be alleged even if he had stated explicitly, “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ commanded us to do such-and-such.” Yet it remains a weak possibility, for the Companion is trustworthy, well-versed in the Arabic tongue, and would not use that wording except after verification (9).