“Whoever obeys the Messenger has indeed obeyed Allah; but whoever turns away—We have not sent you as a keeper over them.” (4:80)

His saying, exalted is He: “Whoever obeys the Messenger has indeed obeyed Allah.” This is because the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, used to say: “Whoever obeys me has obeyed Allah, and whoever loves me has loved Allah.” Some of the hypocrites then said: “This man wants nothing but for us to take him as a lord, just as the Christians took Jesus, son of Mary, as a lord.” So Allah, exalted is He, revealed: “Whoever obeys the Messenger has indeed obeyed Allah.” (1) That is, whoever obeys the Messenger in what he commands has obeyed Allah. “But whoever turns away” from obeying him—“We have not sent you,” O Muhammad,