that anyone to whom the Messenger comes and who then opposes him has incurred punishment, even if neither an imam nor a rational argument has reached him; and that no one is punished until the Messenger comes to him, even if an imam or a rational argument has reached him.

Allah, the Exalted, said:

“Whoever obeys Allah and the Messenger will be with those whom Allah has blessed: the prophets, the steadfast affirmers of truth, the martyrs, and the righteous.”

“Whoever obeys Allah and His Messenger, He will admit them into Gardens beneath which rivers flow, abiding there forever. That is the great triumph.”

“And whoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger…”

And the rest of the verse.

He, glorified be He, has mentioned this meaning in several places, making clear that obedience to Allah and His Messenger leads to bliss, while disobedience to Allah leads to misery. This shows that when one obeys Allah and His Messenger, there is no need to obey an imam or follow a rational argument; and when one disobeys Allah and His Messenger, obedience to an imam or adherence to a rational argument is of no benefit.

Evidence for this principle is abundant in the Quran and Sunnah. It is the foundation of Islam: “The testimony that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah, and the testimony that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.” Those endowed with knowledge and faith agree upon it in word and belief, even if some of them contravene it in their conduct and practice. No Muslim scholar doubts that all people are obliged to obey Allah and His Messenger, and that obedience to anyone else is obligatory only where Allah and His Messenger have made it so.