corruptors, yet they do not perceive it ⦗1⦘. Accordingly, referring disputes to any authority other than Allah is a deed of the hypocrites and one of the gravest forms of corruption on earth.
Imam Ibn al-Qayyim (d. 751 AH) said about this verse:
“Most Qur’anic commentators hold that Allah’s words, ‘Do not spread corruption in the land,’ forbid people to commit sins and to call others to obey anyone besides Allah after He has set matters right by sending the messengers, clarifying the law, and summoning creation to obey Him. Worshiping other than Allah, inviting people to that worship, associating partners with Him, and defying His commands—setting up an object of devotion besides Him or following someone other than the Messenger ﷺ—constitute the greatest corruption on earth. The land and its inhabitants will never prosper unless Allah alone is worshiped and obeyed, the call is directed solely to Him, and obedience and following are reserved exclusively for the Messenger. Others are to be obeyed only when they command obedience to the Messenger ﷺ; if they command disobedience to him or anything at odds with his law, then no hearing and no obedience are due. Whoever reflects on the state of the world will find that every good on earth—its well-being, order, and blessings—stems from Allah’s oneness, His worship, and obedience to His Messenger, whereas every evil, tribulation, calamity, drought, and enemy domination is the result of disobeying the Messenger and calling to other than Allah and His Messenger.”
Allah has labeled every judgment that conflicts with His own as “the rule of ignorance.” He, exalted be He, says: “Is it the judgment of ignorance they seek? Who is better than Allah in judgment for a people who are certain?” ⦗2⦘.
Ibn Kathir (d. 774 AH) comments:
“Here Allah denounces those who abandon His judgment—which encompasses every good and forbids every evil—and instead turn to opinions, desires, and conventions invented by men without any foundation in Allah’s law, just as the people of pre-Islamic ignorance ruled by their baseless notions, and as the Tatars judge by political regulations derived from Genghis Khan, who compiled for them the Yāsā, which is nothing but…"