of Allah and my Sunnah; the two shall never part until they are brought back to me at the Basin.”
Recorded by Mālik in mursal form and by al-Ḥākim with a continuous chain, who declared it authentic.

What the preceding texts demonstrate
In these verses and ḥadiths there are extremely important points that may be summarized as follows:

1 – There is no distinction between the judgment of Allah and the judgment of His Messenger, and the believer has no choice but to comply with both. Disobeying the Messenger ﷺ is like disobeying Allah Himself, and it is plain misguidance.

2 – Just as it is forbidden to precede Allah, it is likewise forbidden to precede the Messenger ﷺ. This is a metaphor for the prohibition of contravening his Sunnah. Imām Ibn al-Qayyim said in Iʿlām al-Muwaqqiʿīn ⦗1/58⦘:
“That is, do not speak until he has spoken, do not command until he commands, do not issue a legal verdict until he issues one, and do not decide any matter until he is the one who judges and concludes it.”

3 – Whoever obeys the Messenger ﷺ is thereby obeying Allah Most High.

4 – Turning away from obeying the Messenger ﷺ is a hallmark of the disbelievers.

5 – In cases of dispute or disagreement over any religious matter, it is obligatory to refer back to Allah and to the Messenger ﷺ. Ibn al-Qayyim said ⦗1/54⦘: