does not command anything except what pleases Allah; other holders of authority, however, may sometimes command what does not please Him. For this reason, obedience to them has been made subordinate to obedience to Allah and His Messenger.

It is therefore not permissible for someone to refuse the rulers’ directives in matters that involve no disobedience to Allah and then claim, “This is not part of the religion.” Some uninformed people, when the authorities enact regulations that do not conflict with the sacred law, say, “I am not obliged to follow these rules—they are not Sharia, for they are found neither in the Book of Allah nor in the Sunnah of His Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him.” Such a stance only betrays their ignorance. In fact, complying with these regulations is enjoined in both the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of the Messenger, peace be upon him. Allah the Exalted says: “O you who believe, obey Allah, obey the Messenger, and those in authority among you” (Q 4:59). Numerous hadiths likewise instruct obedience to the rulers, including the very hadith we are discussing. Hence obeying them in the regulations they institute—so long as those regulations do not oppose the commands of Allah and His Messenger, peace be upon him—is itself what Allah and His Messenger have ordered.

If we were only to obey the rulers in matters that Allah and His Messenger had already commanded, mentioning obedience to them would serve no purpose, for obedience to Allah and His Messenger is obligatory whether or not the rulers command it. Accordingly, the Prophet’s counsel during the Farewell Pilgrimage—to fear Allah, perform the five daily prayers, pay zakat, fast, and obey the rulers—comprises crucial duties that every believer must heed and carry out in submission to the command of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him. And Allah knows best.