—that is, submit to it by obeying Him in what He commands and forbids, and by adhering to His Book and the Sunnah of His Prophet.

Tenth: “And surely this is My straight path, so follow it; and do not follow the other ways, lest they lead you away from His path.”

What I have enjoined upon you in these two verses—abandoning the forbidden matters, the gravest of which is shirk, and performing the obligatory duties, the foremost of which is tawhid—is the straight path. “So follow it and do not follow the other ways,” meaning the paths of innovation and specious doubts, “lest they scatter you from His path,” that is, incline and disperse you away from His religion.

Connection of the verses to the chapter: Allah, Exalted is He, lists a series of prohibitions here, beginning with the ban on shirk. Forbidding shirk necessarily implies commanding tawhid, which shows that tawhid is the greatest of obligations and shirk the gravest of prohibitions.

Lessons derived from the verses:

1. Shirk is the greatest of prohibitions, and tawhid is the foremost of obligations.
2. The immense right of parents.
3. The prohibition of taking a life without due right, especially when the victim is a relative.
4. The prohibition of consuming an orphan’s property, and the legitimacy of working to improve it.
5. The obligation to uphold justice in speech and action toward both near and distant people.
6. The obligation to fulfil covenants.
7. The obligation to follow the religion of Islam and abandon all other ways.
8. The authority to declare things lawful or unlawful rests solely with Allah.