INTERPRETATION OF THE ISLAMIC MISSION

someone in this world are different varieties within the same category of religion. A son’s obedience to parents, a wife’s to her husband, a servant’s to their master, a subordinate’s to a superior, the citizens’ obedience to the state, followers’ to leaders—these and countless others form a complete system of obedience. The purpose of the Messenger’s mission is that this entire system, with all its components, becomes subject to one primary obedience and one superior law. All obedience should fall under obedience to Allah, and it is His law alone that should regulate every form of obedience, with none existing outside its bounds. This is the Prophet’s mission, and he is committed to fulfilling it, regardless of how much opposition he encounters from polytheists. Polytheists are those who, in their personal and communal lives, associate other forms of obedience with Allah’s. According to Allah’s natural law, all human beings follow it inevitably because they have no choice. However, within human freedom, some individuals entirely submit to non-divine powers, while others divide their lives, obeying Allah’s moral law (Shariah) in one part and following their desires or others in another. This is what it means to combine obedience to Allah with obedience to other powers.