'Abdul Ghani notes that one of the first obligations of this required loyalty is to have loyalty and love for the Book of Allaah سبحانه و تعالى, which is Allaah's سبحانه و تعالى speech and His revelation to mankind. So, first and foremost, a Muslim must have a strong love for the Qur'aan. But this love is not simply at a theoretical level. It must be exhibited by one's actions toward the Qur'aan. This would include reading, studying, memorising, defending and acting in accordance with the Qur'aan. [2]
This love for the Qur'aan should flow from one's love for Allaah سبحانه و تعالى and His Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم. One could not possibly love Allaah سبحانه و تعالى and not love Allaah's سبحانه و تعالى speech and revelation to mankind. Conversely, love for the Qur'aan implies one's love for Allaah سبحانه و تعالى and His Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم. The Companion Sayyiduna 'Abdullaah Ibn Mas'ood رضي الله عنه said, "Whoever loves to know if he loves Allaah and His Messenger, he should look and see for if he loves the Qur'aan, he loves Allaah and His Messenger." [3]
In addition to loving the Qur'aan, one must be very thankful and grateful to Allaah سبحانه و تعالى for revealing the Qur'aan and sending His Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم to teach the Book. Allaah سبحانه و تعالى Himself reminds the believers of this great blessing and how before its revelation, the believers did not know the truth and were astray. Allaah سبحانه و تعالى says,
"Certainly did Allaah confer a great favour on the believers when He sent among them a Messenger (Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم) from among themselves, reciting to them His verses and purifying them and teaching them the Book (the Qur'aan) and Al-Hikmah (the wisdom, i.e. the Sunnah), although they had been before in manifest error." (Soorati-Aali 'Imraan, 3:164)
This gratefulness for the revealing of the Qur'aan should be exhibited by one's study, reading and devotion to the Qur'aan and its teachings.
With respect to one's obligation toward the Qur'aan, it is important to note the hadeeth of the Messenger of Allaah صلى الله عليه وسلم in which he said, "The religion is naseehah." The people said, "To whom?" The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم replied, "To Allaah, and to His Book, and to His Messenger, and to the Leaders of the Muslims and to the common folk of the Muslims." [4]
In this hadeeth, the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم stated that one should make naseehah [نصيحة] toward the book of Allaah سبحانه و تعالى. Naseehah is a difficult word to translate. Based on the linguistic roots and the Qur'aanic usage of the term, Imaam ar-Raaghib al-Isfahaani رحمه الله has given the Sharee'ah definition of the term as, "Naseehah is the seeking of an action or statement that contains goodness and improvement for the other person." [5]
Imaam Ibn as-Salaah رحمه الله has stated that the essence of naseehah is where the one doing the naseehah (sincere well-wishing) truly seeks the best for the one to whom he is making naseehah. In both his intention and his actions, he desires what is best for the other person." [6]
This is how the believers' attitude must be toward the Qur'aan. In other words, he must be acting sincerely with respect to it and doing "what is good for it," which would here imply reading it, understanding it, applying it and so forth. In a comprehensive passage, Imaam al-Maroozi رحمه الله has summed up some of the obligatory components of making naseehah to the Book of Allaah سبحانه و تعالى. He stated,
"Naseehah for the Book of Allaah سبحانه و تعالى implies having a strong love for it and great respect for its worth, since it is the speech of the Creator سبحانه و تعالى. It also implies a strong desire to understand it and taking special care in pondering over its verses, stopping while reading it, seeking the meaning that the Lord wants one to get from it. Then one must also apply it after understanding it. The same is true when one receives naseehah from another human being; one tries to understand the advice that he is receiving. Similarly, if he receives something in writing from another person, he will take utmost care to understand it so that he will be able to apply the advice. The same is true for the one who is accepting the counsel of the Book of Allaah سبحانه و تعالى; he must do his best to understand it in order to be able to apply it for the sake of Allaah سبحانه و تعالى in a way that is both pleasing and beloved to Allaah سبحانه و تعالى. Then he spreads among the people what he has understood from it. And he continues to study it with love for it, acting in accordance to its manners and behaving according to its guidance." [7]
Besides what Imaam al-Maroozi رحمه الله mentioned, naseehah to the Book of Allaah سبحانه و تعالى includes having the proper belief about the Qur'aan: That it is revealed from Allaah سبحانه و تعالى, that is is the speech and uncreated word of Allaah سبحانه و تعالى, and that is is not like the word of man. In addition, the complete naseehah to the Book of Allaah سبحانه و تعالى requires that one, according to one's ability, reads and recites it properly, applies it, studies its admonitions, lessons and parables. Calling others to believe in the Book of Allaah سبحانه و تعالى is also part of this naseehah.
Another obligation that the believer has toward the Book of Allaah سبحانه و تعالى is that he must accept the Book as the final judge and arbiter of any matter or issue. It is the law by which he abides. Whatever this Book says is lawful, he takes as lawful and whatever this Book says is unlawful, he treats as unlawful. Both "religious" and "mundane" matters must be subjected to the guidance of this Book. Allaah سبحانه و تعالى says,
"O you who have believed, obey Allaah and obey the Messenger (صلى الله عليه وسلم) and those in authority among you. And if you differ in anything amongst yourselves, refer it to Allaah and His Messenger (صلى الله عليه وسلم), if you believe in Allaah and in the Last Day. That is better and more suitable for final determination." (Sooratun-Nisaa', 4:59) [8]
Allaah سبحانه و تعالى also says,
" And whoever does not judge by what Allaah has revealed - then it is those who are the disbelievers." (Sooratul-Maa'idah, 5:44)
On this point, 'Abdul Ghani wrote,
"One of the greatest demonstrations of one's loyalty to the Book of Allaah سبحانه و تعالى is ruling by the Book of Allaah سبحانه و تعالى. It is a clear declaration of a Muslim's loyalty to this Book... It is a practical application and actual deed demonstrating the Muslim's love for this Book and the extent to which he respect and gives honour to it... Applying the Law of Allaah سبحانه و تعالى and ruling by His Noble Book is an obligation of the faith, a goal of the creed, and a foundation of tauheed (Islaamic monotheism). No one would stray from it except an ignorant person whose ignorance is not to be excused, a hypocrite whose hypocrisy is is well known or a disbeliever who is rejecting the Godhood of his Lord سبحانه و تعالى. That is because ruling by the Book of Allaah سبحانه و تعالى is one of the greatest acts of worship by which the human worships his Lord and it is one of the greatest acts that takes one closer to Allaah." [9]
When the Book of Allaah سبحانه و تعالى is not being adhered to, not being read regularly or seriously, when it is being misinterpreted or misapplied, when its great wisdom is being ignored, when its laws are being usurped and man made laws are invoked to replace it, then one must certainly stand up for the Book of Allaah سبحانه و تعالى and try to redress this tragedy. What makes this tragedy even worse and most important to remedy is that often those who believe in the Qur'aan take the wronf approach to it and, at the same time, think that they are showing the greatest amount of respect to the Qur'aan. Unfortunately, their respect is sometimes misplaced. Until they fulfill these aspects mentioned above, then, in reality, they are not fulfilling their obligations of making naseehah to Allaah's Book. [10]
Notes:
[1] Recorded by at-Tayaalisi, al-Haakim, at-Tabaraani and others. According to Shaykh al-Albaani رحمه الله, it is saheeh. Saheehul-Jaami', vol. 1, p. 497
[2] Sayyid Sa'eed 'Abdul Ghani, Haqeeqah al-Walaa' wal-Baraa' fi Mu'taqad Ahlus Sunnah wal-Jamaa'ah (Beirut: Daar Ibn Hazm, 1998), p. 57.
[3] Reported by at-Tabaraani. According to al-Haithami, the narrators in its chain are all trustworthy. See 'Abdullaah ad-Darweesh, Bughyah az-Zaa'id fi Tahqeeq Majma' az-Zawaa'id wa Manba al-Fawaa'id (Beirut: Daar al-Fikr, 1992), vol. 7, p. 342.
[4] Saheeh Muslim
[5] Imaam ar-Raaghib al-Isfahaani رحمه الله, Mu'jam Mufradaat Alfaadh al-Qur'aan, (Damascus: Daar al-Qalam, 1997), p. 808.
[6] Imaam 'Uthmaan Ibn as-Salaah رحمه الله, Siyaanah Saheeh Muslim min al-Ikhlaal wal-Ghalat wa Hamaayatuhu min al-Isqaat was-Saqat (Beirut: Daar al-Gharab al-Islaami, 1984), p. 223.
[7] Imaam Muhammad al-Maroozi رحمه الله, Tadheem Qadr as-Salaah (Madeenah: Maktabah ad-Daar bil-Madeenatul-Munawwarah, 1406 A.H.), vol. 2, p. 693.
[8] The commentators agree that referring the matter to Allaah سبحانه و تعالى means referring it to the Book of Allaah سبحانه و تعالى while referring it to the Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم means referring it to him while he was alive and referring it to his Sunnah after his death صلى الله عليه وسلم. Cf., Imaam Ismaa'eel Ibn Katheer رحمه الله, Tafseer al-Qur'aan al-'Adheem (Riyadh: Daarus-Salaam, 1998), p. 338.
[9] Sayyid Sa'eed 'Abdul Ghani, Haqeeqah al-Walaa' wal-Baraa' fi Mu'taqad Ahlus Sunnah wal-Jamaa'ah (Beirut: Daar Ibn Hazm, 1998), p. 98.
[10] How to Approach and Understand the Qur'aan, pp. 27-32.