Do Not Seek Glitter of the World

This verse of the Holy Qur’ān gives the Holy Messenger (may Allah bless and greet him) certain instructions which we being his followers have to follow in our life. As reported by Ibn Abbās, the Quraish elites advised the Holy Messenger (may Allah bless and greet him) that they were not prepared to sit in the company of people of such low status as Bilāl, Suhayb, Ammār, Khabbāb and Ibn Mas‘ūd. Were the Messenger (may Allah bless and greet him) to get rid of them then they would be willing to visit him and spend time learning about his message. In response, God tells the Messenger (may Allah bless and greet him) that he should be content with the company of those who had gathered around him merely to seek God’s pleasure, and to remember God at all times of the day and night. There was no good reason for him to choose for his company those whose claim to importance rested on their affluence in preference to his sincere and devoted followers.

One ought not to follow a person who is heedless of God, nor submit to him, nor accept his command. Here the word ‘obedience’ means all this, having been used in its widest, most comprehensive sense. The lives of all those who become slaves to their base desires as a result of relegating God to oblivion become devoid of balance and proportion. To obey such a person means that one should abandon one’s own sense of proportion and indulge in immoderation and stumble in all directions in one’s effort to follow leaders who are not bound by any limits.