The phrase 'Allah and His messenger' appears repeatedly in the Qur'an, especially in contexts involving obedience, law, and authority. It is commonly interpreted as an order to follow two distinct sources: Allah—understood as the Qur'an—and the messenger—understood as the hadith. However, this reading imposes a duality that the Qur'an itself does not support.
A closer analysis reveals that 'Allah and His messenger' functions as a unified expression of divine authority. Rather than pointing to two separate sources of command i.e. Qur'an and hadith, the phrase operates as a hendiadys—a rhetorical device in which two terms express a single concept. In this case, it is the indivisible authority of Allah's revelation as faithfully delivered by His messenger. The Qur'an's own evidence consistently affirms that the messenger's role is not to legislate independently, but to transmit the divine message with precision. Thus, the phrase ultimately refers to one singular source of guidance: the Qur'an itself.
The messenger's role: a divine conduit
The Qur'an establishes that the messenger is a mortal human whose sole mission is to deliver Allah's revelation. He is not a co-author of the divine law but a faithful conduit for it. This role is stated clearly when Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him) is instructed to "Say: “I am but a mortal like you, being inspired that your god is One god..." (18:110).
The Qur'an repeatedly defines his mission with absolute clarity. Verses such as "the messenger is only to deliver..." (5:99) and "...the messenger is only required to deliver clearly" (24:54) establish this not as an isolated statement, but as the core of his mission. The messenger does not "...speak from personal desire. It is a divine inspiration. (53:3-4). The divine inspiration is the Qur'an.
On other hand, Allah issues clear warning to Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him) "... had he attributed anything falsely to Us, We would have seized him by the right. Then, We would have severed his life-line. (69:44-46). This shows the gravity of departing from the divine inspiration: the Qur'an.
This proves that Prophet Mohammed's (peace be upon him) role was non-negotiable. It is precisely because his delivery of the revelation is inspired that his delivery of the Qur’an is inseparable from Allah’s command.
The word 'AND' unifies
The Qur'an's consistent use of the word 'and' is commonly understood as a marker of addition which is true, but 'and' in this instance functions to link a general category with a specific member of that category. In such cases, the word 'and' serves not to separate, but to emphasise and specify. This recurs throughout the Qur'anic text, revealing a strategy that highlights prominence within a specific category.
This strategy appears in numerous contexts throughout the Qur'an:
- Angels and Gabriel: verses 2:98 and 66:4 mention 'angels, and Gabriel.' Gabriel is not a being separate from the angels; he is one of them but highlighted for his prominence.
- Fruits, date palms, and pomegranates: verse 55:68 mentions 'fruits, date palms, and pomegranate.' Date palms and pomegranates are listed for emphasis alongside the general category of "fruits" in which they are contained.
- Allah, His Messenger, and the Light: verse 64:8 commands belief 'in Allah and His messenger, and the light that We have sent down.' The light is the Quran, the very message delivered by the messenger, unifying the act of belief into one whole.
- Believers and their qualities: verse 9:112 lists qualities such as 'the repenters, the servers, the appreciative...' and concludes by giving good news to 'the believers.' These are not different groups of people, but descriptions of the believers themselves.
This consistent pattern provides the definitive linguistic context for understanding 'Allah and His messenger.' Just as Gabriel is the foremost of angels, the messenger is the specific, earthly mode for Allah's general authority. The phrase doesn't present two authorities; it presents The Authority and His chosen point of delivery.
Obeying one is obeying all
Throughout the Qur'an, acts of obedience and disobedience are consistently directed toward 'Allah and His messenger' as a single entity. This raises a logical question: How can a person literally '...fight Allah and His messenger...' (5:33) or "...harm Allah and His messenger..." (33:57)? This opposition is not against two separate identities but a single opposition to the message of Allah and the person chosen by Allah to deliver His message: Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him) and the Qur'an.
The most compelling proof of this is found within the Qur'an itself. The Qur'an states that some people of the book "...challenged Allah and His messenger. And whoever challenges Allah, then Allah is severe in punishment" (59:4). Notice how the language changes from "...challenged Allah and His messenger" (59:4) to simply "...whoever challenges Allah... (59:4) in the very next clause. This is proof that in this context the two are interchangeable and represent a single front of divine authority.
This principle resolves the instruction given to believers that when they "...dispute in any matter, then
you shall refer it to Allah and His messenger... (4:59). This is not a command to consult two separate authorities, but to turn to the one place where Allah's authority and the messenger's delivery converge: the Qur'an.
This framing makes it impossible to separate the two. One cannot claim to obey Allah while rejecting the clear message brought by His chosen messenger, as the message is the expression of Allah's will.
Distinguishing the messenger from the message
While the message delivered by Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him) is divine and infallible, the Qur'an makes a vital distinction. Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him) was a human being, subject to error and correction from Allah. This is essential to understanding where the single ultimate authority lies.
Several instances in the Qur'an show the Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him) being divinely corrected or reminded of his humanity:
- In verses 80:1-10, he is admonished for frowning and turning away from a blind man to attend to a wealthy individual.
- In verse 9:43, Allah pardons him, asking: "...why did you give them leave before it became clear to you who are truthful, and who are lying?"
- In verse 66:1, he is asked "...why do you make forbidden what Allah has made permissible for you? seeking to please his wives...".
These public corrections highlight that the Qur’an’s source was divine, not Prophet Mohammed's (peace be upon him) personal reasoning. They demonstrate the Qur'an's divine origin by drawing a line between the fallible man and the infallible message. This reinforces the idea that ultimate authority and final obedience belong to the Qur'an itself. When the Qur'an commands obedience to "Allah and His messenger," it refers specifically to the divine message he was tasked with delivering.
Separately the Qur'an states that prior to revelation, Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him) "...did not know what was the Book, nor what was faith..." (42:52). This clearly demonstrates that Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him) could not independently legislate from outside the Qur'an in religious matters as he did not have any religious knowledge of his own unless it was divinely revealed to him. Yes, in addition to his role of being head of the religion, he was also the head of the state, head of the military, a husband and a father. But obedience to him is restricted to the religious element: the Qur'an. His political and social decisions reflected the needs of his era, but they were not intended as timeless religious law. Rather it was the preserved element of his role that must always be followed: the Qur'an.
Indeed the Qur'an makes it clear that belief will not be complete until a person makes Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him) a "...judge
in what they dispute with each other... (4:65) and some people make a case that this refers to the hadith. However, when looking at the verse in synthesis with other verses, it becomes clear that this judgement is restricted to the Qur'an alone and not independent legislative authority for Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him). The Qur'an states Allah revealed the "...Book with the truth that you may
judge between the people by that which Allah has shown you..." (4:105) or he is ordered to "...judge between them by what Allah has sent down... (5:49) or when the hypocrites are "...invited to Allah and His messenger to judge between them..." (24:48) or the believers "...are invited to Allah and
His messenger to judge in their affairs..." (25:51). These examples show that Prophet Mohammed's judgement were always derived from the one divine source he could refer to: the Qur'an.
Conclusion
The Qur'anic evidence, when examined presents a consistent picture. The messenger is a divinely-protected human conduit for receiving divine revelation. The Qur'an's own style uses 'and' to unify a general with its specific. Commands of obedience and disobedience treat 'Allah and His messenger' as an indivisible unit, proven by the Qur'an's own language. Finally, Allah's correction of Prophet Mohammed's (peace be upon him) personal actions confirms that the ultimate authority is in the message and not the man.
Together, these points lead to a clear conclusion: the phrase 'Allah and His messenger' refers to the single, unified authority of Allah's revelation as delivered through His prophet. Therefore, when believers are instructed to refer a dispute to 'Allah and His messenger' (4:59), it is an instruction to refer the matter to the one clear source where both are found: the Qur'an.