Surah Nisa ayat 80 Tafsir Quran 4:80

﴿مَّن يُطِعِ الرَّسُولَ فَقَدْ أَطَاعَ اللَّهَ ۖ وَمَن تَوَلَّىٰ فَمَا أَرْسَلْنَاكَ عَلَيْهِمْ حَفِيظًا﴾
[ النساء: 80]

4:80 He who obeys the Messenger has obeyed Allah; but those who turn away - We have not sent you over them as a guardian.

Whoever obeys the Messenger verily obeys God; and whoever turns his back whoever avoids obedience to you do not be concerned with them We have not sent you as a watcher over them to keep watch over their deeds but as a warner. Their affair is Ours to deal with and We will requite them. This statement was before the command to fight them was revealed.

He who obeys the Messenger has in effect obeyed Allah, and he who turns a deaf ear must realize that We did not send you to watch over their innocence and folly

Obeying the Messenger ﷺ is Obeying Allah Allah states that whoever obeys His servant and Messenger, Muhammad ﷺ , obeys Allah; and whoever disobeys him, disobeys Allah.
Verily, whatever the Messenger ﷺ utters is not of his own desire, but a revelation inspired to him.
Ibn Abi Hatim recorded that Abu Hurayrah said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said,
«مَنْ أَطَاعَنِي فَقَدْ أَطَاعَ اللهَ، وَمَنْ عَصَانِي فَقَدْ عَصَى اللهَ، وَمَنْ أَطَاعَ الْأَمِيرَ فَقَدْ أَطَاعَنِي، وَمَنْ عَصَى الْأَمِيرَ فَقَدْ عَصَانِي»
( Whoever obeys me, obeys Allah; and whoever disobeys me, disobeys Allah.
Whoever obeys the Amir (leader, ruler ), obeys me; and whoever disobeys the Amir, disobeys me.) This Hadith was recorded in the Two Sahihs.
Allah's statement, وَمَن تَوَلَّى فَمَآ أَرْسَلْنَـكَ عَلَيْهِمْ حَفِيظاً ( But he who turns away, then We have not sent you as a watcher over them. ) means, do not worry about him.
Your job is only to convey, and whoever obeys you, he will acquire happiness and success and you will gain a similar reward to that he earns.
As for the one who turns away from you, he will gain failure and loss and you will not carry a burden because of what he does.
A Hadith states,
«مَنْ يُطِعِ اللهَ وَرَسُولَهُ فَقَدْ رَشَدَ، وَمَنْ يَعْصِ اللهَ وَرَسُولَهُ فَإِنَّهُ لَا يَضُرُّ إِلَّا نَفْسَه»
( Whoever obeys Allah and His Messenger, will acquire guidance; and whoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger, will only harm himself. ) The Foolishness of the Hypocrites Allah said, وَيَقُولُونَ طَاعَةٌ ( They say: "We are obedient," ).
Allah states that the hypocrites pretend to be loyal and obedient. فَإِذَا بَرَزُواْ مِنْ عِندِكَ ( but when they leave you ), meaning, when they depart and are no longer with you, بَيَّتَ طَآئِفَةٌ مِّنْهُمْ غَيْرَ الَّذِى تَقُولُ ( a section of them spends all night in planning other than what you say ).
They plot at night among themselves for other than what they pretend when they are with you.
Allah said, وَاللَّهُ يَكْتُبُ مَا يُبَيِّتُونَ ( But Allah records their nightly (plots ).) meaning, He has full knowledge of their plots and records it through His command to His scribes, the angels who are responsible for recording the actions of the servants.
This is a threat from Allah, stating that He knows what the hypocrites try to hide, their plotting in the night to defy the Messenger ﷺ and oppose him, even though they pretend to be loyal and obedient to him.
Allah will certainly punish them for this conduct.
In a similar Ayah, Allah said, وَيِقُولُونَ آمَنَّا بِاللَّهِ وَبِالرَّسُولِ وَأَطَعْنَا ( They (hypocrites ) say: "We have believed in Allah and in the Messenger, and we obey,") until the end of the Ayah.
Allah's statement, فَأَعْرِضْ عَنْهُمْ ( So turn aside from them ) means, pardon them, be forbearing with them, do not punish them, do not expose them to the people and do not fear them. وَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى اللَّهِ وَكَفَى بِاللَّهِ وَكِيلاً ( and put your trust in Allah.
And Allah is Ever All-Sufficient as a Disposer of affairs. ) meaning, He is sufficient as Protector, Supporter and Helper for those who rely on Him and return to Him. أَفَلاَ يَتَدَبَّرُونَ الْقُرْءَانَ وَلَوْ كَانَ مِنْ عِندِ غَيْرِ اللَّهِ لَوَجَدُواْ فِيهِ اخْتِلَـفاً كَثِيراً

(4:80) He who obeys the Messenger thereby obeys Allah; as for he who turns away, We have not sent you as a keeper over them! *110

He who obeys the Messenger has obeyed meaning

*110).
Such people are responsible for their own conduct.
It is they rather than the Prophet ( peace be on him ) who will be censured.
The task entrusted to the Prophet ( peace be on him ) was merely to communicate to them the ordinances and directives of God and he acquitted himself of it very well.
It was not his duty to compel them to follow the right way, so that if they failed to follow the teachings communicated to them by the Prophet ( peace be on him ) the responsibility was entirely theirs.
The Prophet ( peace be on him ) would not be questioned as to why they disobeyed.

 

Obeying the Messenger ﷺ is Obeying Allah Allah states that whoever obeys His servant and Messenger, Muhammad ﷺ , obeys Allah; and whoever disobeys him, disobeys Allah.
Verily, whatever the Messenger ﷺ utters is not of his own desire, but a revelation inspired to him.
Ibn Abi Hatim recorded that Abu Hurayrah said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, «مَنْ أَطَاعَنِي فَقَدْ أَطَاعَ اللهَ، وَمَنْ عَصَانِي فَقَدْ عَصَى اللهَ، وَمَنْ أَطَاعَ الْأَمِيرَ فَقَدْ أَطَاعَنِي، وَمَنْ عَصَى الْأَمِيرَ فَقَدْ عَصَانِي» ( Whoever obeys me, obeys Allah; and whoever disobeys me, disobeys Allah.
Whoever obeys the Amir (leader, ruler ), obeys me; and whoever disobeys the Amir, disobeys me.) This Hadith was recorded in the Two Sahihs.
Allah's statement, وَمَن تَوَلَّى فَمَآ أَرْسَلْنَـكَ عَلَيْهِمْ حَفِيظاً ( But he who turns away, then We have not sent you as a watcher over them. ) means, do not worry about him.
Your job is only to convey, and whoever obeys you, he will acquire happiness and success and you will gain a similar reward to that he earns.
As for the one who turns away from you, he will gain failure and loss and you will not carry a burden because of what he does.
A Hadith states, «مَنْ يُطِعِ اللهَ وَرَسُولَهُ فَقَدْ رَشَدَ، وَمَنْ يَعْصِ اللهَ وَرَسُولَهُ فَإِنَّهُ لَا يَضُرُّ إِلَّا نَفْسَه» ( Whoever obeys Allah and His Messenger, will acquire guidance; and whoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger, will only harm himself. ) The Foolishness of the Hypocrites Allah said, وَيَقُولُونَ طَاعَةٌ ( They say: "We are obedient," ).
Allah states that the hypocrites pretend to be loyal and obedient. فَإِذَا بَرَزُواْ مِنْ عِندِكَ ( but when they leave you ), meaning, when they depart and are no longer with you, بَيَّتَ طَآئِفَةٌ مِّنْهُمْ غَيْرَ الَّذِى تَقُولُ ( a section of them spends all night in planning other than what you say ).
They plot at night among themselves for other than what they pretend when they are with you.
Allah said, وَاللَّهُ يَكْتُبُ مَا يُبَيِّتُونَ ( But Allah records their nightly (plots ).) meaning, He has full knowledge of their plots and records it through His command to His scribes, the angels who are responsible for recording the actions of the servants.
This is a threat from Allah, stating that He knows what the hypocrites try to hide, their plotting in the night to defy the Messenger ﷺ and oppose him, even though they pretend to be loyal and obedient to him.
Allah will certainly punish them for this conduct.
In a similar Ayah, Allah said, وَيِقُولُونَ آمَنَّا بِاللَّهِ وَبِالرَّسُولِ وَأَطَعْنَا ( They (hypocrites ) say: "We have believed in Allah and in the Messenger, and we obey,") until the end of the Ayah.
Allah's statement, فَأَعْرِضْ عَنْهُمْ ( So turn aside from them ) means, pardon them, be forbearing with them, do not punish them, do not expose them to the people and do not fear them. وَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى اللَّهِ وَكَفَى بِاللَّهِ وَكِيلاً ( and put your trust in Allah.
And Allah is Ever All-Sufficient as a Disposer of affairs. ) meaning, He is sufficient as Protector, Supporter and Helper for those who rely on Him and return to Him. أَفَلاَ يَتَدَبَّرُونَ الْقُرْءَانَ وَلَوْ كَانَ مِنْ عِندِ غَيْرِ اللَّهِ لَوَجَدُواْ فِيهِ اخْتِلَـفاً كَثِيراً

When the verse ( We sent no messenger save that he should be obeyed by Allah’s leave ) was revealed, ’Abdullah Ibn Ubayy said: " Muhammad commands us to obey him instead of obeying Allah " , so Allah revealed the following: ( Whoso obeyeth the messenger ) in that which he commands ( obeys Allah ) because the Messenger never commands anything unless Allah has commanded it, ( and whoso turneth away ) from obeying the messenger: ( We have not sent thee as a warder ) a custodian ( over them ).

He who obeys the Messenger (Muhammad SAW), has indeed obeyed Allah, but he who turns away, then we have not sent you (O Muhammad SAW) as a watcher over them.

Page 91 English transliteration