At-Taghaabun - An Enlightening Commentary into the Light of the Holy Qur'an

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12. Obey Allah [in terms of the injunctions prescribed in Divine Law] and obey the Messenger [with respect to his commands and traditions], but if you turn away, then the obligation of Our Messenger is merely to convey the Message clearly.

13. Allah! There is no god but He. Therefore, in Allah let the believers put their trust.

Since the knowledge of the origin and Resurrection, mentioned in the previous blessed Verses, certainly affects obedience to God Almighty and the Noble Prophet (S), the blessed Verse in question is saying that it is incumbent upon the believers to obey God Almighty and His Messenger (S).

It goes without saying that obedience to the Noble Prophet (S) reflects obedience to God Almighty, since he does not say anything of his own. The imperative verbal form obey (ati‘u) reflects herein that obedience to the Noble Prophet (S) stems from obedience to God Almighty.

Furthermore, obedience to God Almighty rests in obeying Divine Laws but obeying in His Messenger concerns to the interpretations of Divine Laws and execution of the same. Thus, one is fundamental and the other is ancillary.

The blessed Verse proceeds to say that if you turn away and fail to obey the Noble Prophet (S), he is not obliged to make you obey, since His Messenger (S) is only obliged to clearly convey the message. It is incumbent upon him to impart the Truth, but if you fail to obey Divine Command, you have to pay for the consequences of your disobedience. It entails an implied warning.

The blessed Verse 13 makes a reference to the question of Divine Unity in worshipping God Almighty serving as an argument for the requirement of obedience to Divine Command, saying that Allah is the One besides Whom there is no object of worship, hence the believers are supposed to solely put their trust in Him.

No one else is worthy of being worshipped, since Ownership, Omnipotence, Omniscience, and Needlessness solely belong to Him and all beings besides Him are in need of Him. Consequently, they are not supposed to bow down to and obey none but Him. Thus, the believers are to put their trust in Him and invoke solely Him in their prayers.