Az-Zumar (The Groups)

11. Say: “Indeed I am commanded to worship Allah when at the same time I have rendered the faith pure for him.”

12. Say: “Indeed I am commanded to be the first Muslim [i.e., the first of those who submit themselves to Allah].

13. Say: “Indeed if I disobey my Lord, I am afraid of the torment of a great Day.”

The Noble Prophet (S) was keen on worshipping God sincerely and carrying out other obligations of his despite the agreement or disagreement of others;

(“I am commanded; sincerely; the first Muslim”);

as a consequence of which the Noble Verse says:

“Say that having purified my religion for him, I am commanded to worship God.”

Verse 12 reads:

“I am commanded to be the first Muslim, namely be the first to submit fully to Divine Command.”

Verse 13 is thus concerned with the seventh and the last injunction, fear of Divine Chastisement on the Day of Resurrection,

“Say that if I disobey my Lord, I am afraid of the torment of the great Day [of Resurrection].”

It is herein indicated that the Noble Prophet of Islam (S) is one of the servants of God; he is also commanded to fully submit to Divine Command.

His obligations even far exceed others since he is supposed to be the forerunner in this respect. He neither claimed divinity nor did he deviate the path of sincere servantship, but he took pride in such state hence he is the model for all Muslims.

He never regarded himself to enjoy any privilege and the same clearly indicates his high rank and truthfulness, unlike pretenders who expect others to worship them claiming that they stand above human beings in terms of rank, essence, and origin and calling their adherents at times to provide them annually with gold and precious stones as per their weight!

The Noble Prophet (S) is actually saying that he is unlike tyrant sovereigns who oblige people to carry out obligations but regard themselves superior to carrying out obligations.

It demonstrates a significant point pertaining to the formative side of education, namely any educator and leader is supposed to be the forerunner in acting upon the injunctions of his school; he is supposed to be the first believer in his own doctrine, the most assiduous individual and exceed others in making sacrifices such that others trust his sincerity and regard him as a role model in all matters.

It is thus clarified that his being the forerunner of total submission to Divine Will is true since he was the first Muslim in all respects, e.g. in terms of faith, sincere devotion, deeds, making sacrifices, jihad, resistance, and perseverance. All accounts of his life bear testimony to the same.