فَٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُونِ 108
Translations
So fear Allāh and obey me.
Transliteration
Fattaqū Allāha wa-aṭīʿūn
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah is the refrain repeated by each of the messengers (Nūḥ, Hūd, Ṣāliḥ, Lūṭ, and Shuʿayb) in Surah Ash-Shu'ara, commanding their people to fear Allah and obey the messenger. According to classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Ṭabarī, this dual command emphasizes that true piety (taqwā) must be coupled with obedience to Allah's appointed messenger, as the messenger conveys the divine message and embodies its implementation. The repetition throughout the surah underscores the universal consistency of this message across all prophetic missions.
Revelation Context
This surah was revealed in Mecca during the early period of Prophet Muhammad's mission. The ayah appears as the central message of each messenger narrated in this surah, serving to remind the Meccan polytheists that all previous messengers conveyed the same fundamental call: fear Allah and obey His messenger. The repetition of this refrain throughout the surah emphasizes that rejection of the messenger's call is not a new phenomenon but a recurring pattern in human history.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallam) said: 'Whoever obeys me has obeyed Allah, and whoever disobeys me has disobeyed Allah' (Sahih Bukhari 7137). Additionally, 'The best of you are those who fear Allah the most' (Jami' at-Tirmidhi 3853), connecting taqwā to the highest moral standing.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that authentic faith requires both internal consciousness of Allah's presence and external compliance with divine guidance through the messenger—neither dimension alone suffices. For believers today, it emphasizes that following the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad is inseparable from fearing Allah, making obedience to his teachings a cornerstone of genuine piety.
Related Ayahs
إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ ٱتَّقَوْا۟ إِذَا مَسَّهُمْ طَـٰٓئِفٌ مِّنَ ٱلشَّيْطَـٰنِ تَذَكَّرُوا۟ فَإِذَا هُم مُّبْصِرُونَ
Indeed, those who fear Allāh - when an impulse touches them from Satan, they remember [Him] and at once they have insight.
إِنَّ ٱلْمُتَّقِينَ فِى جَنَّـٰتٍ وَنَعِيمٍ
Indeed, the righteous will be in gardens and pleasure,
۞ وَٱكْتُبْ لَنَا فِى هَـٰذِهِ ٱلدُّنْيَا حَسَنَةً وَفِى ٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ إِنَّا هُدْنَآ إِلَيْكَ ۚ قَالَ عَذَابِىٓ أُصِيبُ بِهِۦ مَنْ أَشَآءُ ۖ وَرَحْمَتِى وَسِعَتْ كُلَّ شَىْءٍ ۚ فَسَأَكْتُبُهَا لِلَّذِينَ يَتَّقُونَ وَيُؤْتُونَ ٱلزَّكَوٰةَ وَٱلَّذِينَ هُم بِـَٔايَـٰتِنَا يُؤْمِنُونَ
And decree for us in this world [that which is] good and [also] in the Hereafter; indeed, we have turned back to You." [Allāh] said, "My punishment - I afflict with it whom I will, but My mercy encompasses all things." So I will decree it [especially] for those who fear Me and give zakāh and those who believe in Our verses-
وَٱلَّـٰٓـِٔى يَئِسْنَ مِنَ ٱلْمَحِيضِ مِن نِّسَآئِكُمْ إِنِ ٱرْتَبْتُمْ فَعِدَّتُهُنَّ ثَلَـٰثَةُ أَشْهُرٍ وَٱلَّـٰٓـِٔى لَمْ يَحِضْنَ ۚ وَأُو۟لَـٰتُ ٱلْأَحْمَالِ أَجَلُهُنَّ أَن يَضَعْنَ حَمْلَهُنَّ ۚ وَمَن يَتَّقِ ٱللَّهَ يَجْعَل لَّهُۥ مِنْ أَمْرِهِۦ يُسْرًا
And those who no longer expect menstruation among your women - if you doubt, then their period is three months, and [also for] those who have not menstruated. And for those who are pregnant, their term is until they give birth. And whoever fears Allāh - He will make for him of his matter ease.