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fa-staqim ka-mā ʾumirta wa-man tāba maʿaka wa-lā taṭghaw ʾinnahū bi-mā taʿmalūna baṣīrun
So be steadfast, just as you have been commanded—[you] and whoever has turned [to Allah] with you—and do not overstep the bounds. Indeed, He watches what you do.
— Ali Quli Qarai
Surah Hud – Verse 112
112. “Therefore stand firm (O Prophet) as you are commanded, and (also) he who has turned (unto Allah) with you, and (O’ men) do not transgress (from the Path); verily He sees well what you do.”
The Command of Steadfastness
After recounting the lives of the prophets and former tribes and the reasons for their success, and after reinforcing the will of the Prophet (S), thereby in this verse He commands him (S) the most important duty, saying that he must stand firm as he had been commanded. The verse says:
“Therefore stand firm (O Prophet) as you are commanded...”
He must stand firm in propagation and guidance, in his struggles and battles, in carrying out Allah’s orders, and in implementing the instructions of the Qur’an. However, this stance must not be for the sake of pleasing others, nor should it be for bigotry, nor for the acquisition of titles, nor for acquiring wealth, position, success and power. It must be for the execution of Allah’s command as he had been instructed. However, this order does not concern the Prophet (S) only, it also instructs those who are following in his footsteps for approaching Allah.
The verse continues saying:
“…and (also) he who has turned (unto Allah) with you…”
The Qur’an advises the kind of persistence which avoids both extremes, neither more nor less, and the order not to be unruly, signifies the kind of persistence which avoids all kinds of transgression, for Allah is well aware of every action which we do. No cessation of movement or pause, and word or schedule remains hidden from Him. It says:
“…and (O’ men) do not transgress (from the Path); verily He sees well what you do.”
This is a sensitive yet disturbing verse. There is a hadith from Ibn Abbas which says: “There is no verse revealed more severe and more difficult for the Prophet (S) than this verse. Therefore, when the companions of the Prophet (S) asked him why his hair had turned gray so soon, and the signs of age prematurely appeared on his face, he said:
“The Surah Al-Waqi‘ah and the Surah Hud made me age.”
Some other traditions indicate that when the above verse was revealed, the Prophet (S) said:
“Fasten your belts! Fasten your belts (as it is time for struggling and working)”; and since that time, he was never seen smiling.
The reason is clear, for there are four commands in this verse, each of which imposes a heavy duty upon man. Today, our responsibilities as Muslim leaders can also be summarized as: persistence, sincerity, leadership of the believers, abstinence from unruliness, and non-violence. Victory over our enemies, who have been surrounding us from all sides, exploiting us in all cultural, political, economic, social, and military spheres, might not be possible without the implementation of the four principles mentioned above.