Investigating Ulil Amr in QS4:59

Introduction

The traditional translation of verse 4;59 is as follows

Believers, obey God and obey the Messenger وَأُولِي الْأَمْرِ (and those among you who have been entrusted with authority). If you have a dispute about anything, refer it to God and the Messenger if you truly believe in God and the Last Day. This is the best to do and, in turn, gives the best results.

We're all familiar with the phrase "Obey God and obey the Messenger" which occurs many times in the Quran. Is the addition of the Ulil Amr to the commandment common, or an aberration in translation?

Occurrences of "Obey Allah and obey the Messenger"

1. Quran 3:32 - قُلْ أَطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَالرَّسُولَ Say: Obey Allah and the Messenger...
   

2. Quran 3:132 - وَأَطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَالرَّسُولَ And obey Allah and the Messenger...
   

3. Quran 4:59 - يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا أَطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُوا الرَّسُولَ وَأُولِي الْأَمْرِ مِنْكُمْ O you who believe! Obey Allah and obey the Messenger and those in authority among you...
   

4. Quran 4:64 - وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَا مِنْ رَسُولٍ إِلَّا لِيُطَاعَ بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ And We did not send any messenger but to be obeyed by Allah’s permission...
   

5. Quran 4:69 - وَمَنْ يُطِعِ اللَّهَ وَالرَّسُولَ And whoever obeys Allah and the Messenger...
   

6. Quran 4:80 - مَنْ يُطِعِ الرَّسُولَ فَقَدْ أَطَاعَ اللَّهَ Whoever obeys the Messenger has obeyed Allah...
   

7. Quran 5:92 - وَأَطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُوا الرَّسُولَ وَاحْذَرُوا And obey Allah and obey the Messenger and beware...
   

8. Quran 8:1 - فَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَأَصْلِحُوا ذَاتَ بَيْنِكُمْ وَأَطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ So fear Allah, reconcile among yourselves, and obey Allah and His Messenger...
   

9. Quran 8:20 - يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا أَطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ O you who believe! Obey Allah and His Messenger...

10. Quran 8:46 - وَأَطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ وَلَا تَنَازَعُوا And obey Allah and His Messenger, and do not dispute...

11. Quran 24:54 - قُلْ أَطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُوا الرَّسُولَ Say: Obey Allah and obey the Messenger...

12. Quran 24:56 - وَأَقِيمُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَآتُوا الزَّكَاةَ وَأَطِيعُوا الرَّسُولَ And establish prayer, give zakat, and obey the Messenger...

13. Quran 47:33 - يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا أَطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُوا الرَّسُولَ O you who believe! Obey Allah and obey the Messenger...

14. Quran 58:13 - فَإِذْ لَمْ تَفْعَلُوا وَتَابَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْكُمْ فَأَقِيمُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَآتُوا الزَّكَاةَ وَأَطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ So if you do not do so and Allah has turned to you in mercy, then establish prayer, give zakat, and obey Allah and His Messenger...

15. Quran 64:12 - وَأَطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُوا الرَّسُولَ And obey Allah and obey the Messenger...

We can see that 4:59 introduces an additional element—"those in authority among you" (أُولِي الْأَمْرِ مِنْكُمْ)—which breaks the otherwise consistent pattern of "Obey Allah and obey the Messenger." This raises an interesting linguistic and structural observation.

Linguistic and Structural Observations

"Obey" is Not Repeated Before Ulil Amr

• The expected structure, if Ulil Amr were meant to be obeyed independently, would be:

أَطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُوا الرَّسُولَ وَأَطِيعُوا أُولِي الْأَمْرِ مِنْكُمْ

(Obey Allah, and obey the Messenger, and obey those in authority among you).

• But instead, we see "Obey" omitted before Ulil Amr, suggesting that they are not an independent source of obedience.

Alternative Reading

• The phrase "Obey Allah and obey the Messenger" is complete.

• Ulil Amr belongs grammatically to the next clause: "Then, if you dispute in anything, refer it to Allah and the Messenger."

• This reading would mean that Ulil Amr are mentioned only in relation to disputes, not as an authority requiring obedience.

Reinterpreting 4:59 with This Understanding

1. The command to obey applies only to Allah and the Messenger.

2. Ulil Amr (those in authority) are mentioned only in relation to disputes, where the final authority remains Allah and the Messenger.

3. This would mean the Qur'an maintains consistency in always pairing obedience only with Allah and the Messenger, resolving the structural inconsistency.

Revised translation of 4:59

Since we accept that Ulil Amr belongs to the next clause, then the traditional translation that places a full stop (period) after "those in authority among you" is misleading. Instead, the punctuation should reflect the natural flow of the sentence, aligning with the possibility that Ulil Amr is connected to dispute resolution rather than obedience.

Believers, obey God and obey the Messenger. And those among you who have been entrusted with authority, if you have a dispute about anything, refer it to God and the Messenger if you truly believe in God and the Last Day. This is the best to do and, in turn, gives the best results.

Why This Change Matters

1. Maintains Qur'anic Consistency

   • The Qur'an repeatedly emphasizes obedience to Allah and the Messenger, without adding third-party obedience.

   • This reading keeps that pattern consistent.
     

2. Clarifies Ulil Amr

   • It shifts Ulil Amr from being an entity that must be obeyed to a group that is part of dispute resolution.

   • Instead of commanding obedience to Ulil Amr, the verse simply acknowledges their presence in societal matters.
     

3. Aligns with Qur’anic Decision-Making

   • The Qur'an frequently commands people to refer back to Allah and the Messenger when faced with uncertainty (e.g., 42:10—"In whatever you differ, its ruling is with Allah.").

   • This reading strengthens the idea that no human authority is final—only Allah and the Messenger.