Salaam ZKAB90,
You said:
Does the Quran wish us to follow the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)? Yes.
This should be enough evidence. “(O Muhammad, to mankind): if ye love Allah, follow me; Allah will love you and forgive you your sins. Allah is Forgiving, merciful.” Ahl-Imran 3, Verse 31
First off, on what conceivable grounds can the expression '
if ye love Allah, follow me' be used to sanction extraneous sources which were not arguably 'CANONISED' until CENTURIES after the death of the Prophet?
Furthermore, allow me to ask you:
What did the prophet follow?
What (scripture) did Muhammad use to dictate his life?
What scripture did Muhammad base his life decisions on?
Surely prophet Muhammad did not, on his accord, make up everything he was preaching and every act/ritual (such as the salat, zakat, hajj, fasting, upholding of justice, etc) which he performed (which we are instructed to emulate), correct? Those acts must have come from somewhere, correct? But what (scripture) could have inspired many of Muhammad's acts (which is now incumbent on us Muslims to perform)?
Moreover, how and from where did the prophet learn how to perform the Salat, how to make Hajj, how to observe the month of Ramadan, etc? The logical answer would be: from the Quran; the prophet learned how to perform those rituals solely from the Quran. Continuously are we told (in the Quran) that the only revelation (or scripture) which Muhammad received was the revelation of the Quran (See: 7:203; 6:19; 5:48; 42:7) and it was that revelation (Quran) alone which he was responsible for upholding and following (See: 7:203; 6:155; 10:15; 33:2;46:9; 6:106; 6:50), responsible for admonishing and warning the people with (See: 6:19; 27:91-92; 5:45; 42:7; 38:65-70), and responsible for judging with it (See: 5:48-49; 4:105).
Thus, if we, as Muslims, are to follow the example of the prophet (Quran 33:21) then let us do so by following the same and only scripture which was revealed to the prophet (See: 7:203; 6:155; 10:15; 33:2;46:9; 6:106; 6:50) and which he was commanded to only follow (See: Quran 6:155), and let us base all of our religious assertions and/or theological standpoints and rituals solely from the Quran.
Hence, should the Quran not suffice as the only sources necessary for our guidance?
You've also said:
There are nineteen times that obedience of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is stated in the Quran by Allah Subhanu wa ta’ala
With respect to the many verses instruct us (Muslims) to obey the messenger, please understand that a messenger is simply someone who carries a message; and the message the prophet carried was none other than the Quran (see: 7:203-204; 6:19; 5:48 42:7; 6:29;). Therefore, by obeying the messenger we are obey the Quran and Allah.
Please understand that the first directive of the command 'obey the messenger' was clearly to the contemporaries of the Prophet who were the direct addressees. They were being instructed to trust in the Prophet’s authority in the message he was delivering and acting on.
Therefore, 'Obey the Messenger' meant obedience to his authority (in his capacity as a messenger/prophet). This understanding also finds support in the following verse where it is clear that it was not only the Prophet that needed to be obeyed, but also those in authority.:
"
O ye who believe! Obey God, and obey the Messenger, and those charged with authority among you. Then if you disagree in anything among yourselves, refer it to God and His Messenger, if ye do believe in God and the Last Day: That is best, and most suitable for final determination" [Quran 4:59]
The Quran repeatedly announces obedience to the messenger; albeit they are the same person, the Quran never conveys the instruction to obey 'Muhammad' in his capacity as a man/husband/father and in his personal preferences and choices; only in his capacity as a messenger/prophet is to be obeyed. The significance of this specific address by the title 'messenger' is often not appreciated. The 'message' remained connected to the 'messenger' and it was in this capacity of the 'messenger' that Muhammad (pbuh) needed to be obeyed. In fact, a stark warning was given to Prophet Muhammad if he so much as introduced any personal preferences in the matter of God's ordained 'deen', as the following verse shows:
“
And if the messenger were to invent any sayings in Our name, We should certainly seize him by his right hand, And We should certainly then cut off the artery of his heart: Nor could any of you withhold him (from Our wrath). But verily this is a Message for the God-fearing”[Quran 69:44-48]
Therefore, the inclusion of the phrase "obey the Messenger" after "Obey Allah" is significant in the following ways:
Who among the companions of the Prophet ever heard any of God's revelations directly from God? No one! Consequently, they cannot obey God except through Muhammad's delivery of the Quran. The Quran came out of Muhammad's mouth. This makes it necessary for God to command people to obey the messenger since he is the one who delivers to them God's message.
Moreover, the messenger did not just deliver the Quran and vanish! The prophet spent all his years from the time he received the first revelation till his death inviting all people to believe in the Quran and to follow it. Hence it is necessary for God to command all humans to obey the messenger who is inviting them to accept the message (Quran).
For more info, please consider visiting the following sites:
http://quransmessage.com/articles/obey%20allah%20and%20the%20messenger%20FM3.htmhttp://www.detailedquran.com/quran_data/Obey%20Allah%20and%20obey%20the%20messenger.htmPlease know that prophet Muhammad is no longer alive and with us, so it is not possible for us to obey someone who is now dead. Thus, the first directive of the command obey the messenger was to the contemporaries of the Prophet who were the direct addressees. They were being instructed to trust in the Prophet’s authority in the message he was delivering and acting on. Sense the prophet is no longer with us, the only way in which we can obey him is by obeying and upholding the only message he delivered (the Quran).