Tafsir of Muhammad 47:33

Surah Muhammad (47): Verse 33

"O you who have believed, obey Allah and obey the Messenger..."

The conjunction here is an instance of connecting the consequence to the cause. It is like saying, "Sit down and rest," or "Stand up and walk." This is because obedience to Allah necessitates obedience to the Messenger. This phrase signals action after knowledge has been attained, as if the Almighty is saying: "O you who have believed, you have learned the truth, so perform good deeds."

"...and do not invalidate your deeds."

This phrase has several possible interpretations:

1. Persevere in your current state and do not commit polytheism (Shirk), lest your deeds become invalidated. Allah the Exalted says: "If you associate others [with Allah], your deeds will surely be rendered worthless" (Az-Zumar: 65).
2. Do not invalidate your deeds by abandoning obedience to the Messenger, just as the People of the Book invalidated their deeds by denying and disobeying the Messenger. This is supported by the Almighty's saying: "O you who have believed, do not raise your voices above the voice of the Prophet... lest your deeds become worthless while you are unaware" (Al-Hujurat: 2).
3. Do not invalidate your charities through reminding others [of your favor] or causing harm, as stated in: "O you who have believed, do not invalidate your charities by reminding [others of your favor] or by causing injury" (Al-Baqarah: 264). This is similar to what Allah says: "They think they confer a favor upon you by [their] embracing Islam. Say, 'Do not confer favor upon me by your Islam'" (Al-Hujurat: 17). This is because whoever boasts about an act of obedience to the Messenger is essentially saying, "I did this for your sake; if you were not pleased, I would not have done it." This contradicts sincerity (Ikhlas), and Allah accepts only the sincere deed.

"Indeed, those who disbelieve and avert [people] from the way of Allah and then die while they are disbelievers—never will Allah forgive them."