Allah Almighty says: {But no, by your Lord, they will not believe until they accept you [O Prophet] as judge in their disputes, and find no discomfort within their hearts about your judgments, but accept them wholeheartedly.} [Surat an-Nisā’: 65] Allah Almighty also says: {As for the believers, when they are called to Allah and His Messenger so that he may judge between them, they say, “We listen and obey.” It is they who are the successful.} [Surat an-Nūr: 51]
As for the Hadīths, they include the aforementioned Hadīth of Abu Hurayrah at the beginning of the previous chapter and other Hadīths therein.
168/1 - Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: When the following verse was revealed to the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him): {To Allah belongs all that is in the heavens and all that is on earth. Whether you reveal what is within yourselves or conceal it, Allah will call you to account for it. He forgives whom He wills and punishes whom He wills, for Allah is Most Capable of all things.} [Surat al-Baqarah: 284] The Companions of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) found (this verse) hard and severe so they came to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) and sat down on their knees and said: “O Messenger of Allah, we were assigned duties which were within our power to perform: prayer, fasting, Jihad, and charity. Then this verse was revealed to you and it is beyond our power to live up to it.” The Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Do you want to say what the people of the Scriptures (the Jews and Christians) said before you: ‘We hear and we disobey?’ You should rather say: ‘We hear and obey. Grant us Your forgiveness, our Lord, and to You is the [final] destination.’” And they said: “We hear and obey. Grant us Your forgiveness, our Lord, and to You is the [final] destination.” When the people recited it and it smoothly flowed on their tongues, Allah revealed immediately afterwards: {The Messenger believes in what has been sent down to him from his Lord, as do the believers. All of them believe in Allah, His angels, His Books, and His messengers, [saying], “We make no distinction between any of His messengers.” And they say, “We hear and obey. Grant us Your forgiveness, our Lord, and to You is the [final] destination.”} [Surat al-Baqarah: 285] When they did that, Allah abrogated this (verse) and then revealed: {Allah does not burden any soul greater than it can bear. For it is what it has earned, and against it is what it has incurred. “Our Lord, do not hold us accountable if we forget or fall into error...} He said: “Yes.” {Our Lord, do not place on us such a burden as You have placed on those before us...} He said: “Yes.” {Our Lord, do not burden us with that which we cannot bear. Pardon us, forgive us, and have mercy on us. You are our Protector, so give us victory over the disbelieving people.”} He said: “Yes.” [Narrated by Muslim]
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1) The Muslim must comply with the command of Allah Almighty and the command of His Messenger (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) once he learns of it.
2) It shows the excellence of the Companions in complying with the command of the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him). They never prioritized their opinions and desires over the Command of the Prophet.
3) Allah Almighty praised His Messenger (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) and the believers for complying with His commands and refraining from His prohibitions.
4) Allah Almighty conferred His mercy upon His servants by not burdening them beyond their power. He does not charge them except with what is within their capacity.
5) The ill thoughts one entertains are harmless if the individual does not yield to them.
The Hadīth offers a bright portrayal of the Companions’ faith-driven education that guided them to submit to Allah Almighty and comply with the divine Sharia. So, if we want success, happiness, empowerment, and leadership, we must follow the example of the first generation.