Who Are “Those in Charge Among You” in 4:59?

Author: Berk KÖKSAL
Date: October 06, 2026
Place: Mersin

The main purpose of this article is to contemplate the verses together with other relevant verses and to explore, sincerely and deeply, what bearing witness to the oneness of GOD means for human life in terms of knowledge, justice, truthfulness, and submission.

Whenever I read 4:59, the same question returns: Who are “those in charge among you”?

Does the phrase refer only to political rulers? Religious leaders? Scholars? People entrusted with a particular matter, area of knowledge, or decision within a community? Or does the verse deliberately avoid naming a permanent class and instead describe a broader field of human responsibility?

The question is larger than “Whom should we obey?” It is about where human authority begins, what gives it moral weight, and where it ends. Trusting another person’s knowledge is one thing. Turning that person into an unquestionable source of truth is another. Following an administrative responsibility is one thing. Treating a human ruling as the final measure of religion is another.

4:59 makes me think about precisely this boundary: recognizing human responsibility without making human beings absolute.

1. “Those in Charge Among You”: What Does the Verse Itself Say?

Verse

4:59

Arabic: يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓا۟ أَطِيعُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُوا۟ ٱلرَّسُولَ وَأُو۟لِى ٱلْأَمْرِ مِنكُمْ فَإِن تَنَٰزَعْتُمْ فِى شَىْءٍ فَرُدُّوهُ إِلَى ٱللَّهِ وَٱلرَّسُولِ إِن كُنتُمْ تُؤْمِنُونَ بِٱللَّهِ وَٱلْيَوْمِ ٱلْـَٔاخِرِ ذَٰلِكَ خَيْرٌ وَأَحْسَنُ تَأْوِيلًا

English: O you who believe, you shall obey GOD, and you shall obey the messenger, and those in charge among you. If you dispute in any matter, you shall refer it to GOD and the messenger, if you do believe in GOD and the Last Day. This is better for you, and provides you with the best solution.

Turkish: Ey inananlar, TANRI’ya itaat edin ve elçiye ve aranızdan sorumlulara itaat edin. Herhangi bir meselede ihtilafa düşerseniz, onu TANRI’ya ve elçiye havale edin, eğer TANRI’ya ve Son Gün’e gerçekten inanıyorsanız. Bu sizin için daha iyidir ve size en iyi çözümü sağlar.

Source: kuranteyit.com

Reflection on the Verse

The first expression that stops me is “those in charge among you.” The wording does not establish a separate sacred caste standing outside the community. They are “among you.” Even that small phrase makes me cautious about turning responsibility into a superhuman status.

The second half of the verse is even more decisive. When a dispute arises, the believers are not told that those in charge have the final word. The matter is referred to GOD and the messenger. Responsibility exists, but it is not the final measure. Obedience exists, but it is not an obedience that makes a human being absolute. Authority exists, but it is not an independent religious sovereignty detached from GOD.

A person may genuinely be responsible for a matter. That person may know more than I do, may be entrusted with organizing a community, or may be charged with making a decision. Yet when a real dispute appears, the movement of the verse is back from the person to the message, from office to revelation, from human authority to GOD.

So reading 4:59 only through the words “obey” misses the boundary that the verse itself places around obedience.

Verse reference: 4:59.

2. Trust and Justice Come Before Authority

Verse

4:58 — GOD commands you to give back anything the people have entrusted to you. If you judge among the people, you shall judge equitably. The best enlightenment indeed is what GOD recommends for you. GOD is Hearer, Seer.

Reflection on the Verse

The fact that 4:58 comes immediately before 4:59 changes the moral meaning of responsibility for me. GOD first commands that trusts be returned and that judgment among people be equitable. Only after that does the next verse speak about obedience to those in charge.

The order matters. Authority is not presented as a natural privilege belonging to a superior person. It looks more like a trust placed on someone’s shoulders. A role, title, or body of knowledge does not make other people that person’s property. It increases accountability.

This means that asking “Who has authority?” is not enough. We also need to ask: How is the trust carried? Is judgment equitable? Does the person change the standard when personal interest is involved?

Responsibility is not a throne. It is a burden that must be carried justly.

Verse reference: 4:58.

3. Unjust Laws: When Does Human Authority Become an Idol?

Verse

4:60 — Have you noted those who claim that they believe in what was revealed to you, and in what was revealed before you, then uphold the unjust laws of their idols? They were commanded to reject such laws. Indeed, it is the devil’s wish to lead them far astray.

Reflection on the Verse

The verse immediately after 4:59 prevents me from reading obedience as unlimited. 4:60 speaks of people who claim belief yet uphold the unjust laws of their idols.

A religious vocabulary does not automatically make an authority righteous. An institution may carry a sacred name. A person may speak in the name of GOD. A tradition may be old and respected. None of these, by themselves, make a ruling true.

The difference between responsibility and idolized authority becomes visible here. A responsible person carries a trust. An idolized authority raises its own judgment above the measure of revelation. One serves a responsibility; the other begins to occupy a place it was never given.

Therefore the obedience of 4:59 cannot reasonably be used to sanctify the unjust laws warned against in 4:60.

Verse reference: 4:60.

4. What Happens When Revelation Challenges Our Position?

Verse

4:61 — When they are told, “Come to what GOD has revealed, and to the messenger,” you see the hypocrites shunning you completely.

Reflection on the Verse

One way to understand the quality of an authority is to see what happens when it is called back to what GOD has revealed. Does it move closer, or does it move away?

That question also belongs to me. When a verse confronts a view I have defended for years, do I let the verse correct me, or do I build explanations whose real purpose is to protect my previous position?

Ideas can become part of identity. At that point, returning to the truth can feel like losing status. 4:61 therefore becomes an inward test: when revelation is uncomfortable, do I still approach it honestly?

A person worthy of responsibility should be able to prefer truth over the preservation of personal authority.

Verse reference: 4:61.

5. Even Obedience to the Messenger Is Tied to GOD’s Will

Verse

4:64 — We did not send any messenger except to be obeyed in accordance with GOD’s will. Had they, when they wronged their souls, come to you and prayed to GOD for forgiveness, and the messenger prayed for their forgiveness, they would have found GOD Redeemer, Most Merciful.

4:65 — Never indeed, by your Lord; they are not believers unless they come to you to judge in their disputes, then find no hesitation in their hearts whatsoever in accepting your judgment. They must submit a total submission.

Reflection on the Verse

The phrase that stops me in 4:64 is “in accordance with GOD’s will.” Even the messenger is not presented as an independent center of authority detached from GOD. The source of legitimate obedience remains GOD’s will.

That creates an even stronger boundary for all other human authorities. If the messenger’s authority is not an autonomous sovereignty arising from the self, how could the speech of later human beings become absolute?

4:65 then moves the matter into the heart. Accepting what already agrees with me is easy. Submission becomes real when truth touches my preference, habit, pride, or interest. Yet the submission here is not to a human ego. It is to the judgment connected with GOD’s guidance.

When that distinction disappears, religious obedience and personal loyalty can become dangerously confused.

Verse references: 4:64-65.

6. Why Is Obedience to the Messenger Obedience to GOD?

Verse

4:80 — Whoever obeys the messenger is obeying GOD. As for those who turn away, we did not send you as their guardian.

Reflection on the Verse

The weight of obedience to the messenger does not come from the messenger’s private self. The verse directly connects it to obedience to GOD. Once that connection is broken, the person can begin to eclipse the message.

The second sentence is equally important: the messenger was not sent as their guardian. Religious authority is therefore not ownership of other people’s consciences. If even the messenger is not described as possessing people in this way, the claim of any later person to control another believer’s conscience should be treated with great caution.

In my earlier article Elçi Kuran’dır, Kuran Yaşayan Elçidir, I reflected on the relationship between the messenger function, the revealed message, and the human being who carries it. The present question opens another side of the same boundary: can we keep the messenger and the true Owner of the message in their proper places?

Being responsible for people is not the same as owning them.

Verse reference: 4:80.

7. Does 4:83 Give an Additional Clue About “Those in Charge”?

Verse

4:83 — When a rumor that affects security comes their way, they spread it. Had they referred it to the messenger, and those in charge among them, those who understand these matters would have informed them. If it were not for GOD’s grace towards you, and His mercy, you would have followed the devil, except a few.

Reflection on the Verse

4:83 is especially important for the question of 4:59 because it again uses the phrase “those in charge among them,” then immediately speaks about “those who understand these matters.”

Responsibility and understanding appear side by side. In this context, the people in question are capable of evaluating a security-related matter and informing others about it.

That makes it difficult for me to reduce “those in charge” to one permanent political or religious title. The verse permits a broader picture: people entrusted with a matter and possessing understanding relevant to that matter.

Yet 4:83 recognizes knowledge while 4:59 preserves the final boundary. When dispute becomes fundamental, the matter returns to GOD and the messenger. This protects us from two opposite errors: “I need no one; I understand everything myself,” and “This person is in charge, therefore whatever he says is true.”

Knowledge deserves respect. The knowledgeable person does not deserve worship.

Verse reference: 4:83.

8. “We Hear and We Obey”: Is Obedience Blindness?

Verse

24:51 — The only utterance of the believers, whenever invited to GOD and His messenger to judge in their affairs, is to say, “We hear and we obey.” These are the winners.

Reflection on the Verse

The words “we hear” and “we obey” appear together. Obedience is not presented as surrendering to any voice that claims authority. It follows an invitation to GOD and His messenger for judgment.

That distinction matters because religious obedience is sometimes treated as the opposite of thinking. Yet the Quranic moral world repeatedly includes hearing, understanding, examining, witnessing, and acting justly.

If I accept a responsible person only when the ruling benefits me, I may not be following justice at all. I may simply be following interest. Submission to truth cannot change its standard according to which side wins.

Verse reference: 24:51.

9. The Messenger’s Obligation and My Own Obligation

Verse

24:54 — Say, “Obey GOD, and obey the messenger.” If they refuse, then he is responsible for his obligations, and you are responsible for your obligations. If you obey him, you will be guided. The sole duty of the messenger is to deliver (the message).

Reflection on the Verse

24:54 distributes responsibility carefully. The messenger is responsible for his obligations; the people are responsible for theirs. Another person’s responsibility never erases mine.

The verse describes the sole duty of the messenger as delivering the message. That simple statement places a serious limit on the human tendency to enlarge religious authority. People can gradually treat the bearer of a message as though he owns the message, then build new obligations and sacred structures around that person.

But healthy responsibility does not swallow the moral agency of others. I can learn from a teacher and remain accountable for what I accept. An administrator can organize a matter without taking over my conscience.

Responsibility can be shared. Conscience cannot be outsourced.

Verse reference: 24:54.

10. The Boundary of Religious Lawmaking

Verse

42:21 — They follow idols who decree for them religious laws never authorized by GOD. If it were not for the predetermined decision, they would have been judged immediately. Indeed, the transgressors have incurred a painful retribution.*

Reflection on the Verse

Being responsible for a matter is not the same as possessing the authority to legislate religion in GOD’s name. 42:21 establishes that boundary with severe language.

A human interpretation can become so sacred in our minds that the difference between “This is how I understand it” and “GOD has decreed this” disappears. But the second claim is far heavier. It is a statement about GOD, not merely an opinion.

One of the most dangerous forms of religious authority appears when human interpretation is raised to the level of revelation. A responsible person may teach, organize, advise, remind, or interpret. None of those functions automatically grant authority to create religious laws never authorized by GOD.

Responsibility and religious sovereignty are not the same thing.

Verse reference: 42:21.

11. Am I Placing My Own Opinion Above the Measure?

Verse

49:1 — O you who believe, do not place your opinion above that of GOD and His messenger. You shall reverence GOD. GOD is Hearer, Omniscient.

Reflection on the Verse

It is possible to criticize human authority and quietly replace it with the authority of the self. I can say, “I will never follow a leader blindly,” while moving toward, “I will follow only my own judgment.” That is not a solution.

49:1 closes this escape route. The danger is not only placing another person’s opinion above GOD and the messenger. I must not place my own opinion there either.

In my earlier reflection TANRI’ya Derin Saygı: Ego, Saygısızlık ve Sınırı Aşmanın İç Yüzü, I considered how the self can become a quiet source of unauthorized authority. 4:59 brings the same danger into the field of communal responsibility.

Do not idolize those in charge. But do not idolize yourself either. When dispute appears, return to the measure.

Verse reference: 49:1.

12. Do Not Set Up Any Human Being as a Lord Beside GOD

Verse

3:64 — Say, “O followers of the scripture, let us come to a logical agreement between us and you: that we shall not worship except GOD; that we never set up any idols besides Him, nor set up any human beings as lords beside GOD.” If they turn away, say, “Bear witness that we are submitters.”

Reflection on the Verse

3:64 places one of the strongest boundaries around any reading of 4:59: do not set up human beings as lords beside GOD.

Human beings may be assigned roles. We may consult people who know more than we do. Communities may establish areas of responsibility. We may learn from teachers and follow legitimate administrative instructions. None of that requires raising a human being to the level of lordship beside GOD.

This may be one of the hardest practical tests of tawhid. It is easy to say we do not worship stone idols. It is harder to notice the spiritual weight we give to living people, titles, institutions, and inherited loyalties.

When a person’s word stands above a clear verse, or when I defend that person even against the revealed measure, the nature of the relationship needs to be examined again.

4:59 makes room for responsibility. 3:64 prevents responsibility from becoming lordship.

Verse reference: 3:64.

13. The Danger of Taking Religious Leaders and Scholars as Lords

Verse

9:31 — They have set up their religious leaders and scholars as lords,* instead of GOD. Others deified the Messiah, son of Mary. They were all commanded to worship only one god. There is no god except He. Be He glorified, high above having any partners.

Reflection on the Verse

9:31 makes it extremely difficult to turn “obey those in charge” into unlimited religious obedience. The verse itself warns that religious leaders and scholars can be set up as lords instead of GOD.

The problem is not knowledge. The problem is not leadership. The problem is giving a human being the weight that belongs to GOD.

A scholar can teach. A teacher can explain. A community leader can organize. But none is infallible, none stands above revelation, and none becomes an independent source of religious law merely by holding a respected position.

Idolization rarely begins with the sentence, “I am worshiping this person.” It can grow inside the language of respect, loyalty, tradition, and trust. One way to test the boundary is simple: when the person’s statement conflicts with a clear verse, which one do I protect?

The “those in charge” of 4:59 must not become the “lords” warned about in 9:31.

Verse reference: 9:31.

14. Is “We Obeyed Our Leaders” an Excuse?

Verse

33:66 — The day they are thrown into Hell, they will say, “Oh, we wish we obeyed GOD, and obeyed the messenger.”

33:67 — They will also say, “Our Lord, we have obeyed our masters and leaders, but they led us astray.

33:68 — “Our Lord, give them double the retribution, and curse them a tremendous curse.”

Reflection on the Verse

These verses make it difficult to escape personal moral responsibility by pointing to leaders. “I was taught this,” “My leader said so,” and “Everyone around me did it” do not erase the human act of choosing.

This is decisive for my reading of 4:59. If obedience to those in charge were absolute and unquestionable, “we obeyed our masters and leaders, but they led us astray” would be a powerful excuse. Yet the scene does not present it as a release from accountability.

Following a responsible person should not mean abandoning the responsibility to think, verify, and remain faithful to GOD.

Another human being can guide my attention. That person cannot stand before GOD in my place.

Verse references: 33:66-68.

15. Leaders and Followers Share Responsibility

Verse

34:31 — Those who disbelieve have said, “We will not believe in this Quran, nor in the previous scriptures.” If you could only envision these transgressors when they stand before their Lord! They will argue with one another back and forth. The followers will tell their leaders, “If it were not for you, we would have been believers.”

34:32 — The leaders will say to those who followed them, “Are we the ones who diverted you from the guidance after it came to you? No; it is you who were wicked.”

34:33 — The followers will say to their leaders, “It was you who schemed night and day, then commanded us to be unappreciative of GOD, and to set up idols to rank with Him.” They will be ridden with remorse, when they see the retribution, for we will place shackles around the necks of those who disbelieved. Are they not justly requited for what they did?

Reflection on the Verse

34:31-33 portrays leaders and followers blaming one another. The followers say that without the leaders they would have believed. The leaders answer that guidance had already come and the followers themselves chose wickedness. The followers then point again to the leaders’ schemes and commands.

The scene exposes both sides of authority. Misleading leadership carries a grave moral burden. But followers are not transformed into beings without agency merely because someone influenced them.

A healthy relationship of responsibility exists when both sides remain beneath GOD’s measure. The one who leads is accountable. The one who follows is accountable. Neither owns the truth.

“I only obeyed orders” is not an automatic innocence. Neither is “They chose to follow me.”

Verse references: 34:31-33.

16. Justice Even Against Myself: The Inner Audit of Authority

Verse

4:135 — O you who believe, you shall be absolutely equitable, and observe GOD, when you serve as witnesses, even against yourselves, or your parents, or your relatives. Whether the accused is rich or poor, GOD takes care of both. Therefore, do not be biased by your personal wishes. If you deviate or disregard (this commandment), then GOD is fully Cognizant of everything you do.

Reflection on the Verse

4:135 brings justice into one of the most difficult places: testimony against ourselves. Authority therefore cannot be judged only by external structure. It has an inward moral test.

If a person hides personal error, protects relatives by changing the standard, or becomes selective about justice when self-interest is involved, the title may remain while the moral content of responsibility is weakened.

The verse also turns back on me. Can I admit that evidence has defeated my previous interpretation? Can I correct something I taught if the correction costs me reputation?

Sometimes the first test of justice is not what I say about an opponent, but what I am willing to say about myself.

Verse reference: 4:135.

17. Conflict Must Not Corrupt Justice

Verse

5:8 — O you who believe, you shall be absolutely equitable, and observe GOD, when you serve as witnesses. Do not be provoked by your conflicts with some people into committing injustice. You shall be absolutely equitable, for it is more righteous. You shall observe GOD. GOD is fully Cognizant of everything you do.

Reflection on the Verse

To understand a person’s justice, it is not enough to look at how that person treats friends. 5:8 makes conflict itself a test. Can I remain equitable toward someone I dislike, someone who opposes me, or someone who has hurt me?

This becomes even more important when responsibility carries power. When authority and anger combine, injustice can spread far beyond a private emotion. A leader, teacher, parent, or respected community figure can turn personal resentment into consequences for many people.

The command to remain absolutely equitable gives responsibility a standard that stands above emotion. Trust in those in charge should therefore rest not only on competence, but on whether they can preserve justice even toward opponents.

Tawhid requires me not to confuse “my side” with “what is right.”

Verse reference: 5:8.

18. Knowledge Makes the Testimony of Tawhid Heavier

Verse

3:18 — GOD bears witness that there is no god except He, and so do the angels and those who possess knowledge. Truthfully and equitably, He is the absolute god; there is no god but He, the Almighty, Most Wise.

Reflection on the Verse

In 3:18, testimony, knowledge, and equity meet in one verse. Those who possess knowledge are mentioned among the witnesses to the oneness of GOD, yet the verse also speaks of truth and equity.

That changes the meaning of knowledge for me. Knowledge does not merely create status. It creates responsibility. The more a person knows, the more carefully words should be carried. A knowledgeable person should be able to say “I do not know,” should not turn inference into revelation, and should not use the trust of others to enlarge personal authority.

The testimony of tawhid also stops being an abstract sentence. If I say that there is no god except He, I am also refusing to give the final measure to myself, my group, my teacher, or my leader.

Knowledge requires humility. Testimony requires truthfulness. Justice requires freedom from favoritism. Submission requires the ego to move out of the place that belongs to GOD.

Verse reference: 3:18.

19. Arabic Word Roots: The Language of Authority and Return in 4:59

Verse

4:59 — O you who believe, you shall obey GOD, and you shall obey the messenger, and those in charge among you. If you dispute in any matter, you shall refer it to GOD and the messenger, if you do believe in GOD and the Last Day. This is better for you, and provides you with the best solution.

Reflection on the Verse

Looking closely at the Arabic vocabulary of 4:59 makes the movement of the verse even clearer.

أَطِيعُوا — aṭīʿū — ط و ع (ṭ-w-ʿ): the field of obedience, compliance, and willing submission. The verse first directs obedience to GOD, then to the messenger.

الرَّسُول — al-rasūl — ر س ل (r-s-l): the field of sending and being sent. The messenger is not a self-created center of sovereignty; he is one who is sent.

أُولِي الْأَمْر — ulī al-amr: ulī carries the sense of those who possess or hold something. الْأَمْر — al-amr — أ م ر (ʾ-m-r) opens the field of command, affair, matter, and responsibility. Together, the expression naturally carries the sense of people who hold responsibility for an affair.

مِنكُمْ — minkum: “from you / among you.” Those in charge remain within the human community; the phrase does not create a separate sacred species.

تَنَازَعْتُمْ — tanāzaʿtum — ن ز ع (n-z-ʿ): dispute, contention, pulling in different directions. The verse realistically acknowledges disagreement.

فَرُدُّوهُ — faruddūhu — ر د د (r-d-d): to return, send back, refer back. This may be the decisive movement of the verse: when dispute appears, the matter is not elevated to another human authority but referred back to GOD and the messenger.

تَأْوِيلًا — taʾwīlan — أ و ل (ʾ-w-l): connected with outcome, final result, and interpretation. The verse says this return provides the best solution.

The sequence is striking: obedience → responsibility → dispute → return → best outcome. Human responsibility has a place. Human beings do not become the final measure.

Responsibility can belong to people. The final measure does not.

Verse reference: 4:59.

Other Claims

Verse

4:59 — O you who believe, you shall obey GOD, and you shall obey the messenger, and those in charge among you. If you dispute in any matter, you shall refer it to GOD and the messenger, if you do believe in GOD and the Last Day. This is better for you, and provides you with the best solution.

Reflection on the Verse

Across history, different traditions have identified ulī al-amr in different ways. Some traditional readings understand the phrase primarily as rulers, governors, or administrators. Other readings include scholars and people of religious knowledge. In Shi‘i interpretive tradition, the phrase may be read through the doctrine of the Imamate and connected with designated Imams. Broader modern readings may understand it as including people entrusted with responsibility, expertise, or decision-making in a particular matter.

Each approach has its own historical and theological background. Since the verse itself does not list permanent office titles one by one, caution is appropriate before presenting any one of these later identifications as though it were the wording of the verse itself.

The internal Quranic boundaries are firmer: 4:58 surrounds responsibility with trust and justice; 4:83 places those in charge beside those who understand the relevant matters; 4:59 refers disputes back to GOD and the messenger; 3:64 rejects setting up human beings as lords beside GOD; and 9:31 warns that religious leaders and scholars can be made into lords instead of GOD.

Historical interpretations may be useful for understanding how communities have read the phrase. They should not replace the measure established by the verses themselves.

Verse references: 4:58-59, 4:83, 3:64, 9:31.

Conclusion

Verse

4:59 — O you who believe, you shall obey GOD, and you shall obey the messenger, and those in charge among you. If you dispute in any matter, you shall refer it to GOD and the messenger, if you do believe in GOD and the Last Day. This is better for you, and provides you with the best solution.

Reflection on the Verse

So I return to the original question: Who are “those in charge among you” in 4:59?

Taken together, the verses make me cautious about reducing the phrase to one permanent title. 4:83 places “those in charge” beside people who understand the matters in question. 4:58 places trust and justice before authority. 4:59 preserves the final standard above human responsibility: when dispute appears, the matter is referred back to GOD and the messenger.

It therefore seems consistent with the verses to understand “those in charge” as people within a community who have been entrusted with a matter, task, decision, or field of responsibility and who possess the understanding needed for that responsibility. Rulers can fall within that field. People of knowledge can fall within it. People assigned to particular communal tasks can fall within it. But the verse does not turn any of them into an authority independent of GOD.

The balance is what matters most to me:

Follow legitimate responsibility without turning the responsible person into a lord.

Learn from people of knowledge without declaring them infallible.

Listen to leadership without placing leadership above GOD’s judgment.

Preserve communal order without surrendering conscience to another human being.

When dispute comes, do not return first to ego, group, teacher, leader, or inherited habit. Return to the measure GOD established.

This protects against two opposite failures. On one side is the ego that recognizes no responsibility: “No one can tell me anything.” On the other is blind attachment: “Whatever this person says must be true.” The verses lead me to neither extreme.

Listen. Examine. Be just. Protect the trust. Learn from those who know what you do not. But do not give the final weight to a human being.

Tawhid is not only saying that there is one GOD. It is also revealed in whom we actually allow to become the final measure in our lives.

Those in charge are among us. None of them is a lord beside GOD.

GOD knows best.

Note

2:32 — They said, “Be You glorified, we have no knowledge, except that which You have taught us. You are the Omniscient, Most Wise.”

GOD knows best.

Source: kuranteyit.com