“Keep yourself content with those who call upon their Lord, morning and evening, seeking His pleasure, and do not let your eyes pass beyond them. Do you seek the pomp and glitter of the world? Do not follow him whose heart We have caused to be heedless of Our remembrance, and who follows his desires, and whose attitude is of excess.”
(Al-Qur’ān – 18:28)
As reported by IbnAbbās, the Quraish elites advised the Holy Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be to him) that they were not prepared to sit in the company of people of such low status as Bilāl, Suhayb, Ammār, Khabbāb and IbnMas‘ūd. Were the Messenger to get rid of them then they would be willing to visit him and spend time learning about his message. In response, God tells the Messenger that he should be content with the company of those who had gathered around him merely to seek God’s pleasure, and to remember God day and night. There was no good reason for him to choose for his company those whose claim to importance rested on their affluence in preference to his sincere and devoted followers.
One ought not to follow a person who is heedless of God, nor submit to him, nor accept his command. Here the word ‘obedience’ means all this, having been used in its widest, most comprehensive sense. To obey a person who has become slave to his base desires means that one should abandon one’s own sense of proportion and indulge in immoderation and stumble in all directions.