﴿ لَّا تَجْعَلُوا۟ دُعَآءَ ٱلرَّسُولِ بَيْنَكُمْ كَدُعَآءِ بَعْضِكُم بَعْضًۭا ۚ قَدْ يَعْلَمُ ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِينَ يَتَسَلَّلُونَ مِنكُمْ لِوَاذًۭا ۚ فَلْيَحْذَرِ ٱلَّذِينَ يُخَالِفُونَ عَنْ أَمْرِهِۦٓ أَن تُصِيبَهُمْ فِتْنَةٌ أَوْ يُصِيبَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ ﴾

“DO NOT regard the Apostles summons to you [in the same light] as a summons of one of you to another: God is indeed aware of those of you who would withdraw surreptitiously: so let those who would go against His bidding beware, lest a [bitter] trial befall them [in this world] or grievous suffering befall them [in the life to come].”

The commandment to obey the Prophet of God was directly applicable to his contemporaries and subsequently became applicable to all believing men and women. Those who avoid devoting any efforts to collective affairs may think that they are strengthening their individual interests by not wasting their time on matters which are the concern of the entire community. But any group, which loses its collectivism, makes itself vulnerable to its enemies. The destruction that follows is of a general nature and the harm so caused affects everybody. It does not spare even those who were under the impression that they had made themselves safe by giving full attention to their own matters.