Verse 7:158: 'Say, "O mankind! I am, indeed, to you all, a Messenger of Allah to Whom belongs the absolute sovereignty over the heavens and the earth. None is worthy of worship but Him! It is He Who gives life and He Who gives death." So, believe in Allah and His Messenger, the unlettered Prophet who believes in Allah and His Words. Follow him then to get yourselves guided properly.'
It is to be noted here that it is the Prophet who has been asked to address mankind. So, essentially, the divine advice to follow the Prophet, at the end of the Verse, is addressed to those living at the time of the revelation of the Qur'aan. Now, when the Prophet is not living on this earth, there is no question of following the Prophet in person. We must follow the Message he conveyed, that is the Qur'aan! Allah has not asked us to follow what has been man-written, as the Prophet's sayings, hundreds of years after the Prophet's death.
Mohammad Shafi
14th January 2022.