The Verse: "Obey Allah and Obey the Apostle and those of you (Muslims) who are in authority." (4.59) was revealed in connection with ʿAbdullah bin Hudhafa bin Qais bin ʿAdi' when the Prophet ﷺ appointed him as the commander of a Sariyya (army detachment).

عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ ؓ {أَطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُوا الرَّسُولَ وَأُولِي الأَمْرِ مِنْكُمْ} قَالَ نَزَلَتْ فِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ حُذَافَةَ بْنِ قَيْسِ بْنِ عَدِيٍّ إِذْ بَعَثَهُ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ فِي سَرِيَّةٍ

Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "Whoever obeys me, obeys Allah, and whoever disobeys me, disobeys Allah, and whoever obeys the ruler I appoint, obeys me, and whoever disobeys him, disobeys me."

أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ قَالَ مَنْ أَطَاعَنِي فَقَدْ أَطَاعَ اللَّهَ وَمَنْ عَصَانِي فَقَدْ عَصَى اللَّهَ وَمَنْ أَطَاعَ أَمِيرِي فَقَدْ أَطَاعَنِي وَمَنْ عَصَى أَمِيرِي فَقَدْ عَصَانِي

The Prophet ﷺ said, "A Muslim has to listen to and obey (the order of his ruler) whether he likes it or not, as long as his orders involve not one in disobedience (to Allah), but if an act of disobedience (to Allah) is imposed one should not listen to it or obey it. (See Hadith No. 203, Vol. 4)

عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ قَالَ السَّمْعُ وَالطَّاعَةُ عَلَى الْمَرْءِ الْمُسْلِمِ فِيمَا أَحَبَّ وَكَرِهَ مَا لَمْ يُؤْمَرْ بِمَعْصِيَةٍ فَإِذَا أُمِرَ بِمَعْصِيَةٍ فَلاَ سَمْعَ وَلاَ طَاعَةَ

The Prophet ﷺ sent an army unit (for some campaign) and appointed a man from the Ansar as its commander and ordered them (the soldiers) to obey him. (During the campaign) he became angry with them and said, "Didn't the Prophet ﷺ order you to obey me?" They said, "Yes." He said, "I order you to collect wood and make a fire and then throw yourselves into it." So they collected wood and made a fire, but when they were about to throw themselves into, it they started looking at each other, and some of them said, "We followed the Prophet ﷺ to escape from the fire. How should we enter it now?" So while they were in that state, the fire extinguished and their commander's anger abated. The event was mentioned to the Prophet ﷺ and he said, "If they had entered it (the fire) they would never have come out of it, for obedience is required only in what is good." (See Hadith No. 629. Vol. 5)

بَعَثَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ سَرِيَّةً وَأَمَّرَ عَلَيْهِمْ رَجُلاً مِنَ الأَنْصَارِ وَأَمَرَهُمْ أَنْ يُطِيعُوهُ فَغَضِبَ عَلَيْهِمْ وَقَالَ أَلَيْسَ قَدْ أَمَرَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ أَنَّ تُطِيعُونِي قَالُوا بَلَى قَالَ عَزَمْتُ عَلَيْكُمْ لَمَا جَمَعْتُمْ حَطَبًا وَأَوْقَدْتُمْ نَارًا ثُمَّ دَخَلْتُمْ فِيهَا فَجَمَعُوا حَطَبًا فَأَوْقَدُوا فَلَمَّا هَمُّوا بِالدُّخُولِ فَقَامَ يَنْظُرُ بَعْضُهُمْ إِلَى بَعْضٍ قَالَ بَعْضُهُمْ إِنَّمَا تَبِعْنَا النَّبِيَّ ﷺ فِرَارًا مِنَ النَّارِ أَفَنَدْخُلُهَا فَبَيْنَمَا هُمْ كَذَلِكَ إِذْ خَمَدَتِ النَّارُ وَسَكَنَ غَضَبُهُ فَذُكِرَ لِلنَّبِيِّ ﷺ فَقَالَ لَوْ دَخَلُوهَا مَا خَرَجُوا مِنْهَا أَبَدًا إِنَّمَا الطَّاعَةُ فِي الْمَعْرُوفِ

We entered upon ʿUbādah b. al-Ṣāmit while he was ill. We said, “May Allah set you aright; relate to us a hadith by which Allah will benefit you: something you heard from the Prophet ﷺ.”

He said: The Prophet ﷺ called us, and we pledged allegiance to him. Among what he took from us in that we pledged allegiance to him was that we pledge to listen and obey in our ease and in our hardship, in what we like and what we dislike, and even when others are favored over us; and that we not dispute the authority with those who possess it unless you see clear disbelief for which you have from Allah a proof.

دَخَلْنَا عَلَى عُبَادَةَ بْنِ الصَّامِتِ وَهْوَ مَرِيضٌ، قُلْنَا: أَصْلَحَكَ اللَّهُ، حَدِّثْ بِحَدِيثٍ يَنْفَعُكَ اللَّهُ بِهِ سَمِعْتَهُ مِنَ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ، 

قَالَ: دَعَانَا النَّبِيُّ ﷺ فَبَايَعْنَاهُ فَقَالَ: فِيمَا أَخَذَ عَلَيْنَا أَنْ بَايَعَنَا عَلَى السَّمْعِ وَالطَّاعَةِ فِي مَنْشَطِنَا وَمَكْرَهِنَا وَعُسْرِنَا وَيُسْرِنَا وَأَثَرَةٍ عَلَيْنَا، وَأَنْ لاَ نُنَازِعَ الأَمْرَ أَهْلَهُ إِلاَّ أَنْ تَرَوْا كُفْرًا بَوَاحًا عِنْدَكُمْ مِنَ اللَّهِ فِيهِ بُرْهَانٌ.