A master commands a servant to do something, and the servant refuses. The instruction remains a command even though compliance does not occur. A command is therefore not defined by the successful execution of its object.
The commanded act (maʾmūr bih) is what was ordered; compliance (imthithāl) is conformity; and disobedience (ʿiṣyān) is nonconformity. “A command was given” and “the command was obeyed” are distinct propositions.
The distinction matters when examining how an eternal command concerns future actions and persons.