SHAFAA’AH (INTERCESSION) AFTER DEATH
ASSEMBLED BY MALLAM ABBA ABANA, KUBWA,
ABUJA, NIGERIA
http://variousislamicdawadocuments.blogspot.com
https://web.facebook.com/abba.abana
emails:gonidamgamiri@yahoo.com;
abba.abana@gmail.com
THURSDAY 10TH RABI AL THANI 1439
AH – 28TH DECEMBER 2017 CE
Bismillah
Walhamdulillah Was Salaatu Was Salaam 'ala Rasulillah. As-Salaam Alaikum
Wa-Rahmatullahi Wa-Barakatuhu. Praise be to Allaah; we seek His help and His
forgiveness. We seek refuge with Allaah from the evil of our own souls and from
our bad deeds. Whomsoever Allaah guides will never be led astray, and
whomsoever Allaah leaves astray, no one can guide. I bear witness that there is
no god but Allaah, and I bear witness that Muhammad (Sallalhu alaihi Wasalam)
is His slave and Messenger.
1.0
INTERCESSION IS WHOLLY IN THE HANDS OF ALLAH (Subhanahu
Wa Taala)
In this brief article
it is clear to every fair-minded person that the correct kind of intercession
is intercession that depends on the permission and approval of Allaah, because
all intercession belongs to Him. That also includes asking for intercession
from living people who are able to do that concerning worldly matters, for
which Allaah has granted permission. It should be pointed out here that this
kind of intercession is permitted because Allaah has given permission for it,
since it involves no kind of emotional attachment to the person, rather the
point is that it is a means, like all other means which Islam permits us to
use. The kind of intercession which is forbidden is asking someone other than
Allaah to do something that no one is able to do except Allaah, because
intercession belongs to no one besides Allaah, and no one can do it unless
Allaah grants him leave and approves of him. (1) Judgment on that Day will
wholly rest with Allah, (2) On that Day no intercession will avail except the
one for whom the most Merciful has given permission and be pleased to give him
a hearing.
So whoever
seeks intercession from anyone else has transgressed upon the exclusive
preserve of Allaah and has wronged himself, and has exposed himself to being
deprived of the intercession of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) on the Day of Resurrection.
2.0 SHAFAA’AH (INTERCESSION) ACCORDING TO HOLY QURAN
It is Allah Who
takes the souls at death and the soul of the one, who has not yet died, during
sleep. Then He withholds that for whom He decrees death and restores the souls
of others till an appointed time. In this there are many signs for the people
who reflect. What! Have they taken besides Allah others as intercessors? Say to
them, "Will they intercede even if they have no power whatever nor
understanding?" Say, "Intercession is wholly in the power of Allah.
His is the Kingdom of the heavens and the earth. Then, to Him you will be
returned." When Allah alone is mentioned, the hearts of those who do not
believe in the Hereafter, are filled with anguish; but when others beside Him
are mentioned, they are at once filled with joy. (Holy Quran 39.42-45)
That will be
the Day when all the people will gather together and witness everything that
will happen there. We are deferring that only for a fixed term. When that Day
will come, no one shall dare speak a word except with Allah's permission. Then
some people shall be damned, while others blessed.( Holy Quran 11.105)
Surely the
righteous will be in bliss, and the wicked will indeed go to Hell. They will
enter it on the Day of Recompense, and will never be able to be absent (to
flee) from it. And what do you know what the Day of Recompense is? Yes, what do
you know what the Day of Recompense is? It is a Day when no one will have the
power to do anything for another. Judgment on that Day will wholly rest with
Allah. (Holy Quran 82.19)
Who is there
that can intercede with Him except by His own permission?( Holy Quran 2.255)
On that Day,
when the Trumpet will be blown and We will muster the criminals while their
eyes will be dimmed (with terror), they will whisper to one another, "You
hardly stayed for ten days on the Earth." We know full well what they will
be talking; (We also know that) at that time the most careful estimator among
them will say, "No, your life on the Earth was but for a day.” They ask
you, "Well, where will the mountains go on that Day?" Say to them,
"My Lord will reduce them to fine dust and scatter it away. He will turn
the Earth into an empty level plain, wherein you will neither see any curve nor
crease." On that Day the people will come straight to the call of the
summoner; no one will dare show any haughtiness, and all the voices will be
hushed before the Merciful and you will hear nothing but a whispering murmur.
On that Day no intercession will avail except the one for whom the most
Merciful has given permission (to intercede) and be pleased to give him a
hearing. He is fully aware of all that is before the people and of all that is
behind them but others do not have full knowledge of it.( Holy Quran 20.102-110)
(O Prophet,)
say {to the polytheists (Mushriks)} "Call those whom you worship as
deities instead Of Allah. They neither own an atom's weigh of anything in the
heavens nor in the earth, nor have they anything to share in either, nor is any
of them a helper of Allah. And no intercession before Allah can avail anyone
except for the one for whom Allah permits it. So much so that when dread is
gone from their hearts, the people will ask (the intercessors), "What
reply did your Lord give?" They will say, “The right reply! And He is the
Exalted, the Great!"( Holy Quran 34.23)
The fact is
that your Lord is Allah Who created the heavens and the earth in six days, then
Himself rose over the Throne of His Kingdom, and is directing the affairs of
the universe. None can intercede with Him except after His permissions That is
Allah, your Lord: so worship Him. Will you not then understand? (Holy Quran
10.3)
And dread the
Day when no one will avail anyone in any way; nor will any ransom be accepted
from anyone; nor will intercession profit anybody; nor will the offenders be
helped from any quarter. (Holy Quran 2.123)
The Day the
hidden secrets are held to scrutiny, then man will neither have any power of
his own nor any helper. (Holy Quran 86.9/10)
O Believers,
spend of the wealth We have bestowed upon you (in Our way) before the Day comes
when there will be no buying and no selling: when neither friendship nor
intercession will be of any avail. Those, who adopt the way of disbelief are
indeed the wrongdoers. (Holy Quran 2.254)
And guard
yourselves against the Day when no one will avail anyone anything; nor will
intercession be accepted from anyone; nor will anyone be acquitted for any
(amount of) ransom; nor will the guilty ones be helped from any quarter.( Holy
Quran 2.48)
Allah it is Who
created the heavens and the earth and all that is between them in six days, and
then Himself rose over the throne. You have no supporter and helper besides Him
nor any intercessor before Him. Will , you not then take heed? (Holy Quran
32.4)
And leave alone
those who have taken their faith as a sport and pastime and have been deluded
by the life of this world; nevertheless, go on admonishing them by reciting the
Qur'an to them lest any person should be seized because of his own deeds, and
that too at the time, when there would be no protector, no helper and no
intercessor to rescue him from Allah, and when no conceivable amount of ransom
would be accepted from him; this is because such people shall be seized in consequence
of what they themselves had earned; they shall get boiling water to drink and a
painful torment to suffer for their rejection of the Truth.( Holy Quran 6.70)
And, O
Muhammad, admonish with this (knowledge based on Revelation) those, who fear
that one Day they shall be brought before their Lord in such a state that they
will find none other than Allah (with competent powers) as protector or
intercessor: it may be that (by this admonition) they adopt the God-fearing
attitude. (Holy Quran 6.51)
The Day when
all people will be naked, and nothing of them will be hidden from Allah. (On
that Day it will be asked:) "Whose is the Kingdom today?" (The whole
universe will cry out:) Of Allah, the One, the Omnipotent (It will be said):
"Today every living being will be recompensed for what it has earned: none
will be wronged today And Allah is swift at reckoning." O Prophet, warn
them of the Day that has approached near, when the hearts will leap up to the
throats and the people will he standing mute, grief stricken: the wrongdoers
will neither have any kindly friend nor any intercessor who may be listened to.
Allah is aware of the treachery of the eyes and even of the secrets that the
breasts keep hidden, and Allah will judge with full justice. As for those whom
they (the mushriks) invoke instead of Allah, they shall judge nothing. Indeed,
Allah alone hears everything and sees everything. (Holy Quran 40.20)
Every person is
a pledge for his own deeds, except the people of the right hand, who will be in
Gardens. There they will ask the culprits, "what has brought you into
Hell?" They will reply, "We were not of those who offered the salat
(prayer), and we did not feed the poor, and we used to join with those who
indulged in idle talk against the Truth, and we used to belie the Day of
Recompense, till the inevitable overtook us." At that time, no
intercession of the intercessors will avail them anything. (Holy Quran 74.48)
These people
worship besides Allah those which can neither harm nor benefit them, and say,
"These are our intercessors with Allah." O Muhammad, say to them,
"Do you presume to inform Allah of that thing which He knows not to be
either in the heavens or in the earth?" He is absolutely free from and
exalted above what they associate with Him. (Holy Quran 10.18)
Allah
originates the creation; then He it is Who will repeat it, and then to Him you
will be returned. And when the Hour is established, the criminals will be
dumb-founded; none of those whom they have set up as associates (with Allah)
will intercede for them, and they will even disown their associates.( Holy
Quran 30.13)
Would that you
could see these wicked people, when they are in the agonies of death, and the
angels are out-stretching their hands and saying, "Come, yield up your
soul; today you shall be awarded a disgraceful torment for the false things you
attributed to Allah and for the rebellion you showed against His
Revelations." (And Allah will add,) "So, you have come before Us all
alone, as We created you at first. Now, you have left behind all that We gave
to you in the world; and now We do not see with you those intercessors who, you
believed, had a share in molding your destinies: all the relations between you
have been cut off, and all those, in whom you trusted, have left you in the
lurch."(Holy Quran 6.94)
Surely for the
righteous there is an abode of success. Gardens and vineyards and maidens of
equal age and brimful cups. There they shall neither hear vulgar talk nor any
falsehood, a reward and sufficient gift from your Lord, from the All-Merciful
God, Who is the Owner of the heavens and the earth and of everything lying
between them, before Whom none can have the power to speak. The Day when the
Spirit and the angels shall be standing up in ranks, none shall speak except
the one whom the Merciful may permit, and who speaks what is right. That Day is
sure to come. Now whoever wills, let him take the path back to his Lord. We
have warned you of the torment which is near at hand. The Day when man will see
all that his hands have sent forward, and the disbeliever will cry out:
"Would that I were mere dust! " (Holy Quran 78.31-40)
He alone is God
in heavens and God on earth: He is the All- Wise, the All-Knowing. Highly
blessed is He to Whom belongs the Kingdom of the heavens and the earth and of
all that lies between them. He alone has the knowledge of the Hour of
Resurrection, and to Him you shall all be returned. Those whom they call upon
beside Him have no power of intercession except that one may testify to the
Truth by virtue of knowledge. (Holy Quran 43.86)
The day is
coming near, when We will present the righteous people like honored guests
before the Merciful, and drive the criminals to Hell like thirsty flocks. At
that time no one shall have the ability to intercede except the one who may
have received permission from the Merciful. (Holy Quran 19.87)
And there are
many angels in the heavens! Their intercession can avail nothing until Allah
permits it in favor of whomever He wills and is pleased with. (Holy Quran
53.26)
They say,
"The Merciful has offspring (children)." Glory be to Allah! they are
His mere servants who have been honored: they do not exceed the limits in their
talk before Him and just do His bidding. He knows whatever is before them and
also whatever is hidden from them; they "do not intercede for anyone
except for the one for whom Allah pleases to hear a plea, and they live in awe
of Him And if anyone of them were to say, "I am also a deity besides
Allah", We would send him to Hell, for this is the recompense from Us for
such workers of iniquity. (Holy Quran 21.29
As the Ark was
moving on with them amid waves like mountains, Noah cried out to his son, who
was at a distance, "My son! Embark with us and be not with the
unbelievers." He answered, "I am going to climb up a mountain that
will protect me from waters." Noah said, "Today there is nothing to
protect from Allah's judgment except that He Himself should take pity on
anyone." In the meantime a wave came between them and he was among the
drowned. It was commanded, "O Earth! Swallow up your waters, and O Sky,
cease your rain!" Accordingly the waters sank into the Earth. The decree
was carried out; and the Ark rested upon Mount Judi. And it was proclaimed:
"Gone are the workers of iniquity!"
Noah called out
to his Lord, saying, "My Lord! My son is of my family, and Thy promise is
surely true and You are the greatest and the best of all rulers." In
answer it was said, "O Noah! He is not of your family; he has turned out
to be a worthless act. So do not ask Me anything of which you have no
knowledge. I admonish you that you should not behave like ignorant
people." Noah meekly replied, "My Lord, I seek Your protection from
asking You anything of which I have no knowledge. And unless You forgive me and
have Mercy on me, I will indeed be one of the losers". (Holy Quran
11.42-47)
Allah cites for
the disbelievers the example of the wives of Noah and Lot. They were married to
two of Our righteous servants, but they betrayed their husbands, and they could
not avail them anything against Allah. To both it was said, "Enter the
Fire along with those who enter," And for the believers, Allah cites the
example of the wife of Pharaoh, when she prayed, "My Lord, build for me,
in Your Presence, a house in Paradise, and save me from Pharaoh and his work
and save me from the wicked." And (Allah) cites the example of Mary,
daughter of Imran, who had guarded her chastity. So We breathed into her body
of Our Spirit, and she testified to the Words of her Lord and His Books, and
she was one of the obedient. (Holy Quran 66.12)
O Prophet, you
cannot give guidance to whom you please, but Allah gives guidance to whom He
pleases, and He best knows those who would accept guidance. (Holy Quran 28.56)
And when it is
said to them, "Come, the Messenger of Allah will pray for your
forgiveness," they shake their heads and you see them turning away with
arrogance. O Prophet, whether you pray for their forgiveness, or not, it is the
same for them. Allah shall never forgive them, for Allah does not guide the
transgressors. (Holy Quran 63.6)
O Prophet, (it
will all be the same) whether you beg forgiveness for such people or not; for
Allah will not forgive them even if you beg forgiveness for them seventy times.
This is because they have no belief in Allah and His Messenger: and Allah does
not show guidance to the wrong-doers. (Holy Quran 9.80)
(O Prophet) do
not plead for the dishonest people: implore Allah's forgiveness: for Allah is
Forgiving and Compassionate. You should not plead for those who are dishonest
to themselves: Allah does not like the one who is persistently dishonest and
sinful. (Holy Quran 4.107)
Well, (O
Prophet) you have argued on their behalf in this worldly life but who will
argue their case with Allah on the Day of Resurrection? Or who will be their
defender there? (Holy Quran 4.109)
It is not
proper for the Prophet and those who have believed to pray for the forgiveness
of the mushriks (who associate partners to Allah), even though they be near
kinsmen, when it has become clear to them that they deserve Hell. As regards
the prayer of Abraham for his father, it was only to fulfill a promise he had
made to him, but when he realized that he was an enemy of Allah, he disowned
him. The fact is that Abraham was a tender-hearted, God fearing and forbearing
man.( Holy Quran 9.114)
Allah: the
Everlasting, the Sustainer of the whole Universe; there is no god but He. He
does neither slumber nor sleep. Whatsoever is in the heavens and in the earth
is His. Who is there that can intercede with Him except by His own permission?
He knows what is before the people and also what is hidden from them. And they
cannot comprehend anything of His knowledge except whatever He Himself pleases
to reveal. His Kingdom spreads over the heavens and the earth and the guarding
of these does not weary Him. He alone is the Supreme and the Exalted.( Holy
Quran 2.255)
3.0 TYPES OF INTERCESSION (SHAFAA’AH)
Intercession
means mediating for someone else to gain some benefit or ward off some harm.
3.1 IT IS OF TWO TYPES:
1. The first
type: intercession that will take place in the Hereafter, on the Day of
Resurrection.
2. The second
type: intercession concerning matters of this world.
With regard to
the intercession that will take place in the Hereafter, it is of two types:
The first type:
exclusive intercession, which will be granted only to the Messenger (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him), and no one else in creation will have a share
in that with him. 3.2 INTERCESSION
(SHAFAA’AH) VARIOUS KINDS:
1 – THE GREATER INTERCESSION. This
is the station of praise and glory (al-maqaam al-mahmood) which Allaah has
promised to him, when He said (interpretation of the meaning): “And in some
parts of the night (also) offer the Salaat (prayer) with it (i.e. recite the
Qur’aan in the prayer) as an additional prayer (Tahajjud optional prayer
Nawaafil) for you (O Muhammad). It may be that your Lord will raise you to
Maqaam Mahmood (a station of praise and glory, i.e., the honour of intercession
on the Day of Resurrection)”[Holy Quran al-Isra’ 17:79]
What this
intercession means is that he will intercede for all of mankind when Allaah delays
the Reckoning and they have waited for so long in the place of gathering on the
Day of Resurrection. Their distress and anxiety will reach a point
where they can no longer bear it, and they will say, “Who will intercede for us
with our Lord so that He will pass judgement amongst His slaves?” and they will
wish to leave that place. So the people will come to the Prophets, each of whom
will say, “I am not able for it,” until when they come to our Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him), he will say, “I am able for it, I am able
for it.” So he will intercede for them, that judgement may be passed. This is
the greater intercession, and it is one of the things that belong exclusively
to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).
There are many
ahaadeeth which speak of this intercession, in al-Saheehayn and elsewhere, such
as the hadeeth narrated by al-Bukhaari in his Saheeh (1748) from Ibn ‘Umar (may
Allaah be pleased with him): “The people will fall on their knees on the Day of
Resurrection, each nation following its Prophet, saying, ‘O So and so,
intercede!’ until intercession is granted to the Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him). On that Day Allaah will resurrect him to a station of
praise and glory.”
2 – INTERCESSION FOR THE PEOPLE OF PARADISE
TO ENTER PARADISE.
It was narrated
that Anas ibn Maalik said: “The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) said: ‘I will come to the gate of Paradise on the Day of
Resurrection and will ask for it to be opened. The gatekeeper will say, “Who
are you?” I will say, “Muhammad.” He will say, “I was commanded not to open it
for anyone before you.”’” (Narrated by Muslim, 333).
According to
another report narrated by Muslim (332), “I will be the first one to intercede
concerning Paradise.”
3 – THE INTERCESSION OF THE MESSENGER (PEACE
AND BLESSINGS OF ALLAAH BE UPON HIM) FOR HIS UNCLE ABU TAALIB:
It was narrated
from Abu Sa’eed al-Khudri (may Allaah be pleased with him) that mention was
made of his uncle Abu Taalib in the presence of the Messenger of Allaah (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him). He said, “Perhaps my intercession will
benefit him on the Day of Resurrection, and he will be placed in a shallow part
of the Fire which will come up to his ankles and cause his brains to boil.”
(Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 1408; Muslim, 360).
4 – HIS INTERCESSION SO THAT SOME PEOPLE OF
HIS UMMAH WILL ENTER PARADISE WITHOUT BEING BROUGHT TO ACCOUNT.
This kind of
intercession was mentioned by some of the scholars, who quoted as evidence the
lengthy hadeeth of Abu Hurayrah concerning intercession, in which it says:
“Then it will be said, ‘O Muhammad, raise your head; ask, it will be given to
you; intercede, your intercession will be accepted.’ So I will raise my head
and say, ‘My Ummah, O Lord; my Ummah, O Lord; my Ummah, O Lord.’ It will be
said, ‘Admit those among your Ummah who are not to be brought to account
through the right-hand gate of Paradise. They will share the other gates with
the people of other nations.’” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 4343; Muslim, 287).
4.0 THE SECOND TYPE: GENERAL INTERCESSION.
This will be
granted to the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and others
– angels, Prophets and righteous people – will share in it as Allaah wills.
This is of various kinds:
4.1 INTERCESSION FOR SOME PEOPLE WHO HAVE
ENTERED HELL, WHICH THEY MIGHT BE BROUGHT FORTH FROM IT. There is a
great deal of evidence for this, for example:
The marfoo’
hadeeth of Abu Sa’eed al-Khudri (may Allaah be pleased with him) in Saheeh
Muslim (269): “By the One in Whose hand is my soul, none of you can be more
insistent in asking Allaah to restore his rights against his opponent than the
believers who will ask Allaah, on the Day of Resurrection, (to grant them the
power of intercession) for their brothers who are in the Fire. They will say,
‘Our Lord, they used to fast with us and pray and perform Hajj.’ It will be
said to them, ‘Bring out those whom you recognize, so the Fire will be
forbidden to burn them.’ So they will bring out many people… And Allaah will
say: ‘The angels have interceded, and the Prophets have interceded, and the
believers have interceded. There is none left but the Most Merciful of those
who show mercy.’ Then He will seize a handful of the Fire and bring forth from
it people who never did anything good.”
4.2 INTERCESSION FOR PEOPLE WHO DESERVE
HELL, THAT THEY MAY NOT ENTER IT. This may be indicated by the words of
the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him): “There is no Muslim
who dies and forty men who associate nothing with Allaah pray the funeral
prayer for him, but Allaah will accept their intercession for him.” (Narrated
by Muslim, 1577). For this intercession happens before the deceased enters
Hell, and Allaah will accept their intercession concerning that.
4.3 INTERCESSION FOR SOME OF THE BELIEVERS
WHO DESERVE PARADISE, THAT THEY MAY BE RAISED IN STATUS IN PARADISE.
For example, Muslim (may Allaah have mercy on him) narrated (1528) that the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) prayed for Abu Salamah and
said: “O Allaah, forgive Abu Salamah and raise his status among those who are
guided, and take good care of his family that he has left behind. Forgive us
and him, O Lord of the Worlds, make his grave spacious for him and illuminate
it for him.”
CONDITIONS OF THIS INTERCESSION:
The evidence
indicates that intercession in the Hereafter will only happen if the following
conditions are met:
1) Allaah must
approve of the one for whom intercession is made, because Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning):“and they
cannot intercede except for him with whom He is pleased”[ Holy Quran al-Anbiya’
21:28]
This implies
that the one for whom intercession is made must be a believer in Tawheed,
because Allaah is not pleased with the Mushrikeen. In Saheeh al-Bukhaari (97)
it is narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) that he said:
“It was said, ‘O Messenger of Allaah, who will be the most blessed of people by
your intercession of the Day of Resurrection?’ The Messenger of Allaah (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “I thought, O Abu Hurayrah, that no
one would ask me about this hadeeth before you, because I have seen how keen
you are to learn hadeeth. The people who will be most blessed by my
intercession on the Day of Resurrection are those who say Laa ilaaha ill-Allaah sincerely from the heart.’”
2) Allaah must
give permission to the intercessor to intercede, because Allaah says (interpretation
of the meaning): “Who is he that can
intercede with Him except with His Permission?”[Holy Quran al-Baqarah 2:255]
3) Allaah must
approve of the intercessor, because Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “…whose intercession will avail nothing
except after Allaah has given leave for whom He wills and is pleased with”[
Holy Quran al-Najm 53:26]
And the
Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) has stated that those who
curse much will not be intercessors on the Day of Resurrection, as Muslim
narrated in his Saheeh (4703) that Abu’l-Darda’ (may Allaah be pleased with
him) said: “I heard the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) say, ‘Those who curse much will not be witnesses or intercessors on the
Day of Resurrection.’”
5.0 THE SECOND TYPE OF INTERCESSION IS THAT WHICH HAS TO
DO WITH MATTERS OF THIS WORLD. THIS IS OF TWO TYPES:
1 – That which
is within a person’s ability to do something. This is permissible, subject to
two conditions:
1) That it should
have to do with a permissible thing. It is not correct to intercede concerning
something that will result in the loss of people’s rights or in wrong being
done to them. It is also not correct to intercede concerning something that is
haraam, such as those who intercede concerning those who deserve the hadd
punishment, asking that it not be carried out on them. Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning): “Help
you one another in Al-Birr and At-Taqwa (virtue, righteousness and piety); but
do not help one another in sin and transgression”[ Holy Quran al-Maa’idah 5:2]
According to a
hadeeth narrated by ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her), Quraysh were
concerned about a Makhzoomi woman who had stolen, and they said, “Who will
speak to the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
concerning her? Who better than Usaamah, the beloved of the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)?” So Usaamah spoke to him, and the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, “Are you
interceding concerning one of the hadd punishments prescribed by Allaah?” Then
he stood up and addressed the people, and said, “O people, those who came
before you were only destroyed because if one of their nobles stole they would
let him off but if one of the weak stole they would carry out the punishment on
him. By Allaah, if Faatimah the daughter of Muhammad were to steal, I would cut
off her hand.” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 3261; Muslim, 3196).
In Saheeh
al-Bukhaari (5568) and Saheeh Muslim (4761) it is narrated that Abu Moosa (may
Allaah be pleased with him) said that if someone came with a need to the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), he would turn
to those who were sitting with him and say, “Intercede, and you will be
rewarded, and Allaah will decree what He wills through the lips of His
Messenger.”
2) In his
heart, the person must depend on Allaah alone to realize his aim and ward off
what is disliked. He should know that this intercessor is no more than a means
which Allaah has permitted to us, and that benefit and harm are in the hand of
Allaah alone. This meaning is expressed clearly in the Book of Allaah and the
Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). If either
of these two conditions is not met, then the intercession is not allowed.
2 – That which
is not within a person’s ability to do something, such as seeking intercession
from the dead and occupants of graves, or from a living person who is absent,
believing that he is able to hear and meet one’s need. This is the kind of
intercession that constitutes shirk, which is clearly forbidden in many verses
of the Qur’aan and ahaadeeth from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him), because it ascribes to them attributes which belong only to the
Creator, for He is the Ever-living Who never dies.
Their specious
argument is that the awliya’ (“saints”) and Sayyids intercede for their
relatives and for those who call on them and take them as friends and love
them, and because of that they ask them for intercession. This is exactly what
Allaah described the early mushrikeen as doing, when they said, “These are our intercessors with Allaah”[
Holy Quran Yoonus 10:18 – interpretation of the meaning] – referring to
those whom they worshipped among the angels, righteous people and others, and
meaning that they would intercede for them with Allaah. In the same way, the
contemporary Mushrikoon say “the awliya’ (‘saints’) intercede for us; we cannot
ask of Allaah (directly) so we ask them and they ask of Allaah.” And they say
that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and all the
Prophets and righteous people were given the power of intercession, and we call
upon them and say, intercede for us as Allaah has given you the power of
intercession. They give the example of kings in this world, and say that the
kings of this world can only be approached through intercession; if you need
something, you go to their friends and those who are close to them, their
ministers, gatekeepers, servants, etc., to intercede for you so that the king
can deal with your matter; so we reach Allaah by approaching and asking His
awliyaa’ and the Sayyids who are close to Him. By doing this they fall into the
same shirk as those who came before them, and they compare the Creator to His
creation.
Allaah tells us
of a righteous man in Soorat Ya-Seen, who said (interpretation of the meaning):
“ ‘Shall I take besides Him aalihah
(gods)? If the Most Gracious (Allaah) intends me any harm, their intercession
will be of no use for me whatsoever”[ Holy Quran Ya-Seen 36:23]
And Allaah
tells us that the kuffaar will confess it themselves: “They will say: ‘We were not of those who used to offer the Salaah
(prayers), Nor we used to feed Al-Miskeen (the poor); And we used to talk
falsehood (all that which Allaah hated) with vain talkers. And we used to belie
the Day of Recompense, Until there came to us (the death) that is certain’ So
no intercession of intercessors will be of any use to them” [Holy Quran
al-Muddaththir 74:43-48 – interpretation of the meaning]
The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), even though he will be given the
power of intercession on the Day of Resurrection, will not be able to use it
until after Allaah has given him permission and has approved of the one for
whom intercession is to be made.
Hence he (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did not let his Ummah ask him to intercede
for them in this world, and that was not narrated from any one of his Sahaabah
(may Allaah be pleased with them). If that had been a good thing, he would have
conveyed it to his ummah and called them to do it, and his Companions who were
keen to do good would have hastened to do it. Thus we know that seeking
intercession from him now (in this world) is a great wrong, because it involves
calling upon someone other than Allaah and doing something which is an obstacle
to intercession, for intercession is available only to those who sincerely
believe in Allaah alone (Tawheed)
The people in
the place of standing (on the Day of Resurrection) will only ask the Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) to intercede for them so that judgement
will be passed, because he will be there with them and because he will be able
to turn to his Lord and ask Him. This is like asking a person who is alive and
present to do make du’aa’ for one, which is something that he is able to do.
Hence it is not
narrated that any of the people in the place of standing will ask him (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) to intercede for them that their sins
might be forgiven.
Those who ask
him for intercession now, based on the fact that it will be permissible to ask
him for that in the Hereafter, if their claims were justified, would have to
limit what they say to, “O Messenger of Allaah, intercede for us that judgement
may be passed”! But they do something other than that. They do not limit it to
a request for intercession, rather they ask the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) – and others – to relieve their distress and send down
mercy; they turn to him at times of calamity; they pray to him on land and sea,
at times of ease and times of difficulty, ignoring the words of Allaah
(interpretation of the meaning):
“Is not He (better than your gods) Who responds to the
distressed one, when he calls on Him, and Who removes the evil, and makes you
inheritors of the earth, generations after generations?”[ Holy Quran al-Naml
27:62]
We ask Allaah
to keep us safe and sound, and we ask Him to cause our Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) to intercede for us … Ameen.
SOURCES
Al-Shafaa’ah
‘inda Ahl al-Sunnah wa’l-Jamaa’ah by Shaykh Naasir al-Juday’; al-Qawl al-Mufeed
by Shaykh Muhammad ibn ‘Uthaymeen, 1/423; A’laam al-Sunnah al-Manshoorah, 144.
Islam Q&A, 26259, Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid, https://islamqa.info/en/cat/458
REFLECTIONS, Website:
www.ummah.com/reflections, Quarterly: Issue No 17, Muharram 1422
