Lesson Content
What shafa'ah means
| Arabic | Term | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| الشَّفَاعَة | Language | Making an odd number even: one joins another |
| الشَّفَاعَة | Usage | Asking someone on behalf of another, to bring a benefit or ward off harm |
The question "who is it that...?" is a challenge: no one can, except by His permission (Ibn 'Uthaymeen).
Who will intercede
On the Day of Judgement: the Prophet ﷺ first, the other prophets, the angels, the martyrs, children who died young, the believers, and whoever Allah permits. Even the angels' intercession avails nothing without His permission:
And how many angels there are in the heavens whose intercession avails nothing except after Allah permits for whom He wills and is pleased with.an-Najm 53:26
The conditions of intercession
Say: to Allah belongs all intercession.az-Zumar 39:44
And intercession does not benefit with Him except for one whom He permits.Saba' 34:23
This is one of the subtleties of tawhid: intercession is obtained only through pure tawhid. Whoever has the most complete tawhid is the most deserving of it. It is not obtained by associating partners with the one who will be granted intercession, as the polytheists did.
The polytheists' "intercessors"
And they worship besides Allah that which neither harms them nor benefits them, and they say: these are our intercessors with Allah.Yunus 10:18
We only worship them so that they may bring us nearer to Allah.az-Zumar 39:3
Asking a living, righteous person to make du'a for you. Its acceptance is with Allah.
Asking the dead to intercede: they cannot hear, and no one knows who will be granted intercession.
Kings and the King of kings
Kings need intercessors because their knowledge, power and authority are incomplete; those close to a king may even intercede without his permission. Allah is perfect in knowledge, power and authority and needs no intercessor, so intercession with Him happens only by His permission. Even the Prophet ﷺ, the greatest in rank, will first prostrate and praise Allah, then it will be said: "Raise your head; intercede and your intercession will be accepted."
The six kinds of intercession (Ibn 'Uthaymeen)
- The greatest intercession for the people standing at the Gathering, the praised station
- For the people of Jannah to enter it
- For his uncle Abu Talib, to lighten his punishment
- That one who deserves the Fire is not entered into it
- To bring out of the Fire believers who entered it because of their sins
- To raise the ranks of the believers
Key points
- Shafa'ah: asking on behalf of another, to bring benefit or ward off harm.
- Three conditions: His permission, His pleasure with the intercessor, His pleasure with the one interceded for.
- The happiest with the Prophet's intercession: the one who says la ilaha illa Allah sincerely.
- Asking the living for du'a is allowed; asking the dead to intercede is not.
- Six kinds of intercession; three are special to the Prophet ﷺ.
Quiz
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