shafa'ah - intercession

Discussion in 'Aqidah/Kalam' started by abu Hasan, May 5, 2015.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
Draft saved Draft deleted
  1. abu Hasan

    abu Hasan Administrator

    Explaining the the statement: “Allāh táālā has preserved intercession for his followers as described in hadith” in Ţaĥāwīyah, Shaykh Abd al-Ghani al-Maydānī says:

    The Greater Intercession [shafāáh al-úżmā] on the day of Judgement for the entire creation to release/deliver them from the anxiety of the Assembly and ; this is established for the Messenger of Allāh. ﷺ

    And it is this which “Allāh has preserved for Muslims” because of RasūlAllāh’s ﷺ prayer as reported in şaĥīĥ ĥadīth.

    A ĥadīth in Jāmiý al-Şaghīr from Ţabarānī reporting from Ibn Masúūd rađiyAllāhu ánhū says: “Verily, every prophet has a special prayer [that will surely be accepted]; and I have reserved my special prayer for intercession of my followers [ummah] on the day of Judgement.”

    Ibn Qāđī Ájlūnī [1] in his commentary of Shaybāniyyah said: “Among the exclusive attributes of our Prophet Muĥammad ﷺ, is the intercession on the day of Judgement [ĥashr/Gathering] as mentioned in the [various] ĥadīth of Bukhārī and Muslim; in one such narration is: “I am the first to intercede and the first whose intercession will be accepted”.

    This intercession is for all the people gathered on Judgement Day, to hasten the Reckoning [tájīl al-ĥisāb] and to relieve them from the anxiety and panic in which they will have remained for a very long time. This the Greater Intercession on Judgement Day for the Final Judgement [faşl al-qađā’a] and this exclusive for our prophet Muĥammad ﷺ, and this is the Extolled Station which no one [among Muslims] has denied: “Nigh it is, that your Lord shall raise you to the Extolled Station” [Sūrah Isrā’a, 17:79]

    This is the station where everyone – be the first or the last will praise him; and in the şaĥīĥ ĥadīth we are commanded to beseech Allāh táālā after every call to prayer, for him to attain [the already granted] Extolled Station.

    The reason why we are commanded to ask for him, even though it is a foregone conclusion that he ﷺ will certainly be raised to that station, because of the Divine Promise of Allāh táālā, is to emphasise the honour bestowed upon him ﷺ, and to highlight his exalted rank near Allāh táālā.

    In Sharĥ al-Jazāyiriyyah of Sanūsī:[2] There is no doubt that it is obligatory to believe in this, due to massively-transmitted reports [tawātur] and the unanimous agreement of the nation [ijmāá] that it is established that our Prophet Muĥammad ﷺ will intercede [shafāáh] to relieve the agony of people on that Great Assembly and this attribute is exclusive for him ﷺ.

    Shaykh Ibrāhīm al-Laqānī in the commentary [3] of Jawharah al-Tawĥīd says: Our Master RasūlAllāh ﷺ is given various kinds of intercession, Qāđī [Íyāđ] and [Imām] Nawawī have mentioned five such types:

    =============================================
    The First:
    which is the Greatest Intercession and all-encompassing is the intercession of our Master ﷺ, after people implore other prophets to help, beseeching them to alleviate the misery and deliver them from the horrors of that day, and the lengthy period in which they would have remained awaiting the Judgement, from the anxiety and anguish – and that people will be drowned in sweat, and such terror that people will forget their own children; they will remain in this state for 3000 years and then flee to Sayyidunā Ādam [and others] until Sayyidunā Ýīsā – for another 5000 years; because in asking each of the [five] prophets, there will be a gap of 1000 years as mentioned by Ibn Ĥajar, Qurţubī and others.

    Eventually, they will come to our Master ﷺ, and he will say: “I am here to intercede; I am here to intercede. My ummah! My ummah!” All other prophets before him would have said: “I am worried about myself on this day, go seek help from someone else”.

    This is exclusive and special for our Prophet ﷺ, and this is named: The Greatest Intercession [shafāáh al-úżmā]. There is unanimous agreement concerning this and nobody [who believes in the Great Assembly, ĥashr] denies it; and this intercession is to relieve them from the anxiety of the lengthy wait, when people wish that it ends and people are sent to their abodes, even if it is in hell.

    -------------
    The Second:
    Where he ﷺ shall intercede to make some people enter paradise without facing the Accounting [ĥisāb] and this is also exclusive to our Prophet ﷺ, as mentioned by Qāđī and Nawawī; Ibn Daqīq al-Ýīd was unsure if it is exclusive to him ﷺ and Ibn Ĥajar agreed with him and said: “There is no evidence that it is exclusive to him”.

    -------------
    The Third:
    Intercession for people on whom hellfire has become imperative. He ﷺ shall intercede and stop them from going into fire; Qāđī Íyāđ and Ibn al-Subkī [Tājuddīn] insist that it is an exclusive attribute of our Master ﷺ, though Imām Nawawī is uncertain whether it is his ﷺ exclusive attribute.

    -------------
    The Fourth:
    Intercession for Muslim sinners who have entered hell; RasūlAllāh ﷺ, will intercede for them and it is generally accepted that it is not exclusive for him ﷺ.

    -------------
    The Fifth:
    Intercession for people in paradise to elevate their ranks; this is the kind of intercession which even the Mútazilah do not deny, like the first category.[4]

    There are other types of intercession mentioned and discussed – as well as debated upon.

    Allāh táālā knows best.

    =======================
    Footnotes:
    [1] Muĥammad ibn Ábdullāh al-Dimashqi, better known as Ibn Qāđī Ájlūn (831-876 AH).

    [2] In-shā’Allāh, we will summarise the discussion from that text shortly.

    [3] Laqānī is the author of Jawharah; and he has himself written a commentary named Hidāyatu’l Murīd.

    [4] And they deny the other types; that is intercession for sinners. And this is the reason books of áqīdah emphasise that intercession for ahl al-kabāyir is established.​
     
    Last edited by a moderator: May 5, 2015
    sunni_92 and Abu Hamza like this.
  2. abu Hasan

    abu Hasan Administrator

    In Fiqh al-Akbar Imām Aáżam says:
    Intercession of Prophets (alayhimu’s salatu was salām) is established [ĥaq]. And the intercession of our Prophet ﷺ for sinners among believers is also established to be true, and for those who have committed enormities [ahl al-kabāyir] and for those among them for whom punishment has become imperative, it is established and proven to be true [ĥaqqun thābit] that they will gain intercession of our Nabiy ﷺ.


    Állāmah Álī al-Qārī in his Minaĥ al-Rawđ says:
    The intercession of our Prophet ﷺ is mentioned here especially on the Extolled Station [maqām al-maĥmūd] and the Outstretched Standard [liwā’a al-mamdūd] and the Quenching Pool [ĥawđ al-mawrūd] for sinners who deserve to be punished and those sinners among believers who have committed enormities as is mentioned in the ĥadīth: “My intercession is for those among my followers [ummah] who have committed enormities” [reported by Aĥmad, Abū Dāwūd, Tirmidhī, Ibn Ĥibbān, Ĥākim via Anas; Tirmidhī, Ibn Mājah, Ibn Ĥibbān and Ĥākim via Jābir; Ţabarānī via Ibn Ábbās; Khaţīb via Ibn Úmar and Kaáb ibn Újrah].

    The ĥadīth of intercession, inasmuch as the general meaning, is widely agreed upon and reported by multiple sources and routes.

    ...Also, intercession is established for scholars, saints, martyrs, poor folk, children of believers and those who are steadfast and patient in times of affliction.

    Intercession of our Prophet ﷺ is not restricted only for his nation [ummah] but rather, for all nations – as he is the remover of affliction and the Prophet of Mercy. Indeed, various KINDS of intercession are proven for him, and elaboration of those categories is beyond the scope of this book.
     
    MissHussain, Ghulam Ali and sunni_92 like this.
  3. abu Hasan

    abu Hasan Administrator

    Bismillāh’ir Raĥmāni’r Raĥīm

    we, the ahl al-sunnah believe that shafa'ah or intercession of prophets, scholars, saints/awliya and martyrs is established, valid and will be accepted on the day of judgement.

    given below are summarised from aqidah texts. wa billahi't tawfiq.
     
    Haqbahu likes this.
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.

Share This Page