In his saying (peace and blessings be upon him): “I asked my Lord for permission to seek forgiveness for my mother,” does this mean that I intercede for her?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner:
He says: Honorable Shaykh, may Allah grant you success. Muslim narrated in his Sahih that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)Al-Mustadrak lil-Hakim 14:138 Sahih Muslim 976b The question is: Does the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) “that I seek forgiveness for my mother” mean that he intercedes for her, or does it have another meaning?
The Shaykh:
Yes, his supplication (peace and blessings be upon him) was for forgiveness, not for intercession. But Allah prevented him from doing so because she was a disbeliever; because she was a disbeliever. And Allah (Exalted and Majestic is He) said:[At-Tawbah 9:113]. Even Ibrahim disavowed his father when it became clear to him that he was an enemy of Allah. Yes.
The presenter:
He says: Honorable Shaykh, may Allah grant you success.
The Shaykh:
Visiting the graves of disbelievers is permissible for the sake of taking a lesson only, not for supplicating for them. It is solely for the sake of taking a lesson and drawing a warning. As for the graves of the believers, they are visited for both purposes: taking a lesson and drawing a warning, and supplicating for the deceased for forgiveness. Yes.
The questioner:
He says: Honorable Shaykh, may Allah grant you success. He says: Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him).
The Shaykh:
We know that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) did not repeat the visit to his mother’s grave. He visited it once and did not repeat it. So those who frequent what they claim is the grave of Aminah, the mother of the Messenger, their doing this is not permissible. They frequent it, perhaps seeking nearness to Allah through her, which is not for the sake of taking a lesson, but rather they ask her for things. This is not permissible, and it is shirk (associating partners with Allah) with Allah the Mighty and Majestic. Yes.
The presenter:
We ask you.
The Shaykh:
The Companions did not go to the grave of Aminah because they knew that this is not permissible. Yes.
He says: Honorable Shaykh, may Allah grant you success. Muslim narrated in his Sahih that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)
He visited his mother’s grave, so he wept and made those around him weep, then he said: “I asked my Lord for permission to seek forgiveness for my mother, but He did not grant me permission.”
زار قبر أمه، فبكى وأبكى من حوله، ثم قال استأذنت ربي أن أستغفر لأمي فلم يأذن لي،to visit her grave and it was granted to me so visit the graves, for that makes you mindful of death.
أن أزور قبرها فأذن لي فزوروا القبور فإنها تذكر الموت.The Shaykh:
Yes, his supplication (peace and blessings be upon him) was for forgiveness, not for intercession. But Allah prevented him from doing so because she was a disbeliever; because she was a disbeliever. And Allah (Exalted and Majestic is He) said:
It is not for the Prophet and those who have believed to ask forgiveness for the polytheists, even if they were relatives
مَا كَانَ لِلنَّبِيِّ وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا أَن يَسْتَغْفِرُوا لِلْمُشْرِكِينَ وَلَوْ كَانُوا أُولِي قُرْبَىٰThe presenter:
He says: Honorable Shaykh, may Allah grant you success.
The Shaykh:
Visiting the graves of disbelievers is permissible for the sake of taking a lesson only, not for supplicating for them. It is solely for the sake of taking a lesson and drawing a warning. As for the graves of the believers, they are visited for both purposes: taking a lesson and drawing a warning, and supplicating for the deceased for forgiveness. Yes.
The questioner:
He says: Honorable Shaykh, may Allah grant you success. He says: Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him).
The Shaykh:
We know that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) did not repeat the visit to his mother’s grave. He visited it once and did not repeat it. So those who frequent what they claim is the grave of Aminah, the mother of the Messenger, their doing this is not permissible. They frequent it, perhaps seeking nearness to Allah through her, which is not for the sake of taking a lesson, but rather they ask her for things. This is not permissible, and it is shirk (associating partners with Allah) with Allah the Mighty and Majestic. Yes.
The presenter:
We ask you.
The Shaykh:
The Companions did not go to the grave of Aminah because they knew that this is not permissible. Yes.
Source
قناة «العلامة الدكتور صالح الفوزان»، [1073 /1350] في قوله ﷺ (استأذنت ربي أن أستغفر لأمي) هل معناه أن أشفع لها..؟ الشيخ صالح الفوزان — youtube.com
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.