Intercession, its meaning, its types, and its conditions
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Question:
Through the saying of Allah (Mighty and Majestic): “Who is it that would intercede with Him except by His permission?” He asks: What is intercession? Is intercession sought from other than Allah? And does it have types?
Answer:
Answer: Intercession, in its original sense, is mediation to obtain what is sought from the one who has the authority to grant it. Intercession may be with Allah, or it may be with creation. One intercedes with those among creation who hold the needs of people, such as kings, leaders, and dignitaries, who have the power to fulfill the needs of people. One intercedes with them to have people’s needs met. This carries merit if the intercession is for permissible and beneficial matters. However, if the intercession is for harmful or forbidden matters, it is bad intercession. Allah the Exalted said: “Whoever intercedes with a good intercession will have a share of it, and whoever intercedes with a bad intercession will have a share of it.” Thus, there is sin in bad intercession in forbidden matters, such as interceding to have hudud (fixed Qur'anic punishments) waived, interceding to oppress people, or to take their wealth. Seizing wealth is forbidden and not permissible, because it is oppression. This is intercession with creation. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Intercede and you will be rewarded, and Allah will fulfill through the tongue of His Messenger what He wills.” As for intercession with Allah, it is to supplicate for your brother for forgiveness, mercy, and the fulfillment of his needs. Supplication is intercession. If your brother asks you to supplicate to Allah for the fulfillment of his permissible and beneficial needs, and you do so, you have interceded for him. As for intercession with Him on the Day of Resurrection, for entering Paradise and for the removal of those from the Fire, this requires two conditions. The first condition is the permission of Allah for the intercessor to intercede: “Who is it that would intercede with Him except by His permission?” The second condition is that the one for whom intercession is sought be from the people of faith, even if he has committed a major sin and deserves punishment. You intercede for him with Allah, or the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) intercedes for him with Allah, so that He may pardon him from the punishment. However, if the one for whom intercession is sought is from the people of disbelief and shirk (associating partners with Allah), intercession for him is not permissible, and Allah does not accept it. “So the intercession of the intercessors will not benefit them,” and “The wrongdoers will have no close friend, nor any intercessor who will be obeyed.” Therefore, these two conditions are necessary: the permission of Allah for the intercessor to intercede, and His satisfaction with the one for whom intercession is sought, by being from the people of faith.
Through the saying of Allah (Mighty and Majestic): “Who is it that would intercede with Him except by His permission?” He asks: What is intercession? Is intercession sought from other than Allah? And does it have types?
Answer:
Answer: Intercession, in its original sense, is mediation to obtain what is sought from the one who has the authority to grant it. Intercession may be with Allah, or it may be with creation. One intercedes with those among creation who hold the needs of people, such as kings, leaders, and dignitaries, who have the power to fulfill the needs of people. One intercedes with them to have people’s needs met. This carries merit if the intercession is for permissible and beneficial matters. However, if the intercession is for harmful or forbidden matters, it is bad intercession. Allah the Exalted said: “Whoever intercedes with a good intercession will have a share of it, and whoever intercedes with a bad intercession will have a share of it.” Thus, there is sin in bad intercession in forbidden matters, such as interceding to have hudud (fixed Qur'anic punishments) waived, interceding to oppress people, or to take their wealth. Seizing wealth is forbidden and not permissible, because it is oppression. This is intercession with creation. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Intercede and you will be rewarded, and Allah will fulfill through the tongue of His Messenger what He wills.” As for intercession with Allah, it is to supplicate for your brother for forgiveness, mercy, and the fulfillment of his needs. Supplication is intercession. If your brother asks you to supplicate to Allah for the fulfillment of his permissible and beneficial needs, and you do so, you have interceded for him. As for intercession with Him on the Day of Resurrection, for entering Paradise and for the removal of those from the Fire, this requires two conditions. The first condition is the permission of Allah for the intercessor to intercede: “Who is it that would intercede with Him except by His permission?” The second condition is that the one for whom intercession is sought be from the people of faith, even if he has committed a major sin and deserves punishment. You intercede for him with Allah, or the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) intercedes for him with Allah, so that He may pardon him from the punishment. However, if the one for whom intercession is sought is from the people of disbelief and shirk (associating partners with Allah), intercession for him is not permissible, and Allah does not accept it. “So the intercession of the intercessors will not benefit them,” and “The wrongdoers will have no close friend, nor any intercessor who will be obeyed.” Therefore, these two conditions are necessary: the permission of Allah for the intercessor to intercede, and His satisfaction with the one for whom intercession is sought, by being from the people of faith.
Source
www.alfawzan.af.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.