Intercession in the Qur'an and Hadith

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Intercession in the Qur'an and Hadith

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Belief in intercession derives from the Qur'an and the Sunna, as we indicate below.

Intercession in the Qur'an

There are verses in the Qur'an which indicate the reality of the principle of intercession on the Day of Resurrection; and this noble Scripture elucidates both this principle and its dependence on the permission and good pleasure of God:

... and they cannot intercede except for him whom He accepteth. (Sura al¬Anbiya', 21:28)

Belief in the intercession of intercessors on the Day of Resurrection with God's permission is axiomatic in Islam. Intercession pertains to those individuals whose connection with God and religion has not been totally ruptured, and who are capable, despite being defiled by certain sins, of being embraced by the Mercy of God through the blessed prayers of intercessors. 

Belief in the intercession of intercessors on the Day of Resurrection with God's permission is axiomatic in Islam. Intercession pertains to those individuals whose connection with God and religion has not been totally ruptured, and who are capable, despite being defiled by certain sins, of being embraced by the Mercy of God through the blessed prayers of intercessors. 
 
In another verse it is said:
There is no intercessor except after His permission. (Sura Yunus, 10:3)

It is clear that the principle of intercession is, from the Qur'anic perspective, both real and definitive. But now we must ask: who are the intercessors? From certain verses we learn that the angels are among those with the power to intercede:

And how many angels there are in the heavens whose intercession will not avail at all except [only] after Allah has permitted [it] to whom He wills and approves.(Sura al-Najm, 53: 26)

Exegetes have commented that the meaning of the 'praised station' [in the following verse] is the station of intercession proper to the Prophet of Islam: [1]

And keep vigil for a part of the night, as a supererogatory [devotion] for you. It may be that your Lord will raise you to a praiseworthy station. ( Sura Bani Isra'il, 17:79)
Intercession in Hadiths

The principle of intercession is mentioned also in many of the Prophet's sayings, some of which we mention below.
The Prophet said:

'My intercession is especially for the perpetrators of major sins in my community.' [2]

It would seem that the reason why this should be the case is that God has explicitly promised that if people avoid major sins, they will be forgiven (Sura al-Nisa', 1v:31), hence there would be no need for intercession or the like. He [the Prophet] has also said:

'I have received five gifts from God, [one of which] is that of intercession, which I have in store for my community. My intercession is for those who have not associated any partner with God.'[3]
It must be noted that belief in intercession, must not be regarded as a means of emboldening people to commit sins; rather, it should be seen as a ray of hope, in whose light forgiveness can be sought, so that one who has committed certain sins might be led back to the Straight Path, and not be reduced to despair, like those who feel that the divine mercy has passed them by and that they can never revert to the path of rectitude.

Those wishing to investigate further the identity of the intercessors on the Day of Resurrection, apart from the Prophet (such as the ma'sum Imams, sages and martyrs). and also those who are subject to their intercession, should refer to the books on theology and Hadith. For. now, it must be noted that belief in intercession, like belief in the acceptance by God of repentance, must not become a means of emboldening people to commit sins; rather, it should be seen as a ray of hope, in whose light forgiveness can be sought, so that one who has committed certain sins might be led back to the Straight Path, and not be reduced to despair, like those who feel that the divine mercy has passed them by and that they can never revert to the path of rectitude.
Given what has been said above, it will be clear that the effect of intercession is not confined to the elevation of the rank of those granted intercession, as certain groups in Islam (such as the Mu'tazilites) have claimed.[4]

1. 'Allama Tabataba'I, al-Miziin,vol. 13, pp. 191-2; Sbaykhal-Tabarsi Majma' al-bayan, vol. 10, p. 549.
2. Sliaykh Saduq, Man la yahduruhu al- faqih (Tehran, 1390) vol. 3, p. 376.
3. Shaykh Saduq, al-Khisal ch. 5; al-Bukhari, Sahih vol. 1, p. 42; Ibn Hanbal, Musnad, vol. 1, p. 103.
4. Shaykh Mufid, Awa'il al-maqalat fi'l-madhahib wa'lmukhtarat
(Tabriz, 1371/1951), p. 54,

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