ASH-SHAFAA ‘AH – INTERCESSION

When the distress of the people in that great gathering grows intense, they will search for a long time among those of high status for someone to intercede for them with their Lord.

They will ask their father Adam A.S. to undertake this great mission, and they will remind him of his virtue and how Allah honoured him, but he will refuse and will make excuses. He will mention how he disobeyed his Lord by eating from the tree from which Allah forbade him to eat, and he will refer them to Nooh (Noah) A.S., the first Messenger whom Allah sent to mankind, whom Allah called a grateful slave. But he will refuse and make excuses by referring to some of his shortcomings in his duties towards his Lord and Master. He will refer them to the Mighty Messengers who came after him, and each of them in turn will refer them to the one who came after him, until they come to the Last Messenger, Muhammad ﷺ, to whom Allah forgave all his past and future sins, so he occupies a position for which the earlier and later generations will praise him, and his great and high status will thereby be made manifest. He will ask his Lord for permission, which will be granted, and he will praise and glorify Him, and ask Him with regard to his ummah, and his prayer will be answered. That is because Allah has granted each Prophet a prayer for his nation which will not be refused. Every Prophet hastened to offer that supplication in this world, but the Messenger ﷺ saved his prayer for that great gathering when his ummah will need his supplication. May Allah bless him and grant him peace, for he is kind and merciful towards his ummah, as his Lord described him. It is narrated in Bukhari and Muslim that Anas ibn Maalik R.A. said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “Every Prophet asked for something or every Prophet was granted one supplication for his nation, but I have postponed my supplication in order to intercede for my ummah on the Day of Resurrection.” 

The Hadeeth about Ash-Shafaa’ah

Bukhari, Muslim and Tirmidhi narrated that Prophet ﷺ said : –

‘I will be the leader of mankind on the Day of Resurrection. Do you know why that is? Allah will gather the first and the last in one arena, and they will all be seen and they will all hear the call of the caller. The sun will be brought close to them, and the people will suffer unbearable distress and grief. The people will say, ‘Do you not see the state you are in and how bad it is? Why don’t you look for someone who will intercede for you with your Lord? And the people will say to one another, ‘Your father Adam A.S.’ So they will go to him and say, ‘ O ‘ Adam, you are the father of mankind; Allah created you with His hand and breathed into you the soul (created by Allah for you); He commanded the angels to prostrate to you and He caused you to dwell in Paradise. Why do you not intercede for us with your Lord? Do you not see the state we are in and how bad it is?’ He will say, ‘My Lord is angry today in a way that He has never been before and never will be again. He forbade me (to eat) from the tree, and I disobeyed him. Myself, myself, myself. Go to someone else, go to Nooh (Noah) A.S.’
So they will go to Nooh and will say, ‘O’ Nooh, you were the first of the Messengers to the people of the earth, and Allah called you a grateful slave. Do you not see the state we are in and how bad it is? Why do you not intercede for us with your Lord?’ He will say, ‘My Lord is angry today in a way that He has never been before and never will be again. I had one supplication and I prayed against my people. Myself, myself, myself. Go to someone else, go to Ibraaheem (Abraham) A.S.’
So they will go to Ibraaheem and will say: ‘You are the Prophet of Allah, His Close Friend (Khaleel) among the people of the earth. Intercede for us with your Lord. Do you not see the state we are in?’ He will say to them: ‘My Lord is angry today in a way that He has never been before and never will be again, and I told three lies which he will mention – Myself, myself, myself. Go to someone else, go to Moosa (Moses) A.S.’
So they will go to Moosa and will say, ‘You are the Messenger of Allah, and He favoured you above the people by sending you and by speaking to you. Intercede for us with your Lord. Do you not see the state we are in?’ He will say to them: ‘My Lord is angry today in a way that He has never been before and never will be again, and I killed a soul whom I had not been commanded to kill. Myself, myself, myself. Go to someone else, go to ‘Eesa (Jesus) A.S.’
So they will come to ‘Eesa, and will say, ‘O’ ‘Eesa, you are the Messenger of Allah and His Word which He bestowed on Maryam, and a spirit created by Him, and you spoke to the people in the cradle. Intercede for us with your Lord. Do you not see the state we are in?”Eesa will say to them: ‘My Lord is angry today in a way that He has never been before and never will be again,’ and he will not mention any sin. ‘Myself, myself, myself. Go to someone else, go to Muhammad.’
So they will come to Muhammad ﷺ – according to one report, they will come to me – and will say, ‘O’ Muhammad, you are the Messenger of Allah and the Seal of the Prophets. Allah forgave you all your past and future sins. Intercede for us with your Lord. Do you not see the state we are in?’ So I will set out and come beneath the Throne, where I will fall down prostrating to my Lord. Then Allah will inspire me to praise Him in a way that no one before me was ever inspired. Then it will be said, ‘O’ Muhammad, raise your head. Ask and you will be given, intercede and your intercession will be accepted. ‘ So I will raise my head and say, ‘My ummah, O’ Lord, my ummah O’ Lord, my ummah O’ Lord. ‘It will be said, ‘O’ Muhammad, admit to Paradise those among your ummah who will not be brought to account, from the right-hand gate of the gates of Paradise.’ They will have the right to enter through the same gates as other people. Then he said: ‘By the One in Whose Hand is my soul, the distance between two of the gateposts of Paradise is like the distance between Makkah and Hajar – or like the distance between Makkah and Busrah. “

SubhaanAllah! `Allahumma salli `ala Muhammadin, wa `ala `ali Muhammadin, kama sallaita `ala `ali Ibrahima, innaka Hamidum Majid. Allahumma barik `ala Muhammadin, wa `ala `ali Muhammadin, kama barakta `ala `ali Ibrahima, innaka Hamidum Majid 

Two important things to note from the Hadeeth: –

1. The intercession can only be made to those who Allah grants permission.
2. Another great thing to note in this Hadeeth is that all the Prophets (apart from Prophet Mohammad ﷺ) said. “”‘My Lord is angry today in a way that He has never been before and never will be again” SubhaanAllah this is a day where those who were amongst the best of the people the Prophets of Allah, the Khaleel of Allah, all of them, all of them are scared, what do you think you and I will feel? Prepare o my brothers and sisters, prepare for that day, repent and hasten to do good deeds, do your best to get a chance to be amongst the saved ones, the ones under His shade, those for whom our beloved Prophet ﷺ will interecede. Do your best, pray and remember the ummah in your prayers!

Types of Intercession on that Day

• The greater intercession, which is the station of praise and glory (Al-Maqaam al-Mahmood). This is when the first and the last will approach the Messenger ﷺ to intercede with his Lord so that the people may find relief from the terrors of the gathering.
• Intercession for the sinners among the monotheists (believers in Tawheed) who entered Hell (for their sins).

Intercession for sinners is not specific for the last Messenger ﷺ. The Prophets, martyrs and scholars may all be given the permission by Allah and will intercede. A man’s deeds will also intercede for him. But our Messenger ﷺ will have the greatest share of this type of intercession. 

SOURCE: https://learn-islam.org/