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Intercession (shifa'ah)

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Chapter 8

Intercession (shifa'ah)

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The issue of intercession is one of the most controversial issues within Islam. The Shi'a school of thought and some schools within the Sunni tradition accept intercession, while others reject it and say that whoever believes in it is not a Muslim. The Qur'an addresses this issue in three manners. First, there are the verses which negate the shifa'ah, such as 2:123 and 2:254. Then, there are the verses which say that the shifa'ah is exclusively the domain of Allah - that is, that He and only He has the ability to intercede, such as 6:70 and 39:44. Finally, there are those verses which specialize the first two categories and give the complete verdict about the shifa'ah in Islam. They state that the shifa'ah is only the right of Allah, but He will, whenever He wishes, extend it to certain people in His creation.

"No intercessor can plead with Him except after His permission."[96]

"Who is he that can intercede with Him except with His permission?"[97]

"On that Day, no intercession shall avail, except the one from whom Allah the Most Gracious has given permission and whose word is acceptable to Him."[98]

"And they cannot intercede, except for him with whom He is pleased."[99]

"None shall have the power of intercession except such a one as has received permission or a promise from Allah the Most Gracious."[100]

"Intercession with Him profits not except for he whom He permits."[101]

According to these verses, certain people who receive permission from Allah - such as the prophets, the imams, and the awliya' - will be able to intercede and to help people by the permission of Allah. Without His permission, no intercession will be accepted. Even during this life, the prophets had the ability to intercede on behalf of those who repented and sought forgiveness and to return to the path of Allah:

"We sent no messenger but to be obeyed by the leave of Allah. If they who have been unjust to themselves had come to you (Prophet Muhammad) and begged Allah's forgiveness, and the Messenger had begged forgiveness for them - indeed, they would have found Allah All-Forgiving, Most Merciful."[102]

"(The brothers of Yusuf) said, 'O our father! Ask forgiveness from Allah for our sins. Indeed, we have been sinners.' He said, 'I will ask my Lord for forgiveness for you. Verily, He, only He, is the Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful'."[103]

The Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh&hf) has also mentioned his own intercession:

"I will be interceding on the Day of Judgement for whoever has faith in his heart."[104]

"Each prophet before me asked Allah for something which he was granted, and I saved my request till the Day of Judgement for intercession on behalf of my nation."[105]

"My intercession will be for the people who committed the cardinal sins (al-kaba'ir) except shirk and dhulm (polytheism and oppression)."[106]

"The intercessors are five: the Qur'an, near relatives, trusts (amanah), your Prophet, and the family of your Prophet."[107]

Shifa'ah is not to ask the Prophet (pbuh&hf) or the imams (pbut) for protection or to ward of calamity or to bring happiness and success. Rather, it is to plead to Allah, the Almighty by the sake of those who are near to Him, like the prophets and the imams.

As the Holy Qur'an asserts, only those who receive promise and permission from Allah can intercede and help people on the Day of Judgement. Intercession will be for those with good intentions and good belief in this life, who neither defied Allah nor challenged His authority and yet perhaps fell behind in part of their religious obligations. Their good record will help them to receive the intercession of the messengers, the imams, and the believers on the Day of Judgement.

Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq (pbuh), the sixth imam of the school of ahl al-bayt, at the time of his martyrdom, called his relatives and companions and said: "Verily, our intercession never reaches the one who takes prayers lightly."[108]

Calling Upon the Holy Prophet (pbuh&hf) and the Imams (pbut) for Help

Calling upon the Prophet (pbuh&hf) and the Imams (pbut) (also called istighathat al-nabi wal-a'immah) is allegorical, not literal. The Holy Qur'an teaches people to worship and seek help from Allah ("iyyaka na'budu wa iyyaka nasta'in"). However, the allegorical seeking of help is permitted by the example of the Holy Qur'an. For example, in the story of Prophet Moses (pbuh): "And he found there two men fighting - one from his party (shi'a), the other from his foes. The man of his own party asked him (istighathahu) for help against his foe, so Moses struck him with his fist and killed him."[109]

Many of the narrators of hadith narrate a prayer (du'a) from the Holy Prophet (pbuh&hf) which begins: "O my Lord! I turn to you by your Prophet, the Prophet of Mercy (Allahumma, inni atawajjahu ilayka bi nabiyyika nabi al-rahma...)." Then it says: "O Muhammad! I turn to Allah by you to solve my difficulties."[110] Again, it is narrated that the feet of 'Abdullah ibn 'Umar al-Khattab became disabled and would no longer carry him. After being told to call upon the closest people to his heart, he said: "Wa Muhammada!" His feet were cured and worked properly again.[111] The Holy Qur'an teaches to "seek help through patience and prayer (sabr and salat)".[112] Sabr (here, fasting) and salat (prayers) are means which lead ultimately to Allah. And so calling upon the Holy Prophet (pbuh&hf) or Imam 'Ali (pbuh) is allegorical since all agree that Allah is the means of support, aid, and assistance.

Some Muslims associate calling upon the Holy Prophet (pbuh&hf) or the imams (pbut) with shirk. They argue that a person should not ask anyone for help. But if an ordinary person faces a problem in life, would this person not logically and acceptably call upon any person nearby for help? If one who were about to drown called for help, would his seeking of help from one other than Allah make him a mushrik? By the same reasoning, calling upon the Prophet (pbuh&hf) or the imams (pbut) is not shirk. The exception that they cannot be called upon because they are dead is also invalid, since the Qur'an falsifies the notion of the martyrs being dead: "Think not of those who are killed in the way of Allah as dead. Nay, they are alive with their Lord, and they have provision."[113] "And say not of those who are killed in the way of Allah, 'They are dead.' Nay, they are living, but you perceive it not."[114] If an ordinary Muslim martyr in the way of Allah is considered to be alive, then how could the Holy Prophet (pbuh&hf) and his family (pbut), who were not only martyrs but whose rank surpassed that of all other human beings, be considered dead? Calling upon the Holy Prophet (pbuh&hf) and his family (pbut) does not negate the fact that Allah is the source of help and rescue in this universe. However, because these people are the closest to Him, and because they enjoy a special status with Him, calling upon them means calling upon Allah for the sake of those whom He loves.

Notes:

[96] Qur'an 10:3

[97] Qur'an 2:255

[98] Qur'an 20:109

[99] Qur'an 21:28

[100] Qur'an 19:87

[101] Qur'an 34:23

[102] Qur'an 4:64

[103] Qur'an 12:97-98

[104] Kanz al-Ummal, al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, hadith #39043

[105] Kanz al-Ummal, al-Muttaqi al-Hindi

[106] Kanz al-Ummal, al-Muttaqi al-Hindi