Al-mizan an Exegesis of the Qur'an (volume One)

5. Intercession: About What? ============================

The intercession in creation is related to every cause in this world of the cause and effect.

As for the intercession in matters of legislation and judge­ment, some of them wipe out every sin and its punishment, right from polytheism to the smallest one. For example, repentance done, and true faith acquired, before the Day of Resurrection. Some wipe out effects of some particular sins, like some specified good deeds. As for the issue under discussion, i.e., the intercession of the prophets and other believers on the Day of Judgement, we have already explained that it shall avail those believers who might have committed big sins, but whose faith Allâh is pleased with.

6. WHEN WILL INTERCESSION BE EFFECTED?

We are talking here too about the intercession on the Day of Judgement to waive off the punishment of sins. We have earlier quoted the verses of the Chapter 42 (The Clothed One): Every soul is held in pledge for what it has earned, except the people of the right hand, in gardens they shall ask each other about the guilty (74:38-41) . As explained earlier, the verses clearly say who would benefit from the intercession, and who wont. They also imply that the intercession will get the wrong-doing believers released from fetters of their sins, and protect them from abiding for ever in the hell. But there is nothing to show that intercession might avail against the turmoils of the Day of Resurrection. Rather, the verse proves that it will be effective only for rescuing the guilty believers from the hell, or preventing them from entering into it.

It may be inferred from the verses that this talk will take place after the people of the garden have settled in the gardens, and the people of the hell in the hell; and that the intercessors shall then intercede for a group of the guilty ones and rescue them from the hell. The phrase, "in gardens", implies it, as does the question, "What has brought you into hell?" Both phrases imply a more or less permanent abode. Likewise, the comment, "so the intercession . . . avails them not", denotes something occurring in present time i.e. after both groups have settled in their abodes.

As for al-Barzakh ( = the period between death and the Day of Resurrection) and presence of the Prophet and the Imams of the Ahlu '1-bayt (a.s.) at the time of death and at the questioning in the grave and the help given by them to the believer to overcome those difficulties (as will be described under the verse: And there shall not be any one of the people of the book but he must certainly believe in him before his death (4:159), these things have nothing to do with intercession. It is rather exercising the authority given to them by Allâh over the creation. Allâh says: . . . and on the most elevated places there shall be men who know all by their marks, and they shall call out to the dwellers of the garden: "Peace be on you; they shall not have yet entered it, though they hope". . -.And the dwellers of the most elevated places shall call out to men whom they will recognize by their marks, saying: "Of no avail were to you your amassings and your behaving haughtily. Are these they about whom you swore that Allâh will not bestow mercy on them?" "Enter the garden; you shall have no fear nor shall you grieve" (7:46-49). It gives a glimpse of the authority or rule vested in them by the permission of Allâh. If we look at the verse 17:71 from this angle, it too throws light on this aspect: (Remember) the day when We will call every people with their Imâm; then whoever is given his book in his right hand . . . The intermediary position of the Imam in calling every people and giving them their books is a sort of authority and rule vested in him by Allâh.

To make a long story short, intercession shall happen at the very last stage on the Day of Judgement; it shall bring the divine forgiveness to the guilty believers, prevent them from entering into hell and take those out who would have entered into it; it shall be by extension of mercy and/or manifestation of benevolence and magnanimity.

TRADITIONS

al-Husayn ibn Khâlid narrates from ar-Ridâ (a.s.), who narrated through his forefathers from the Leader of the faithful (a.s.) that he said: "The Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a.) said `Whoever does not believe in my reservoir, may Allâh not bring him to my reservoir, and whoever does not believe in my inter­cession, may Allâh not extend to him my intercession.' Then he (s.a.w.a.) said: `Verily, my intercession is for those of my ummah who shall have committed great sins; as for the good-doers, there shall be no difficulty for them.' " al-Husayn ibn Khâlid said: "I asked ar-Ridâ (a.s.): `O son of the Messenger of Allah! what is then the meaning of the words of Allah, Mighty and Great is He: and they do not intercede except for him whom He approves?' He (a.s.) said: `They do not intercede except for him whose religion Allah is pleased with.' " (al-Amâli, as-Sadûq)

The author says: The tradition of the Prophet, "Verily my intercession is . . .", has been narrated by both sects with numer­ous chains; and we have shown earlier that it is based on the theme of Qur'ânic verses.

Sumâ`ah ibn Mihrân narrates from Abû Ibrâhîm (a.s.) that he said about the words of Allâh: may be your Lord will raise you to a praised position: "The people, on the Day of Resurrection, will remain standing for forty years; and the sun will be ordered so that it will ride over their heads and they will be bridled by sweat - and the earth will be told not to accept any of their sweat. So, they shall approach Adam to intercede for them, and he will direct them to Nûh, and Nûh will direct them to Ibrâhîm, and Ibrâhîm will direct them to Mûsa, and Mûsa will direct them to `Isâ, and `Isâ will direct them saying: `You should seek help of Muhammad, the last prophet.' Thereupon, Muhammad (s.a.w.a.) will say: `I'll do it;' and will proceed until, arriving at the door of the garden, he will knock at it. It will be asked, ‘Who is it?' (while Allâh knows better!), and he will say: ‘Muhammad.' Then it will be said: ‘Open for him.' When the door will be opened he will turn to his Lord, falling in sajdah. He will not raise his head until he is told: ‘Speak up and ask, you shall be given; and inter­cede, your intercession shall be granted.' He will raise his head and turning to his Lord will fall (again) in sajdah. Then he will be promised as before; then he will raise his head. (Thereupon, he shall intercede) until he will intercede even for him who would have been burnt in the fire. Therefore, on the Day of Resurrec­tion, no one among all the nations will be more eminent than Muhammad (s.a.w.a.); and it is (the meaning of) the words of Allâh: May be your Lord will raise you to a praised position. " (al -`Ayyashi)

The author says: This meaning is narrated by both sects in great number, in detail as well as in short, with numerous chains; and it proves that the "praised position" means the position of intercession. This tradition is not in conflict with intercession of other prophets, because probably their intercession will be an off­shoot of our Prophet's, and it will begin on his hand.

`Ubayd ibn Zurarah said: "Abu `Abdillah (a.s.) was asked whether a believer would have the right of intercession. He said: `Yes.' Then someone said: `Will even a believer need the inter­cession of Muhammad (s.a.w.a.) on that day?' He said: `Yes. The believers too will come with wrongs and sins; and there will be none but he shall need the intercession of Muhammad on that day.' " (`Ubayd) said: "And someone asked him about the words of the Messenger of Allâh: ‘I am the Chief of the children of Adam, and I say this without boasting.' He said: `Yes.' (Then) he said: `He will hold the chain-link of the door of the garden and open it; then he will fall in sajdah, and Allâh will tell him: `Raise your head, do intercede, your intercession shall be granted; ask, you shall be given.' So he will raise his head and again will fall in sajdah; then Allâh will (again) say to him: `Raise your head, do intercede, your intercession shall be granted, and ask, you shall be given.' Thereupon he will raise his head and inter­cede - and his intercession will be accepted; and he will ask and be given." (ibid.)

Muhammad ibn al-Qâsim narrates through his chains from Bishr ibn Shurayh al-Basrî that he said: "I said to Muhammad ibn 'Alf (a.s.) : `Which verse in the Book of Allah is the most hope-inspiring?' He said: `And what do your people say (about it)?' I said: `They say, (it is the verse,) Say: "O my servants! who have acted extravagantly against their own souls, do not despair of the mercy of Allah. " ' He said: `But we, the people of the house, do not say so.' I said: `Then what do you say about it?' He said: `We say (it is the verse,) And soon will your Lord give you so that you shall be well pleased. (It means) the inter­cession, by Allah the intercession, by Allah the intercession.' " (at-Tafsîr, Furat ibn Ibrâhîm )

The author says: The words of Allah, may be your Lord will. raise you to a praised position, refers to the Prophet's glorious position of intercession, as the numerous traditions of the Prophet himself prove. Moreover, the wording of the verse too supports it: "will raise you" shows that it is a position which he will attain in future, i.e. on the Day of Judgement; "praised" is general and unconditional, and implies that he shall be praised by all men, past and present. al-Hamd () means to praise someone for a good done to you intentionally. This definition shows that the Prophet will do something by his own will and power which will benefit all of them and in return everyone will praise him. That is why the Imam said in the tradition of `Ubayd ibn Zurarah, "and there will be no one but he shall need the intercession of Muhammad on that day."

We shall later explain it further.

Now about the declaration that the verse, "and soon will your Lord give you so that you shall be well pleased," is the most hope-inspiring one in the Qur’ân - especially when com­pared to the verse, Say: "O my servants! who have acted extra­vagantly against their own souls, do not despair of the mercy of Allâh; surely Allâh forgives the faults altogether; surely He is the Forgiving, the Merciful. And return to your Lord and submit to Him before there comes to you the punishment. . . and fol­low the best that has been revealed to you. . . " (39:53–55). al-Qunut ( = to lose hope, to despair) has been mentioned several times in the Qur’ân. Allâh quotes Ibrahîm (a.s.) as saying: And who despairs of the mercy of his Lord but the erring ones (15:56).

Also He quotes Ya'qûb (a.s.): surely none despairs of Allâh's mercy except the unbelieving ones (12:87). But the con­text in both places shows it as referring to losing hope of divine mercy in matters of creation. As for the verse under discussion the context slows that it admonishes against losing hope of divine mercy in matters of legislation and judgement; look for instance at the words, who have acted extravagantly against their own souls. They clearly say that one who has committed sins should not despair of the mercy of Allâh. Also Allâh has promised for­giveness for the faults altogether without any exception. But this promise is followed by admonition to repent (turn to your Lord) and submit to Allâh and follow the divine commandments. The text on the whole demonstrates that a man who might have com­mitted sins need not despair of the mercy of Allâh as long as he is in a position to turn to Allâh, to submit to Him, and to follow His commandments. In short, this mercy is conditional. And there is a vast difference between this conditional mercy and the all-encompassing, unconditional mercy and unrestricted granting and pleasing which Allâh has promised His Apostle, who himself was a mercy for all the mankind. It is that promise which will make the Apostle of Allâh (s.a.w.a.) well pleased: and soon will your Lord give you, so that you shall be well pleased.

This last-mentioned verse occurs in a context where Allâh mentions His grace and bounties to the Prophet; it is a unique promise never made to anyone else. The phrase, "will give you," is unconditional and unrestricted. A promise, somewhat similar, has been made to a group of the people of the garden: they shall have what they please with their Lord (42:22); They have therein what they wish and with Us is more yet (50:35) . These verses show that those people shall be given more than they wish for -and man by nature desires all that he can think of happiness, good and felicity. It means that they shall be given more than they can think of, as AllAh says: So no soul knows what is hidden for them of the joy of the eyes (32:17). Now this is what Allâh has promised those who believe and do good; and even this is beyond human imagination. Surely, what He shall give to His Prophet as His special grace, must be far greater than this.

This much about the grace of Allâh. Now let us reflect upon "you shall be well pleased". Obviously this pleasure has no relation whatsoever to the pleasure a man should have for whatever Allâh gives Him and decrees for him. Allâh is the Master and the servant has nothing of his own except the inherent need and poverty. He must always be happy and grateful for whatever his Master gives him, no matter whether it is more or less, big or small; he must always be pleased with whatever Allâh decrees for him, whether it looks comforting or distressing. This is what is expected of every good believer; surely the Prophet knows this ideal better, and acts upon it more perfectly, than anyone else; in short, he likes for himself only that which Allâh wills for him. Therefore, it would have been superfluous and irrelevant to say that he would be pleased after he was given something. It follows that this promised pleasure refers to something else. It refers to that happiness or satisfaction which a needy person experiences when his need is fully met. A similar promise was given to some of His virtuous servants: (As for) those who believe and do good, surely they are the best of men. Their reward with their Lord is gardens of perpetuity beneath which rivers flow, abiding therein for ever; Allâh is well pleased with them and they are well pleased with Him; that is for him who fears his Lord (98:7-8). Its context shows that this too is to show some special divine favour for them, and hence it must be a very ex­clusive and comprehensive pleasure. At this juncture, it should be mentioned that Allâh has praised His Apostle in these words: to the believers (he is) compassionate, merciful (9:128).

Keeping all these things in view, ponder on this question:

Can the Prophet be pleased to enjoy the bounties of the garden, or can he be happy with the pleasures of the paradise, when some believers are imprisoned inside the hell? Remember that they are the people who believed in Allâh as the One God, in the Prophet as the true prophet, and in what he brought with him as the true revelation; but they were overcome by their indiscretion and Satan twisted them between his fingers as a toy, and so they committed errors and sins - without any thought of revolting against God, of any arrogance before Him. Even we, when we remember what mistakes we committed in past, what chances of spiritual perfection we missed before, we start blaming ourselves for all the shortcomings; then if we see some inexperi­enced youth indulging in youthful frolics, we are reluctant to condemn them; we feel compassion for them. But this mercy of ours is a manifestation of the imperfect compassion put in our nature by the Creator. How can we understand the mercy of the Lord of the worlds, in a place where the magnanimity of the compassionate, merciful Prophet and the mercy of the Most Merciful of all have to decide about the indiscretions of a power­less human being? Especially so when he had undergone all the torments of al-barzakh in proportion to his misdeeds?

al-Qummî narrates a tradition in his at-Tafsîr, under the verse: And intercession will not avail aught with Him save of him whom He permits (34:23), that Abu '1-`Abbâs al-Mukabbar said: "A servant of a wife of `Alî ibn al-Husayn (a.s.), named Abû Ay­man, came (to the fifth Imam - a.s.) and said: `O Abû Ja'far! You mislead the people, saying, intercession of Muhammad, in­tercession of Muhammad.' (Hearing this) Abu Ja'far became so angry that his face took a glowering expression; then he said: `Woe unto you! O Abû Ayman! Are you deluded by chastity of your stomach and genitals? Why, when you will see the terrors of the resurrection, you shall certainly be in need of intercession of Muhammad. Fie on you! Would he intercede except for him who would have been sentenced to the fire?' (Then) he said: ‘There is no one from the early people to the later ones but he will need the intercession of Muhammad (s.a.w.a.) on the Day of Resurrection.' Then again Abû Ja'far said: ‘Certainly the Messenger of Allâh has (authority of) intercession for his ummah, and we have (authority of) intercession for our Shî'ahs, and our Shî'ahs have (authority of) intercession for their families.' Then he said: ‘And surely a believer shall intercede for (very large num­ber of) people like the (tribes of) Rabî'ah and Mudar. And surely a believer shall intercede for his servant, saying: "O my Lord! I owe this to him, he was protecting me from heat and cold." ' "

The author says: This tradition refers to a general inter­cession ("There is no one from the early people to the later ones but he will need the intercession of Muhammad . . .") and a particular one ("Fie on you! Would he intercede except for him who would have been sentenced to the fire?"). We find similar idea in al-`Ayyâshî's tradition from `Ubayd ibn Zurârah men­tioned earlier. There are other traditions of the same theme narrated by both sects. It is supported also by the verse: And those whom they call upon besides Him have no authority for intercession, but he who bears witness of the truth and they know (him) (43:86). This verse shows that the prerequisite of inter­cession is the witnessing of the truth. The witnesses are the in­tercessors, the owners of the intercession. And we shall describe under verse 2:143 (And thus We have made you a medium [just] nation that you may be witnesses over the people and [that] the Apostle may be a witness over you), that the prophets are the witnesses and that Muhammad (s.a.w.a.) is the witness over them; so he (s.a.w.a.) is the witness over the witnesses, and thus he is the intercessor for the intercessors; and without the testi­mony of the witnesses the foundation of the Day of Judgement would crumble.

The (fifth) Imam said about the verse, And intercession will not avail aught with Him save him whom He permits: "No prophet or apostle may intercede until Allâh permits him, ex­cept the Apostle of Allâh, because Allâh has already given him permission before the Day of Resurrection; and intercession is (allowed) to him and to the Imams from his progeny, and after that to the prophets." (at-Tafsir, al-Qummi)

`Alî (a. s.) said: "The Apostle of Allâh (s.a.w.a.) said: `Three (groups) shall intercede with Allâh and their intercession will be accepted: The prophets, then the (religious) scholars, then the martyrs.' " (al-Khisâl)

The author says: ash-Shuhadâ' () in the Qur’ânic terminology means witnesses of the deeds; but in the traditions of the Imams it is generally used for the martyrs who are killed in the way of Allâh. And apparently it is in this meaning that the word has been used in this traditions.

The Imam said: "We have the (authority of) intercession; and the people who love us have the (authority of) intercession." (ibid.)

The author says: Numerous traditions prove that the Lady of paradise, Fatimah (a.s.) has the power and authority of inter­cession, as do his descendants other than the Imams. Likewise, a lot of traditions bestow similar authority on the believers - even to their miscarried foetus. There is a well-known tradition that the Prophet said: "Marry (and) procreate; for I shall boast of you (i.e. your number) against other nations on the Day of Resurrection - even of miscarried foetus; he shall stand at the door of the garden in a restive mood; he shall be told to enter, but he will say: ‘No, until my parents enter it . . .' "

Abû `Abdillâh narrates, through his father and grandfather, from 'Ali (a.s.) that he said: "The garden has eight gates: one for the entry of prophets and the truthful ones, the other for the martyrs and the good ones; and five gates are for the entry of our Shî'ahs and lovers - I shall be standing on the as-Sirât ( = the path; the bridge over the hell) praying and saying: `My Lord! save my Shî`ahs and my lovers and my helpers and those who followed me in the (life of the) world.' Then all of a sudden there will come a voice from inside the throne: `Your prayer is granted and your intercession for your Shî`ahs accepted:' And every Shî`ah of mine and everyone who loves me, helps me and fights my enemies by (his) deed or word, shall intercede for seventy thousand of his neighbours and relatives - and (there is) a gate from which shall enter all the Muslims who witness that there is no god except Allâh and in whose heart there is not an iota of enmity towards us, the people of the house." (ibid.)

Hafs al-Mu'adhdhin narrates that Abû `Abdillâh (a.s.) wrote, inter alia, in a letter to his companions: "And know that none of the creatures of Allâh shall avail you against Him, neither an angel who is near to Him, nor an apostle prophet nor any one below them. Whoever likes intercession of intercessors to avail him, should ask Allâh to be pleased with him." (al-Kâfî )

as-Sâdiq (a.s.) said: "Jâbir told Abû Ja'far (a.s.): ‘May I be your ransom, O son of the Apostle of Allâh! Narrate to me a tradition about your grandmother, Fatimah.' (Then the tradition continues, mentioning the intercession of Fatimah on the Day of Resurrection, until it says:) Abû Ja'far (a.s.) said: ‘Then, by God, no one among the people will remain (unsaved) except a doubting one or an unbeliever or a hypocrite. When they shall be (put) into (various) ranks of the hell, they shall cry out - as Allâh has said - So we have no intercessors, nor a true friend: But if we could but once return, we would be of the believers (26:100-102) .’ Then Abu Ja'far (a.s.) said: `But oh! how preposterous! They shall be denied what they asked for; and if they were ,sent back they would certainly return to what they were forbidden, and most certainly they are liars (6:28) .' " (at-Tafsîr, Furât ibn Ibrâhîm)

The author says: The Imam has proved by the sentence, "So we have no intercessors", that intercession will take place on the Day of Judgement. In this light, it is amusing to see our adversaries trying to use it as an argument against intercession! Just as we said about the verse, So the intercession of intercessors avails them not (74:48), this verse too shows that intercession will surely take place on that day. If the Qur’ân wanted to negate the inter­cession altogether, it would have used the singular form (. . . no intercessor nor a true friend). But it has used the plural, "So we have no intercessors"; and it proves that there shall be a group interceding on behalf of some people, but it will not be of any avail to those particular speakers. Moreover, the following sen­tence, "But if we could but once return, we would be of the believers," shows a desire within the frame of grief. Obviously such a desire is related to that thing loss of which has caused the grief. Therefore, what this sentence implies is this: Would that we could return to the previous life; then we would be of the believers, so that the intercession of intercessors would avail us too, as it has benefited the believers. The verse, therefore, is a good proof for intercession.

al-Kâzim (a.s.) narrated from his father, through his fore­fathers, from the Prophet that he said: "My intercession is for those of my ummah who would have committed big sins; as for the doers of good, there shall be no difficulty for them." He was asked: "O son of the Messenger of Allâh! How can the inter­cession be for those who would have committed big sins, while Allâh says, and they do not intercede except for him whom He ap­proves (21:28) ; and a committer of big sins cannot be approved?" He (a.s.) said: "No believer commits a sin but he regrets it and feels ashamed. And the Prophet has said: ‘Enough is regret as a repentance.’ And also he (s.a.w.a.) has said: ‘Whoever is pleased by a good deed and displeased by a bad deed, he is a believer.’ Therefore, if there is someone who does not feel remorse for a sin he has committed, he is not a believer, and intercession will not avail him, and he will be an unjust one. And Allâh says: the unjust shall not have any true friend nor any intercessor who should be obeyed (40:18) ." It was said to him: "O son of the Messenger of Allâh! How is it that he who is not sorry of a sin he has committed, he does not remain a believer?" He said: "Anyone who commits a big sin, knowing that he must be pun­ished for it, will certainly feel remorse for what he has done. And as soon as he is sorry, he is repentant, eligible for intercession. But if he is not sorry, then he is persisting in it, and a persistent (sinner) is not forgiven, because he does not believe in the punish­ment of what he has done; had he believed in that punishment, he would have been sorry. And the Prophet has said: `No big sin abides with apologizing, and no small sin remains (small) with persistence.' And as for the words of Allâh, and they do not intercede except for him whom He approves, it means that they do not intercede except for him whose religion He approves. Religion is an acknowledgement that good and bad deeds have to be recompensed. If one's religion were approved, one would feel remorse for the sins one would have committed, because he would know what their result would be on the (day of) resur­rection." (at-Tawhîd )

The author says: The words of the Imam, "and he will be an unjust one": It gives the definition of "unjust" as applicable on the Day of Resurrection. It alludes to the Qur’ânic verse, Then a crier will cry out among them that the curse of Allâh is on the unjust, who hinder (people) from Allâh's way and seek to make it crooked and they are disbelievers in the hereafter (7:44-45). Accordingly, unjust is he who does not believe in the Day of Judgement; naturally, such a man would not be sorry if he neglected to do what he was ordered to do, or if he indulged in sins and crimes. May be, he outright rejects basic truths and teachings of religion; or may be he just does not care, is not worried of punishment of sins on the Day of Reckoning. In later case, his verbal acknowledgement of the Day of Judgement would be but a joke and mockery.

". . . as soon as he is sorry, he is repentant, eligible for intercession": The adjective, repentant, is not used here in its well-known terminological sense - repentance (in the termino­logical sense) is by itself the best intercessor and saviour. What the Imam meant here is this: If he feels remorse for the sin com­mitted, he returns to Allâh, his religion is thus approved by Him, and therefore he becomes eligible for intercession.

"And the Prophet has said: `No big sin abides with apolo­gizing . . .’": The Imam narrated this tradition to prove that persistence in a sin (even a small one) changes it from its original smallness to a far greater transgression - it shows one's disbelief in the Day of Judgement and injustice towards the signs of Allâh. And such a thing is not forgiven. A sin is forgiven if the sinner sincerely repents, or if intercession avails him - and this depends on his religion being approved; and both repentance and approved religion are absent in case of persistence.

A similar theme is found in a tradition quoted in `Ilalulu 'sh­sharâ'i' from Abû Ishâq al-Laythî that he said: "I said to Abû Ja'far Muhammad ibn `Alî al-Bâqir (a.s.): ‘O son of the Messenger of Allâh! Tell me about a believer, possessing religious understand­ing when he reaches (a high point in) knowledge and becomes perfect, does he commit fornication?' He said: ‘By God! No.' I said: ‘Then does he indulge in sodomy?' He said: ‘By God! No.' I said: ‘Then does he steal?' He said: ‘No.' I said: `Then does he drink intoxicant?' He said: ‘No.' I said: `Then does he commit any of the big sins or indulge in any of these indecencies?' He said: ‘No.' I said: ‘Then does he commit a sin?' He said: ‘Yes, and he is a believer, sinner, submissive.' I said: `What does sub­missive mean?' He said: `The submissive (servant) does not per­sist in it, does not keep doing it . . .' "

ar-Rîda (a.s.) narrated through his forefathers that the Messenger of Allâh (s.a.w.a.) said: "When the resurrection comes, Allâh, Great and Mighty is He, will manifest Himself to His believ­ing servant, and will remind him of his sins one by one; then Allâh will forgive him; Allâh will not let (even) a near angel or an apostle prophet know of his (sins), and will cover it lest any­one becomes aware of it. Then He will say to his bad deeds: ‘Be good deeds.' " (al-Khisâl)

Abu Dharr said: "The Messenger of Allâh (s.a.w.a.) said: ‘A man will be brought on the Day of Resurrection; and it will be said: "Show him his small sins; and keep back from him his big sins." Then it will be said to him: "You did so and so on such and such a day." And he will go on confessing, while apprehensive of his big sins. Then it will be said: "Give him a good deed in place of every bad deed." Then he will say: "I had done some sins which I do not see (mentioned) here."' " Abu Dharr said: "And I saw the Messenger of Allâh laughing until his teeth were shown." (Muslim)

as-Sâdiq (a.s.) said: "When the Day of Resurrection comes, Allâh, Glorified and Sublime is He, shall spread His mercy until even Iblîs will hope for His mercy." (al-Amâlî, as-Sadûq)

The author says: The last three traditions are of general nature. The traditions about intercession of the Prophet, ema­nating from the Imâms of Ahlu '1-bayt as well as from the Sunni sources have successively been narrated by so many narrators as to leave no room for any doubt about their authenticity. Alto­gether they prove that intercession will take place, and that it will avail the believers who might have committed sins; it will prevent them from entering into hell, or will rescue them from it if already sent therein. It is however certain that the sinning believers shall not be allowed to abide for ever in the hell. And we have earlier explained that the Qur’ân too does not say more than this.

A PHILOSOPHICAL CONTEMPLATION

According to Abû `Alî Ibn Sinâ, intellectual reasoning cannot give us details concerning the resurrection and judgement (as given in the Qur’ân and sunnah), as it lacks the premises necessary to lead to a conclusion. Nevertheless, it may contemplate the future of man after the soul leaves the body and lives in the form of (Platonic) ideas - how it proceeds on the path of happiness or unhappiness reaching the ultimate station.

Whatever man does in beginning leaves an imprint on his psyche - either of happiness or unhappiness. By "happiness" we mean what is good for him as a man; on the other hand, "un­happiness" denotes what is bad for him as a man. If the action is repeatedly performed the imprint becomes deeper and deeper until it becomes a deep-rooted characteristic, until it reshapes the psyche in its own mould.

If the mould is good, the resulting shape as well as the actions emanating from it are good and agreeable to the man "as a man", and man is "happy". If on the contrary the mould is bad, the resulting shape and actions become ugly and disagree­able to the man "as a man"; and although the deformed psyche seemingly enjoys those actions, in reality it remains unhappy "as a man". Here we are talking about a man who is happy in his psyche and good in his deed vis-a-vis a man who is unhappy in his psyche and evil in his deeds.

It is the former that is the subject of our discussion here. A man may be good and happy in his person, because he has got correct belief of eternal truth; but his psyche has been polluted by the sins and transgressions committed as a result of weakness of flesh and error of judgement and choice. Consequently, psyche becomes "unhappy". But this pollution and unhappiness is a matter of constraint that has been forced on his inherently happy psyche; and we know from intellectual reasoning that constraint does not continue for ever. That soul will most certainly get rid of that unhappiness, pollution and rust in the fire of chastisement in al-Barzakh or on the Day of Judgement - it depends on its own strength and stage of inner perfection.

The opposite is true for the later group. Whatever the effects of good deeds, they are no more than cosmetics; it is a forced appearance not agreeable to its inner-self; and sooner or later it is bound to disappear.

There remains a fifth category: The soul which could not turn its potentials into achievements - good or bad - in this life. They will remain in suspense, waiting for the divine judgement.

This much could be discerned from intellectual reasoning, concerning the reward and punishment, the inseparable results of the deeds.

Reasons also prove that existence has various grades of perfection - ideally perfect or less so, stronger or weaker. Con­sequently, the souls have various ranks in relation to the Creator - nearer to, or further from him. They are therefore one above the other, the highest being the nearest to the First Cause. They are the most perfect and ideal souls, like those of the prophets (may peace of Allâh be on them!). They may become the me­diums through which the unnatural pollution and rust may be removed from the weaker souls which are further below. It is this role which we call intercession.

A SOCIAL DISCOURSE

Some people say: "Human society cannot continue without some laid rules, nor without an authority to look after its affairs. When all members maintain discipline and obey the rules, social justice is maintained and strengthened. This system is based on temporal benefits which the society cannot do without, as well as on spiri­tual and ethical ideals, like truth, sincerity, keeping one's word etc. which the development and good of the society depend upon. For these rules and regulations to have any force and effect, it was necessary for them to be accompanied by punishment laid down for the transgressors. Only in this way the system could be protected against the willful transgression of some and indifference and negligence of others. That is why when a government (no matter which ideology it follows) is strong and capable enough to make people obey its edicts, the country marches forward, and society proceeds on the path of development. On the contrary when it is weak, the country is overcome by lawlessness and dis­order, and plagued by troubles and turmoil.

"In view of the above, it is essential for the good of society to make people believe that they could not escape the conse­quences if they transgressed the law. Nothing should be said or done to raise a hope in them that they could avoid the punishment by some means, like intercession, bribe or deception.

"The biggest objection against Christianity is aimed at its belief of atonement: That Christ was crucified in order to atone for the sins of his followers. Now the Christians rely on that atonement to get salvation in the next world, without caring what they do in this life. Religion, in this way, destroys the very foundation of society, retards civilization and pulls it backwards. Data show that lie and injustice is found in ardent followers of religion to a far greater extent than in those who do not follow any religion. Its only reason is that the former are confident that their sins would certainly be wiped off through intercession."

This is in short what some "scholars" hold against the belief of intercession: That it weakens the foundation of civili­zation and social justice. But neither Islam proves intercession, in the meaning they have given it, nor the intercession which Islam speaks of gives the result they have claimed. Before writing against intercession, as taught by Islam, they should learn what Islam teaches, how it applies its laws to the society, what type of inter­cession it promises and how, when and to what extent it is to be applied and effected:

First: What the Qur'ân confirms of the intercession is this: The believers shall not abide in the hell, on the Day of Resur­rection, provided they come to their Lord with approved belief and true faith. Thus, it is a conditional promise. Then it has emphasized that the faith remains in grave danger from sins, especially the big ones, and more particularly if one persists in them. Such a believer would be tottering on the brink of eternal damnation. When a believer remembers that promise, his hope of deliverance soars high; when he needs this warning, he is over­come by dread of perdition. His soul remains hovering between hope and fear; he worships his Lord both with love and awe. Thus, he spends his life in a moderate way, on the middle course. He experiences neither discouragement of pessimism, nor the rashness of over-optimism.

Second: Islam has made comprehensive laws for temporal and spiritual upliftment of the society; these laws cover all aspects of life of an individual and a group. It has prescribed suitable punishments for those who violate any of those rules - from monetary compensation to chastisement to firmly fixed punish­ment - until a stage comes when the offender is deprived of his rights as a member of society and is condemned to eternal shame, or even death. All this system has been entrusted into the hands of divinely appointed ulu '1-amr ( = people vested with authority). Then each Muslim has been made responsible, for all other Muslims, as he is obliged to enjoin his compatriots, to do good and desist from evil. To cap it all, the Muslim nation is ob­liged to call others to the right path, and the way to affect this call is to give them good news of eternal reward if they do good and to warn them of eternal perdition if they indulge in evil.

It is this knowledge of this and the next world which is the foundation of Islam's character-building. The Prophet promul­gated this system; and experiment has proved its effectiveness and potency. Its power to mould the society into divine image was proved during the time of the Prophet and continued to do so until Umayyids came into power. They made the sharî`ah a toy to play with; put the Islam's penal code in cold storage and behaved as though they were above all law, as if nothing could hinder them in their pursuit of pleasure. The result of that exer­cise is before our eyes today. The standard of "freedom" has been raised; western civilization is making inroads in our society. In Islamic countries, Islam exists in name only.

It is this manifest weakening of religion and this retrogress­ive movement of the Muslims which has caused their fall from heights of justice and virtue, and made them slip down the plane of morality and ethics. It is their debauchery and their wal­lowing in their base desires and sensualities that has made them bold to transgress every limit, to violate every rule, so much so that even the atheists look down at their debauchery, dishonesty and immorality.

This is the real and only cause of the deterioration of Muslim society. The objector is completely off the mark when he attri­butes this state of affairs to those sublime religious realities whose only aim, and only effect, was and is the man's felicity and happiness in this world as well as in the hereafter.

The data, mentioned in his argument, are irrelevant here. They have looked at a Muslim society which has got no guardian and no authority to enforce Islamic laws within its jurisdiction, and at an atheist society which has a strong authority to enforce its laws and to keep the people within the limits, with help of education and training of its own choice. Therefore, this com­parison is quite clearly unjustified.