Sharhu Sunnah : Lesson 18 : Point 18
Shaykh Fawzan | Dawud Burbank [Audio|English]
The author Imam Barbahaaree rahimahullaah said,
And to have eemaan in the Intercession (the Shafaa`ah) of Allaah’s Messenger sallAllaahu `alayhi wa sallam on the Day of Resurrection for those guilty of sins; and upon the Bridge (as-Siraat), and to cause them to come out from within the Hell Fire. There is no Prophet except that he will have Intercession. And likewise will be the case with the eminently truthful and sincere followers of the Prophets, and the martyrs and the righteous people. And after that Allaah will bestow favour abundantly upon whomever He wishes; and people will come out of the Fire after they have been burnt and reduced to charcoal.
Transcribed Audio:
From the fundamentals of the (creed and belief of) Ahlus-Sunnah wal-Jamaa`ah is eemaan in ash-Shafaa`ah (the Intercession) with the preconditions which are mentioned by Allaah the Majestic and Most High. That it has to be with His Permission, and that the one being interceded for is from the people of eemaan. As for the one who is interceded for being from the people who are disbelievers, then Intercession will not be accepted for him. He the Most High said:
So the Intercession of those who intercede will not benefit them (the disbelievers). (Sooratul-Muddaththir (74), aayah 48)
The disbelieving wrongdoers will have no close friend nor any intercessor who will be given heed to. (Soorah Ghaafir (40), aayah 18)
So the disbeliever, there will never be any Intercession for him ever. As for the believer, then Intercession is established for him if Allaah, the Majestic and Most High, grants permission. And the greatest of the intercessors and the Noble Chief of those who intercede will be our Prophet sallAllaahu `alayhi wa sallam. So he will have Intercessions which will be specific to him and also Intercessions which he shares along with others.
His saying, “And to have eemaan in the Intercession of Allaah’s Messenger sallAllaahu `alayhi wa sallam for those guilty of sins on the Day of Resurrection; and upon the Bridge (Siraat)”. The Messenger sallAllaahu `alayhi wa sallam is the greatest one of those who will intercede on the Day of Resurrection. Indeed he will intercede for all of the people upon the standing place, so that Allaah relieves them from the standing and brings them to account; because the standing will be prolonged for them. Along with severe distress and severe heat and severe thirst and extreme fear, the standing will be prolonged for them, the standing of the Hashr, the Gathering. So therefore they will go to Oolil-`Azm, those Messengers who are firmest in resolve, and request from them that they should supplicate to Allaah to relieve them of the standing, so that they go either to Paradise or to the Fire. So they will go to Aadam and he will excuse himself. And they will go to Nooh and he will excuse himself. And they will go to Ibraaheem and he will excuse himself. And they will go to Moosaa and he will excuse himself. And they will go to `Eesaa and he will excuse himself. And they will go to Muhammad sallAllaahu `alayhi wa sallam and he will say, “I am the one for it.” Then he will go and he will fall down in prostration beneath the `Arsh, the Throne because there will be no intercession for anyone except with the permission of Allaah. Therefore he will fall down in prostration and make supplication to his Lord until it is said to him, “O Muhammad raise your head. Ask and you will be given. Intercede and your intercession will be accepted.” [03] So Allaah will grant permission for him to intercede and he will intercede on behalf of the people of the gathering place for them to move on from the gathering place to the Hisaab, Reckoning. This is ash-Shafaa`atul-Uzmaa, the Major Intercession which Allaah will favour him with over the creation. He, the Most High said:
And during the night pray tahajjud as an extra Prayer for you. Your Lord shall certainly raise you to a praiseworthy standing place. (Sooratul-Israa· (17), aayah 79)
This praiseworthy standing place (al-maqaamul-mahmood) is ash-Shafaa`atul-Uzmaa, the Major Intercession. And there occurs in the supplication which is said after the athaan,
Grant Muhammad al-waseelah (the place of honour in Paradise) and al-fadeelah (the position of superior virtue) and raise him to maqaamam-mahmoodaa (the praiseworthy standing place) which you have promised him. [04]
This is ash-Shafaa`atul-Uzmaa.
And likewise he will intercede with regard to the people guilty of major sins from the nation. He sallAllaahu `alayhi wa sallam will intercede for them that, either they do not enter the Fire, or otherwise that they be brought out from it if they do enter it.
So he sallAllaahu `alayhi wa sallam will intercede for them, and this is not specific to him. So he will intercede, and all of the Prophets will intercede. And the owliyaa· (beloved and obedient servants of Allaah) will intercede and the afraat, they are those who die young, they will intercede for those Muslims who are guilty of major sins. This point is contrary to the Jahmiyyah and the Mu`tazilah and the Khawaarij.
The Khawaarij, they are those who rebel against the rulers, the rulers of the Muslims, by using the sword, and they break the due obedience. And they are also those who declare a Muslim to be a disbeliever on account of major sins which are less than shirk. They are the Khawaarij. They were called Khawaarij (literally those who depart or exit or revolt) because they depart from what is legislated and they revolt against the person in authority and they break the due obedience. Those people deny the Intercession and they say, “Whoever enters the Fire will never come out from it.” And they use as evidence His saying, He, the Most High:
They will not come out from the Hell Fire (Sooratul-Baqarah (2), aayah 167)
So we say: This is with regard to the kuffaar (disbelievers). So the disbelievers will never come out from the Fire. But as for the Intercession which is meant here, then it is with regard to the people of eemaan, those who are believers who are guilty of major sins; and it is established. And Allaah, the Majestic and Most High, says:
Who (none) can intercede with Him (Allaah) except with His permission (Sooratul-Baqarah (2), aayah 255)
It indicates that only if He grants permission can anyone intercede. And likewise His saying, He the Most High:
And how many angels there are in the heavens whose Intercession will not benefit at all except after Allaah grants permission for whomever He wishes and is pleased with. (Sooratun-Najm (53), aayah 26)
This contains the two conditions for the Shafaa`ah
- That Allaah grants permission; this is the first condition and
- That He is pleased, this is the second condition, He is pleased with the one who is being interceded for. And He is not pleased except with a believer. As for the disbeliever, He will not be pleased with him.
So those who contradict the people of the Sunnah with regard to the Intercession take two opposite positions. From them are those who deny the Intercession. And they are the Khawaarij and the Mu`tazilah, those who declare people to be disbelievers on account of major sins which are less than shirk.
And the second group are those who go beyond the limits in affirming Intercession. And they are the Soofees and the grave worshippers, those who depend totally upon Intercession and who turn to the graves and who seek aid from the dead. They seek intercession from them, (from the dead). Just as He the Most High said:
And they worship besides Allaah others who cannot harm them nor benefit them and they say, “Those are our intercessors with Allaah.” (Soorah Yoonus (10), aayah 18)
They worship them in order that they should intercede for them with Allaah. As for those who take the middle position, and they are the Ahlus-Sunnah walJamaa`ah, they do not deny Intercession totally and they do not affirm it unrestrictedly. Rather they affirm it with the two conditions which occur in the Book and the Sunnah. This is the conclusion on the topic of the Intercession.
And his saying, “And Intercession is established for those who are sinful, guilty of sins.” Meaning Intercession will be for the believers who are guilty of sins. Those who do not reach the level of kufr, disbelief.
His saying, “And it will occur upon the Siraat (Bridge) over the Fire.” Meaning:
And the Prophet sallAllaahu `alayhi wa sallam will intercede for the believers whilst they are crossing the Bridge. And he will intercede for those who have entered the Fire that they should be brought out from it, if they are from the people of towheed.
So he will intercede upon the Bridge when the people are passing over it, and it is the Bridge which will be laid across the upper part of the Hell Fire. The people will cross over it in accordance with their deeds. So some of them will cross over it in the blinking of an eye. And some of them will cross over it like lightening. And some of them will cross over it like the passing of the wind. And some will cross over it like fast horses. And some will cross over it like the riders of camels. And some will be running over it. And some will be walking. And some will be crawling. And some will be snatched from it and thrown down into the Fire. All of the creation will have to pass over this Bridge, the believers and the disbelievers. And nothing will render them safe except for their deeds. He, the Most High, said:
There is not one of you except that he will have to cross over it (Soorah Maryam (19), aayah 71)
Meaning over the Bridge.
It is a binding decree from your Lord. Then We will rescue those who were dutiful to Allaah and We will leave the wrongdoing disbelievers upon their knees in the Hell Fire. (Soorah Maryam (19), aayahs 71-72)
So no one will be saved except for the people of taqwaa, dutifulness to Allaah. As for the disbelievers then they will be destroyed in the Fire, and Allaah’s refuge is sought. This is the Siraat.
His saying, “And after that Allaah will bestow Favour abundantly upon whomever He wishes.” And Allaah will bring out from the Fire some of the believers without the Intercession of those who intercede. Rather by His Favour (fadl), He, the Perfect and Most High. He will bring out some people from the Fire by His fadl, by His Favour, He the Perfect, without the Intercession of anyone, rather just by His fadl, His Favour, He the Majestic and Most High.
His saying, “And people will come out from the Fire after they have been burnt and turned to charcoal.” Allaah the Majestic and Most High informed that the people of the Fire who are to remain forever in it will not die in it nor will they live.
He the Most High said:
So remind if the reminding will benefit. Those who fear Allaah will take heed of the reminder. But the wretched will avoid it. The one who will enter the Great Fire, then he will not die in it nor will he live. (Sooratul-A`laa (87), aayah 9-13)
So the person who does not accept the reminder and does not accept the admonition and continues upon his misguidance, this one will enter Hell Fire; and he will remain in it. And he will not live a life which allows him to rest, and he will not die a death which gives him relief, rather he will remain in torment. But as for the person who enters it from the disobedient people of towheed, then he will be burnt and turned to charcoal. And then he will come out from the Hell Fire and he will be placed in a river, the River of Life, and their bodies will grow. And when their bodies are completed, then permission will be granted for them to enter Paradise.
Footnotes:
[03] Reported by al-Bukhaaree as (no. 4206) and reported by Muslim (no. 193) from a hadeeth of Anas radiyAllaahu`anh
[04] Reported by al-Bukhaaree in his Saheeh (no. 614) from a hadeeth of Jaabir radiyAllaahu`anh
Transcribed by Fawad Abu Zaid Al Afghaani.
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Ithaaful-Qaaree bit-Ta`leeqaat `alaa Sharhis-Sunnah
by Shaykh Saalih ibn Fowzaan al-Fowzaan hafizahullaah
Translated by Aboo Talhah Daawood Burbank, rahimahullaah
Posted with kind permission from Dawud Burbank rahimahullaah
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