Meaning of intercession?

[ابوالوليد المسلم]

Meaning of intercession?

‘Abdullah ibn Hamoud al-Furaih

The Intercession

Meaning of intercession?
The intercession linguistically: opposite of strain. It is related to something similar to it.

Idiomatically: it to bring benefit to others or push harm away (from them)

Timespan between the gathering and intercession for the situation
After clarifying the horrors of the Day of Resurrection and the situations of people on that day, we return to what we stopped at earlier and that is: the land of gathering.

What preceded was that the sun will go down to a mile away from the creation. People will reach a level of sorrow and anguish that they did not know and cannot handle so then they ask for who can intercede for them and lighten what they are on. They ask the Prophets to intercede for them with Allah Almighty so that the reckoning can be dealt with and their anguish of the Day of Resurrection and its horrors can be finished.

In the Hadith of Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) with Muslim he said: “the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Allah would gather people on the Day of Resurrection and they would be concerned about it, and Ibn Ubaid said. They would get a Divine inspiration about it, and would say: If we could seek intercession with our Lord, we may be relieved from this predicament of ours. He (the Holy Prophet) said: They would come to Adam…”[1] The Hadith will follow. The people start searching and asking. They turn to the Prophets one by one. Each of them commends each other with what they have from good deeds with Allah Almighty and the benefits that they have. (This is) as if these good deeds and benefits means their closeness to Allah Almighty. (They ask them to) intercede for us with Allah Almighty with the benefits that you have. It is as if they are saying that these benefits and characteristics mean their closeness to Allah Almighty so (they ask them to) intercede with Allah Almighty to relief them of this anguish. It is for you to picture this anguish and the horrors that occupy everyone with themselves. Nobody wants to be close to him (anyone else) nor ask for anything. Nobody is concerned about anyone; even the closest of people to him as everyone wants the eternity for themselves.

Picture the situation of the people when you are with them; sweat trickling down; discrepancy according to their deeds; worry, sorrow and grief. They were searching for salvation; manifestation searching for a middle path and intercession.

I will leave you with the picture by the Prophet (peace be upon him) for the situation:
In the two Sahih Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: the Prophet (peace be upon him) came one day with some meat. Its arm was raised to him and he was impressed. He said: “ I shall be the leader of mankind on the Day of Resurrection. Do you know why? Allah would gather in one plain the earlier and the later (of the human race) on the Day of Resurrection. Then the voice of the proclaimer would be heard by all of them and the eyesight would penetrate through all of them and the sun would come near. People would then experience a degree of anguish, anxiety and agony which they shall not be able to bear and they shall not be able to stand. Some people would say to the others: Don you see in which trouble you are? Don't you see what (misfortune) has overtaken you? Why don't you find one who should intercede for you with your Lord? Some would say to the others: Go to Adam. And they would go to Adam and say: O Adam, thou art the father of mankind. Allah created thee by His own Hand and breathed in thee of His spirit and ordered the angels to prostrate before thee. Intercede for us with thy Lord Don't you see in what (trouble) we are? Don't you see what (misfortune) has overtaken us? Adam would say: Verily, my Lord is angry, to an extent to which He had never been angry before nor would He be angry afterward. Verily, He forbade me (to go near) that tree and I disobeyed Him. I am concerned with my own self. Go to someone else; go to Noah. They would come to Noah and would say: O Noah, thou art the first of the Messengers (sent) on the earth (after Adam), and Allah named thee as a" Grateful Servant," intercede for us with thy Lord. Don't you see in what (trouble) we are? Don't you see what (misfortune) has overtaken us? He would say: Verily, my Lord is angry today as He had never been angry before, and would never be angry afterwards. There had emanated a curse from me with which I cursed my people. I am concerned with only myself, I am concerned only with myself; you better go to Ibrahim (peace be upon him). They would go to Ibrahim and say: Thou art the apostle of Allah and His Friend amongst the inhabitants of the earth; intercede for us with thy Lord. Don't you see in which (trouble) we are? Don't you see what (misfortune) has overtaken us? Ibrahim would say to them: Verily, my Lord is today angry as He had never been angry before and would never be angry afterwards. and (Ibrahim) would mention his lies (and then say): I am concerned only with myself, I am concerned only with myself. You better go to someone else: go to Moses. They would come to Moses (peace be upon him) and say: O Moses, thou art Allah's messenger, Allah blessed thee with His messengership and His conversation amongst people. Intercede for us with thy Lord. Don't you see in what (trouble) we are? Don't you see what (misfortune) has overtaken us? Moses (peace be upon him) would say to them: Verily. my Lord is angry as He had never been angry before and would never be angry afterwards. I, in fact, killed a person whom I had not been ordered to kill. I am concerned with myself, I am concerned with myself. You better go to Jesus (peace be upon him). They would come to Jesus and would say: O Jesus, thou art the messenger of Allah and thou conversed with people in the cradle, (thou art) His Word which I-Ie sent down upon Mary. and (thou art) the Spirit from Him; so intercede for us with thy Lord. Don't you see (the trouble) in which we are? Don't you see (the misfortune) that has overtaken us? Jesus (peace be upon him) would say: Verily, my Lord is angry today as He had never been angry before or would ever be angry afterwards. He mentioned no sin of his. (He simply said): I am concerned with myself, I am concerned with myself; you go to someone else: better go to Muhammad (). They would come to me and say: O Mahammad (peace be upon him), thou art the messenger of Allah and the last of the apostles. Allah has pardoned thee all thy previous and later sins. Intercede for us with thy Lord; don't you see in which (trouble) we are? Don't you see what (misfortune) has overtaken us? I shall then set off and come below the Throne and fall down prostrate before my Lord; then Allah would reveal to me and inspire me with some of His Praises and Glorifications which He had not revealed to anyone before me. He would then say: Muhammad, raise thy head; ask and it would be granted; intercede and intercession would be accepted I would then raise my head and say: O my Lord, my people, my people. It would be said: O Muhammad, bring in by the right gate of Paradise those of your people who would have no account to render. They would share with the people some other door besides this door. The Prophet then said: By Him in Whose Hand is the life of Muhammad, verify the distance between two door leaves of the Paradise is as great as between Mecca and Hajar, or as between Mecca and Busra.”[2]

The Hadith benefits us with with two benefits. One of them is: it is the basis of our discussion. The other will come in the Chapter on reckoning.
It is: that they are not accounted for but enter Paradise without reckoning and without punishment. They will enter from the gate on the right from the gates of Paradise immediately. They will shorten what will come from the events of the Day of Resurrection so that it does not pass by them. They will go to Paradise so what a happiness and great honour (it will be)! The discussion about them will follow –we ask Allah for his permission.

As for the one that is the basis of our discussion, it is the intercession of the Prophet (peace be upon him) with his community at that moment, which has reached a level of worry and sorrow that they cannot imagine or handle. The Prophet (peace be upon him) will intercede for them after they go to him. After that the Giant, His Majesty comes for the judgement so seperates between the slaves and the reckoning.

What is important to us in this section is that these are the first intercessions by the Prophet (peace be upon him). It is the intercession for the community at that moment to relieve them from their sorrows and the approaching of Allah Almighty for separating between the slaves and the reckoning.


[1] Narrated by Muslim number (193)

[2] Narrated by Al Bukhari number (4721). Narrated by Muslim number (194)