WHAT IS INTERCESSION (SHAFAAT)?
WHO CAN INTERCEDE?
Raghib al-Isfahani, in his work al-Mufradat fi Gharibi al-Qur'an, defines "intercession" (Shafa‘ah or Shafaat) as follows:
شَفَاعَة: It means to unite/come together with another person to offer help and inquire about their well-being. This word is mostly used to mean that someone of higher rank and prestige comes together with someone of a lower rank. The intercession on the Day of Judgment is also in this sense.
The meaning of intercession(Shafa‘ah or Shafaat) is the attribution or association of one person to another, with the intention of helping or seeking help. Over time, intercession has come to mean the association and mention of a person of higher rank and status with a person of lower status. In this relationship, the higher-ranking person is called 'shafi' or 'shafi' (intercessor), and the lower-ranking person is called 'mashfu' (one seeking intercession).
There are 25 verses in the Quran about intercession. When you categorize these verses according to their message, it becomes clear how irrelevant they are to the concept of intercession within traditional Islam. It is also regrettable that, despite these verses, so many statements contradicting the Quran have been attributed to the Prophet.
1- Allah is the sole possessor of intercession, just as He is the possessor of everything else:
Say: "To Allah belongs all intercession. His is the Sovereignty of the heavens and the earth, then to Him you shall be brought back."
Allah it is He Who has created the heavens and the earth, and all that is between them in six Days. Then He Istawa (rose over) the Throne (in a manner that suits His Majesty). You have none, besides Him, as a Wali (protector or helper etc.) or an intercessor. Will you not then remember (or be admonished)?
And leave alone those who take their religion as play and amusement, and are deceived by the life of this world. But remind (them) with it (the Quran) lest a person be given up to destruction for that which he has earned, when he will find for himself no protector or intercessor besides Allah, and even if he offers every ransom, it will not be accepted from him. Such are they who are given up to destruction because of that which they have earned. For them will be a drink of boiling water and a painful torment because they used to disbelieve
2. Who can intercede? For whom can intercession be made?
Allah Almighty may grant permission for intercession/assistance to whomever He wills, on behalf of those with whom He is pleased: No one can intercede for anyone else without Allah's permission and command. Those who intercede with Allah's permission can only do so for those whom Allah is pleased with.
Indeed, your Lord is Allah, who created the heavens and the earth in six days and then established Himself above the Throne, arranging the matter [of His creation]. There is no intercessor except after His permission. That is Allah, your Lord, so worship Him. Then will you not remember?
Intercession will not avail that day except from him whom the All-beneficent allows and approves of his word.
And intercession does not benefit with Him except for one whom He permits. [And those wait] until, when terror is removed from their hearts, they will say [to one another], "What has your Lord said?" They will say, "The truth." And He is the Most High, the Grand.
Allah—there is no god except Him—is the Living One, the All-sustainer. Neither drowsiness befalls Him nor sleep. To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth. Who is it that may intercede with Him except with His permission? He knows what is before them and what is behind them, and they do not comprehend anything of His knowledge except what He wishes. His seat embraces the heavens and the earth and He is not wearied by their preservation, and He is the All-exalted, the All-supreme.
3. Do angels intercede? For whom do they intercede? Angels will only intercede for those whom Allah permits and approves of.
How many an angel there is in the heavens whose intercession is of not any avail, except after Allah permits whomever He wishes and approves of!
He knows that which is before them and that which is behind them, and they do not intercede except for someone He approves of, and they are apprehensive for the fear of Him.
Those whom they invoke besides Him have no power of intercession, except those who are witness to the truth and who know.
None shall have the power of intercession, but such a one as has received permission from the Most Beneficent (Allah).
4- There is no intercession on the Day of Judgment; no one's intercession will be accepted.
Beware of the day when no soul will compensate for another, neither any intercession shall be accepted from it, nor any ransom shall be received from it, nor will they be helped.
Beware of the Day when no soul will compensate for another, neither will any ransom be accepted from it, nor will any intercession benefit it, nor will they be helped.
O you who believe! Spend of that with which We have provided for you, before a Day comes when there will be no bargaining, nor friendship, nor intercession. And it is the disbelievers who are the Zalimun (wrong-doers, etc.).
And warn therewith (the Quran) those who fear that they will be gathered before their Lord, when there will be neither a protector nor an intercessor for them besides Him, so that they may fear Allah and keep their duty to Him
Await they just for the final fulfillment of the event? On the Day the event is finally fulfilled (i.e. the Day of Resurrection), those who neglected it before will say: "Verily, the Messengers of our Lord did come with the truth, now are there any intercessors for us that they might intercede on our behalf? Or could we be sent back (to the first life of the world) so that we might do (good) deeds other than those (evil) deeds which we used to do?" Verily, they have lost their ownselves (i.e. destroyed themselves) and that which they used to fabricate (invoking and worshipping others besides Allah) has gone away from them.
5- The only use other than its normal meaning:
Whoever recommends and helps(shafāʿatan) a good cause becomes a partner therein: And whoever recommends and helps(shafāʿatan) an evil cause, shares in its burden: And Allah hath power over all things.
It means that whoever joins with another and helps him, or supports him in doing good or evil, or assists and strengthens him, or shares in his benefit and harm, is considered his equal. According to some, the intercession mentioned in this verse is this: one person opening the way for another to do good or evil and following him; thus, he becomes like his equal (similar).
In conclusion, it does not mean "intercession" in the commonly understood sense, but rather "to lead, to be a means, or to cause." This meaning is better understood by reading the preceding verse. In the previous verse, after commanding fighting in His way, Allah Almighty gives the good news that whoever among the believers accompanies the Prophet in battle will receive a share because of their sacrifice. Here, the subject is related to sacrifices in worldly life. Therefore, the expression "whoever intercedes well" is interpreted as "whoever causes a good deed." The fact that intercession, in its already known sense, does not have the negative connotation associated with polytheism by the Quran in this verse further reinforces that it is outside its normal meaning.
6- The status and consequences of intercession tainted with polytheism: The verses below indicate that those seeking intercessors are committing polytheism through this behavior.
And they worship besides Allah things that hurt them not, nor profit them, and they say: "These are our intercessors with Allah."
Say: "Do you inform Allah of that which He knows not in the heavens and on the earth?"
Glorified and Exalted be He above all that which they associate as partners with Him!
And truly you have come unto Us alone as We created you the first time. You have left behind you all that which We had bestowed on you. We see not with you your intercessors whom you claimed to be partners with Allah. Now all relations between you and them have been cut off, and all that you used to claim has vanished from you.
No intercessor will they have from those whom they made equal with Allah (partners i.e. their so-called associate gods), and they will reject and deny their partners.
Have they taken others as intercessors besides Allah? Say: "Even if they have power over nothing whatever and have no intelligence?"
So the intercession of the intercessors will not avail(benefit) them.
Now we have no intercessors,
And warn them of the Day that is drawing near (i.e. the Day of Resurrection), when the hearts will be choking the throats, and they can neither return them (hearts) to their chests nor can they throw them out. There will be no friend, nor an intercessor for the Zalimun (polytheists and wrong-doers, etc.), who could be given heed to.
7- The message conveyed through the Prophet and the final point.
Shall I take gods besides Him? If the All-beneficent desired to cause me any distress, their intercession will not avail me in any way, nor will they rescue me.
However, there are also the following verses that support these verses,
Not for you is the decision; whether He turns in mercy to them or punishes them; verily, they are the Zalimun (polytheists, disobedients, and wrong-doers, etc.).
(It will be) the Day when no soul shall have power (to do) aught(anything at all) for another: For the command, that Day, will be with Allah.
O mankind! Be wary of your Lord and fear the day when a father will not atone(compansate) for his child, nor the child will atone(compansate) for its father in any wise. Indeed Allah’s promise is true. So do not let the life of the world deceive you, nor let the Deceiver deceive you concerning Allah.
And no bearer(carrier) of burdens(load-sins) shall bear another's burden, and if one heavily laden calls another to (bear) his load, nothing of it will be lifted even though he be near of kin(relations). You can warn only those who fear their Lord unseen, and perform As-Salat (prayer). And he who purifies himself (from all kinds of sins), then he purifies only for the benefit of his ownself. And to Allah is the (final) Return (of all).
Then, is one who has deserved the decree of punishment [to be guided]? Then, can you save one who is in the Fire?
Those who still declare the prophet first, and then themselves, as intercessors and saviors are struggling in the web of polytheism.
At this point, the Quran shows people that the commonly known concept of intercession is a flawed and polytheistic practice, and by redefining the term within the framework of monotheistic laws, it prevents polytheism.
As a conclusion, If intercession is to be done with Allah's permission and only for those whom Allah is pleased with, and if Allah has already stated that He can forgive all sins except polytheism and has revealed His infinite mercy to us, then claims that intercession can save someone from hell and bring them to paradise are nothing more than associating partners with Allah. In other words, since those who will benefit from it are actually those whom Allah has already accepted for forgiveness, what happens is not a benefit of human intercession, but a result of Allah's mercy.
So, it has no benefit for those who are involved in polytheism, but as mentioned, for those who are not, the benefit of intercession might be that they will be reunited with those who are already in Paradise. In other words, since it is stated that people will be rewarded differently in Paradise according to their deeds, it could be a way for those at different levels to meet in Paradise.
Only Allah knows the truth...