By Editorial Staff
In general, when Muslims talk about intercession, the first person who comes to their mind is Prophet Muhammad (Allah bless him and grant him peace). This is because the right of the Greatest Intercession which is exclusive to him. In addition, he will share other intercessors in the other different kinds of intercessions.
Before writing about the other intercessors, we will cite one more kind of intercession which is also exclusive to Prophet Muhammad (Allah bless him and grant him peace).
To open the gates of the Paradise to those people who are destined for it, Prophet Muhammad (Allah bless him and grant him peace) will be the first to intercede concerning this.
Making intercessions so that the gates of the Paradise will be opened
To open the gates of the Paradise to those people who are destined for it, Prophet Muhammad (Allah bless him and grant him peace) will be the first to intercede concerning this. Anas b. Malik reported:
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, “I will be the first among people to intercede concerning (opening the gates of) the Paradise and I will be the Prophet with the greatest number of followers (on the Day of Resurrection).” (Muslim)
The following hadith relates about this in some more detail. Anas b. Malik reported: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:
“I will come to the gate of Paradise on the Day of Resurrection and would seek its opening and the keeper would say: Who are you? I would say: Muhammad. He would then say: It is for you that I have been ordered, and not to open it for anyone before you.” (Muslim)
The other intercessors who will intercede before Allah on the Day of Resurrection
1. The angels
Allah says: “For how many an angel is there in the heavens whose intercession is of no avail-to anyone – in anything until God grants permission to whomever He so wills and is pleased with.” (Quran 53:26)
This Aya clearly shows that the disbelievers who worship angels claiming that they will intercede on their behalf are completely wrong. For the Aya states two prerequisites for benefitting from intercession, which the disbelievers failed to achieve.
2. The prophets
Prophets are the best human beings. They called people to worship only one God, Allah, in this life and would intercede on behalf of the believers on the Day of Resurrection.
3. The believers
There are some believers who will enjoy this high status on the Day of Resurrection. Achieving this requires a person to abide by certain acts of worship and avoid the things that deprive a person from being an intercessor. We will discuss this in detail in a forthcoming article.
The following part of the hadith is a proof that the angels, the prophets and the believers will be intercessors. Narrated Abu Sa’id Al-Khudri:
“…The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “You (Muslims) cannot be more pressing in claiming from me a right that has been clearly proved to be yours than the believers in interceding with Almighty for their (Muslim) brothers on that Day, when they see themselves safe.
They will say, ‘O Allah! (Save) our brothers (for they) used to pray with us, fast with us and also do good deeds with us.’ Allah will say, ‘Go and take out (of Hell) anyone in whose heart you find faith equal to the weight of one (gold) Dinar.’ Allah will forbid the Fire to burn the faces of those sinners. They will go to them and find some of them in Hell (Fire) up to their feet, and some up to the middle of their legs. So they will take out those whom they will recognize and then they will return, and Allah will say (to them), ‘Go and take out (of Hell) anyone in whose heart you find faith equal to the weight of one half Dinar.’ They will take out whomever they will recognize and return, and then Allah will say, ‘Go and take out (of Hell) anyone in whose heart you find faith equal to the weight of an atom (or a smallest ant), and so they will take out all those whom they will recognize.” Abu Sa’id said: If you do not believe me then read the Holy Verse:–
“Indeed, God wrongs none, (not even) an atom’s weight. Yet if there is a good deed, He multiplies it…” (Quran 4:40)
The Prophet added, “Then the prophets and Angels and the believers will intercede…” (Al-Bukhari)
4. The intercession of Allah
The previous hadith continues: “…and (last of all) the Almighty (Allah) will say, ‘Now remains My Intercession. He will then hold a handful of the Fire from which He will take out some people whose bodies have been burnt, and they will be thrown into a river at the entrance of Paradise, called the water of life.
They will grow on its banks, as a seed carried by the torrent grows. You have noticed how it grows beside a rock or beside a tree, and how the side facing the sun is usually green while the side facing the shade is white. Those people will come out (of the River of Life) like pearls, and they will have (golden) necklaces, and then they will enter Paradise whereupon the people of Paradise will say, ‘These are the people emancipated by the Beneficent. He has admitted them into Paradise without them having done any good deeds and without sending forth any good (for themselves).’ Then it will be said to them, ‘For you is what you have seen and its equivalent as well.'” (Al-Bukhari)
There are still others whom Allah will give the right of intercession. We are going to write about them in a forthcoming article.