Intercession on the Day of Judgment and Its Conditions

Question

Peace be upon you. Many narrations have been reported about intercession, including one narrated from the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family): 'I will intercede on the Day of Judgment for whoever has in their heart the weight of a mosquito's wing of faith.' In another narration, he said: 'The prophets will intercede for everyone who bears witness that there is no god but Allah, sincerely.' If Allah is characterized by justice, should He not hold all people accountable except for those whom He has chosen and selected, such as the martyrs, prophets, and the family of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family), along with others among the believers and the righteous? Many from the nation of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) and the lovers of the family have committed numerous sins and transgressions. If there are conditions for intercession, then these conditions may not be met by all of creation who have in their hearts the weight of a mosquito's wing of faith, or does this narration fall within the conditions? And does one who receives intercession still face the punishment of the grave and the Barzakh, and will they be held accountable on the Day of Judgment? I hope you can answer all these questions and clarify, and if there are conditions for intercession that one must meet, please present them in your response. Thank you.

Answer 1

And peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah and His blessings. When Allah created creation and wanted for them salvation through guidance and righteousness, He was kind and merciful to them through various means of guidance and paths to righteousness and salvation, which are in fact manifestations of His kindness, generosity, and mercy. He sent the prophets (peace be upon them) with miracles and scriptures, instilled in us the innate disposition of faith and monotheism, and equipped us with reason to assist us. Allah, knowing that humans would be tested by exposure to sins and would be afflicted by disobedience due to their desires and conflicting interests, and the weakness of will, varying among individuals, completed His kindness to His servants and encompassed them with forms of His mercy by opening two doors for them to rid themselves of the effects of what they have committed: the first is repentance, and the second is intercession. Based on what has been mentioned, intercession is an essential element in the system of testing, trial, reward, and punishment, and it is something that Allah has made clear to His servants and commanded them to seek it by fulfilling its requirements, not to turn away from it. Allah is the Creator, the Commander, the Prohibitor, the Rewarder, and the Punisher, and He is the one who decrees and is not decreed upon. Reward is a promise from Allah, and punishment is a warning. Reason sees that Allah does not break His promise, but He may break His warning in a way that does not contradict the rights of others or infringe upon His justice with them, especially if Allah has promised to overlook and pardon certain groups of people, such as the repentant or those who are included in intercession. Therefore, there is no contradiction between justice and intercession. The principle of the establishment of intercession is something agreed upon by Muslims. Jabir ibn Abdullah reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) said: 'I have been given five things that no one before me has been given... and I have been given intercession, which no prophet before me was given.' As for the conditions and criteria for intercession, they are numerous, and we mention some of them: that the individual is not among the polytheists, disbelievers, oppressors, hypocrites, those who have forgotten the religion, those who deny the Day of Judgment, the weak in faith, those who harm the family of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family), the killers of the infallible imams, those who deny the guardianship of Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him), those who deny intercession, and those who disobey Allah and oppose His commands. Evidence can be brought for each of the aforementioned conditions, but the occasion does not allow for that, and we suffice with some of what has been mentioned: Imam Hussein (peace be upon him) narrated that his grandfather said to him in a dream: 'My beloved Hussein, I see you soon covered in your blood, slaughtered in the land of Karbala at the hands of a group from my nation, and you will be thirsty and not given to drink, while they hope for my intercession; may Allah not grant them my intercession on the Day of Judgment.' Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq (peace be upon him) explained the verse: 'They do not possess intercession except for those who have taken a covenant with the Most Merciful,' saying: 'No one will intercede for them or be interceded for except for those whom He has permitted through the guardianship of Amir al-Mu'minin and the imams from his lineage; this is the covenant with Allah.' Anas reported from the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): 'Whoever loves me, let him love Ali, and whoever hates any of my family, my intercession is forbidden for him.' These are some of the narrations from the people. Based on what has been mentioned, it can be said that intercession includes those who die as believers, with faith in the specific sense, and general Islam is not sufficient except for the weak and the ignorant, for their matter is with Allah. If a person has sins that they have not repented for and have not been forgiven, and the remaining conditions are met, they will be pardoned by the blessing of intercession, escaping from entering the Fire, or being saved from the Fire after entering it. There are narrations regarding both meanings, and in some narrations, those who are saved from the Fire after entering it are referred to as 'the inhabitants of Hell,' including the fornicator. This may relate to the saying of the Prophet (peace be upon him): 'My intercession on the Day of Judgment is for the major sinners among my nation.' This does not negate their entry into the Fire and then their rescue afterward through intercession. As for what you mentioned in the question regarding narrations, they are not found in our books; however, it has become clear that faith is a condition for intercession, and mere general Islam is not sufficient, just as faith is not the only condition. As for intercession in the Barzakh, there is nothing to negate its occurrence, for Allah's mercy may reach a believer at any stage of their journey to Him. It can even be said that there is evidence indicating its occurrence at the time of death and in the grave, such as what indicates the presence of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and the family of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) with the believer at the time of their death and their seeking forgiveness for him, and their presence in his grave. This is similar to the command to pray for mercy for the deceased by those who pray over him before burying him. May you be successful in all good.