Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.  (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

salaam,

will aprreciate your kind response. FORGIVENESS – intercession could you kindly explain the meaning of the following qur`anic verses.

47) Sūrat Muĥammad

So know (O Muhammad) that there is no God save Allah, AND ASK

FORGIVENESS for thy sin and FOR BELIEVING MEN AND BELIEVING WOMEN.

Allah knoweth (both) your place of turmoil and your place of rest.

12:97.
They said: O our father! ASK FORGIVENESS OF OUR SINS FOR US, for lo! we were sinful.

12:98.
He said: I SHALL ASK FORGIVENESS FOR YOU OF MY LORD. Lo! He is the Forgiving, the Raĥīm 

http://web.umr.edu/~msaumr/Quran/41.html
THE ANGELS -- "WE ARE YOUR PROTECTORS IN THIS LIFE AND IN THE

HEREAFTER

41.30. In the case of those who say, "Our Lord is Allah., and, further, stand straight and steadfast, THE ANGELS DESCEND ON THEM (from time to time): "FEAR YE NOT!" (THEY SUGGEST), "NOR GRIEVE! but receive the Glad Tidings of the Garden (of Bliss), the which ye were promised!

41.31. "WE ARE YOUR PROTECTORS IN THIS LIFE AND IN THE HEREAFTER: therein shall ye have all that YOUR SOULS shall desire; therein shall ye have all that ye ask for!-

41.32. "A HOSPITABLE GIFT FROM ONE OFT-FORGIVING, Most Merciful!"
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thank you kindly 

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Answer:

Shafaa Intercession meaning of verses

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is no one (no idol, no person, no grave, no prophet, no imam, no dai, nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Your Question: could you kindly explain the meaning of the following qur`anic verses.
Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 47 Surah Muhammad verse 19:

19 Know therefore that there is no god but Allah and ask forgiveness for thy fault and for the men and women who believe: for Allah knows how ye move about and how ye dwell in your homes.

True guidance in Islam dictates that however hard and sincerely a believer might be trying to serve and worship his Lord, and struggling in His Cause, he should never ever be involved in the misunderstanding that he has done and accomplished whatever he was required and commanded to do. But rather, on the contrary, he should have the feeling that he has not been able to do full justice to what was expected of him by His Majestic Lord and Supreme Master. Therefore, he should confess his shortcomings and errors constantly and pray to his Lord to forgive him whatever faults, errors, and shortcomings he may have committed in His service. This is indeed the essence of Allah’s Command to the Prophet (saws) in the above verse (47:10): ‘ask forgiveness for thy fault…’. This does not mean in any way that, Allah forbid, the Noble Prophet (saws) had actually or intentionally committed any error, but its correct meaning is that it did not even behove the slave-servant who was the greatest worshipper of his Lord that he should harbour even a tinge of pride or accomplishment in his heart; but his true position was that in spite of all his great and glorious services in the deen, he should continue confessing his shortcomings in the Presence of his Majestic and Supreme Lord. It was under this state of mind that the Holy Prophet (saws) often implored his Lord for forgiveness and it is reported by Abu Dawood and An-Nisai that the Messenger of Allah (saws) said: ‘I implore Allah for forgiveness seventy (and in another narration, one hundred) times a day!’

All the Prophet who ever came to this earth, were sincere and ardent well-wishers of mankind; and regardless of the oppression and atrocities they faced from those who challenged them and the Truth they were sent with; they wished nothing but well for them. They constantly sought forgiveness from Allah for even those who opposed them, as is related by Allah Subhanah Himself in His Glorious Quran in the case of Prophet Ibraheem (a.s.) in the incident with his father, and the Prophet Mohamed (saws) when he sought forgiveness for the hypocrites.

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 19 Surah Maryam verse 47:

47 Abraham said (to his father, Azar): "Peace be on thee: I will pray to my Lord for thy forgiveness: for He is to me Most Gracious.

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 9 Surah Taubah verse 80:

80 Whether thou (O Prophet (saws)) ask for their (the hypocrites) forgiveness or not (their sin is unforgivable): if thou ask seventy times for their forgiveness Allah will not forgive them!: because they have rejected Allah and His Messenger; and Allah guideth not those who are perversely rebellious.

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 63 Surah Munafiqueen verses 5-6:

5 And when it is said to them (the hypocrites) "Come! The Messenger of Allah will pray for your forgiveness" they turn aside their heads and thou wouldst see them turning away their faces in arrogance.

6 It is equal to them whether thou (O Prophet (saws)) pray for their forgiveness or not. Allah will not forgive them! Truly Allah guides not rebellious transgressors.

When the Messenger of Allah (saws) himself offered the funeral prayer over the deceased chief of the hypocrites of Madinah, Abdullah ibn Ubayy, and sought forgiveness from the Lord for him, Allah Subhanah revealed the command forbidding the Prophet (saws) and the believers from seeking forgiveness for those who have died in disbelief!

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 9 Surah Taubah verses 112-114:

112 Those (true believers) that turn (to Allah) in repentance: that serve Him and Praise Him; that wander in devotion to the Cause of Allah; that bow down and prostrate themselves in prayer; that enjoin good and forbid evil; and observe the limits set by Allah; (these do rejoice). So proclaim the glad tidings to the Believers.

113 It is not fitting for the Prophet and those who believe that they should pray for forgiveness for pagans even though they be of kin, after it is clear to them that they are companions of the Fire.

114 And Abraham prayed for his father's forgiveness only because of a promise he had made to him. But when it became clear to him that he was an enemy to Allah he dissociated himself from him: for Abraham was most tender-hearted forbearing.

Thus, it was in the kind-hearted and tender nature of the Noble Prophets that they always sought the Mercy and Forgiveness of their people from their Lord Most Merciful. But after the command of Surah Taubah verse 113 was revealed, it was held forbidden for the believers to seek forgiveness for those who had died in disbelief.

When the Noble Prophets were such that they sought forgiveness for even their enemies, one can only imagine with what earnestness they must have sought forgiveness for those who truly believed in their Mission; and this their act of seeking forgiveness for the believers was absolutely encouraged and endorsed by Allah Subhanah. To ask, plead, implore and beseech the Lord Most Gracious to forgive one’s own and other’s sin is a virtue; to forgive or not their sins is in the Power, Domain, and Authority of the Lord Most Majestic Alone.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 39 Surah Zumar verses 44 :

What! Have they taken besides Allah others as ‘shofa’a’ (intercessors)? Say to them, “Will they intercede even if they have no power whatever nor understanding?” Say, “Shafa’a (intercession) is wholly in the Power of Allah Alone!”. His is the Kingdom of the heavens and the earth. Then to Him you will be returned.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 34 Surah Saba verse 26:

Say, “Our Lord will gather us all together, then He will Judge between us with Truth. He Alone is the One Who Decides, and He Alone Knows everything.”

Beloved brother, I do not deny that there is indeed a concept of ‘shafaa’ (intercession) in Islam; but some people have misunderstood and abused this concept and believe that no matter what they do, because they belong to the Ummah of Prophet Mohamed (saws), and the Prophet (saws) used to seek forgiveness for them and will plead with Allah to forgive them on the Day of Judgment, Allah Subhanah will have to forgive them! This incorrect understanding of ‘shafaa’ and intercession has seemingly ‘relaxed’ some of the muslims, they go about openly transgressing the boundaries of Allah, content in their belief that they will be saved from the Hell Fire on that Inevitable and Tumultuous Day of Judgment!

To people who insist on this false concept of intercession, I pose a simple question: When Prophet Adam (a.s.) cannot save his own son, When Prophet Noah (a.s.) cannot save his own son, when Prophet Lut (a.s.) cannot save his own wife, when Prophet Ibraheem (a.s.) cannot save his own father, and when the Imam of all the Prophets, the Noble Prophet Mohamed (saws) openly declared that he cannot save his own uncles (Abu Taalib and Abu Lahab), and even his own mother and father from the Hell Fire; how can one rest content that regardless of whatever they do, they will be saved through their intercession!!!

Sahih Muslim Hadith 398 Narrated by Anas ibn Malik

Verily a person said: ;O Messenger of Allah (saws), where is my father? He (saws) said: ‘(He) is in the Fire!’ When he turned away, he (the Prophet (saws)) called him and said: ‘Verily my father and your father are (both) in the Fire’.

Abu Hurairah reported: "The Prophet (saws) visited his mother' s grave and cried, and everyone there cried with him. Then the Prophet (saws) said: 'I sought my Lord's permission to seek forgiveness for her, but He did not permit me. I then sought permission to visit her grave and He permitted me to do this. You should visit graves, because they will remind you of the reality of death.''

Related by Muslim, Ahmad, and the Sunan.

Thus my beloved brother, in light of the Quran and the Sunnah, the correct concept of ‘shafaa’ and intercession is that Allah Subhanah will decide Alone who will be the intercessor and upon whom would their intercession be accepted! Neither the intercessor can choose upon whom he can make intercession; nor can the one who wishes intercession can choose his intercessor!!! Allah Alone is the Supreme and Majestic Master of the Day of Judgment, and He Alone Will decide who will intercede for whom!

A simple worldly example may help prove the true concept of ‘shafaa’ in Islam. When an University has a graduation ceremony, they always invite a ‘chief guest’ to give away the certificates to the graduates. The ‘chief guest’ has no authority to pass a student who has failed, nor can they fail the student who has passed! It is the University alone who decides who graduates and who does not! The purpose of choosing the ‘chief guest’ is only to bestow honor upon him!

Similarly in Islam, Allah has indeed promised Prophet Mohamed (saws) the honor of intercession; but it is Allah Subhanah Alone Who will decide upon whom his intercession will be accepted! Neither the Noble Prophet (saws) will have the power to choose, nor will those who wish intercession have the power to choose their intercessor! The Supreme Authority and Command of Decision will be in the Sole Domain of none, except the Majestic Lord of the Worlds!

Now, to the other verses which you requested clarifications:

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 12 Surah Yusuf verses 97-98:

97 They (the sons) said to (Prophet Yaqoob (a.s.)): "O our father! Ask for us forgiveness for our sins for we were truly at fault."

98 He (Prophet Yaqoob (a.s.))said: "Soon will I ask my Lord for forgiveness for you: for He is indeed Oft-Forgiving Merciful."

It is absolutely permissible in Islam that when one is truly repentant, and he himself seeks forgiveness for his faults and errors from his Lord; that he approach his loved ones or one pious amongst them who is alive and implore them to also seek forgiveness for them.

But to approach and invoke one who is dead for anything (be they one’s own deceased loved ones, or even the Noble Prophets of Allah), assuming that they can hear or respond to one’s invocation is a manifestation of the grave, heinous, and unforgivable sin of ‘shirk’!

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 41 Surah Ha-Meem verses 30-32:

30 In the case of those who say "Our Lord is Allah" and further stand straight and steadfast the angels descend on them (from time to time): "Fear ye not!" (they suggest) "nor grieve! but receive the Glad Tidings of the Garden (of Bliss) the which ye were promised!

31 "We are your protectors in this life and in the Hereafter: therein shall ye have all that your souls shall desire; therein shall ye have all that ye ask for!

32 "A hospitable gift from One Oft-Forgiving Most Merciful!"

Indeed, amongst the duties laid upon some of the Angels by their Lord is that they are appointed to protect and guard human beings! This is related in by the Lord Creator in His Glorious Quran:

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 13 Surah Raad verse 11:

11 For each (amongst man) there are (Angels) in succession before and behind him: they guard him by the command of Allah.

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 82 Surah Infitaar verses 10-12:

10 But verily over you (are appointed Angels) to protect you

11 Kind and honorable writing down (your deeds):

12 They know all that ye do!

Thus the statement of the Angels ‘We are your protectors in this life and in the Hereafter’ to the true believers is absolutely factual, and a reminder of the fact that just as they obeyed the command of their Lord to protect them in the life of this world, they have been appointed by the command of their Lord to protect the true believers in the Hereafter.

The Angels, so to say, are the uncondtionally obedient ‘soldiers’ of Allah Subhanah and they do exactly as they are commanded. When Allah commands them to protect someone, they fulfill His Command without question! When Allah Subhanah commands them to destroy someone, they fulfill His Command without question! When their Lord commands them to take the soul of someone, they fulfill His Command without question! They simply do whatever their Lord Commands them to do!

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 16 Surah Nahl verses 49-50:

All the animate creation in the heavens and the earth, and all the Angels prostrate themselves in adoration before Allah. They do not show any arrogance at all; they fear their Lord Who is above them, and do whatever they are bidden (to do).

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 21 Surah Anbiyaa verses 19-20:

All that exists in the heavens and the earth belong to Allah. And (the Angels) who are near Him disdain not to serve Him, nor do they feel wearied. They glorify Him night and day without taking rest!

Thus the statement of the Angels ‘We are your protectors in this life and in the Hereafter’ is only a reflection and fulfillment of their command from their Lord Most High! Under no circumstances can or will the Angels protect someone whom the Lord has commanded to destroy and punish! Thus, again as was, is, and will always remain the Truth is that Everything, absolutely everything is in the Sole Power and Domain of none, except the One and Only Supreme Lord of the Worlds.

If one trusts, obeys, and follows the guidance and commands of Allah and His Messenger (saws), one can be assured of never ever being misled; but if one believes, obeys and follows any other guidance, other than that of Allah and His Messenger (saws), one can be assured of being led astray.

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

Burhan