If God knows everything better than anyone else, is wiser than all his creation and his prophets, why would he need anyone`s opinion?
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:
Salam
Alaikum
A
Non-muslim asked this question about interscession
Q-1: Explain logically why an all knowing, all wise God needs intercession by
his creatures. Is there anything that God does not know that the intercessor
can inform him? The philosophy of intercession denies not only the omniscience
of God but also his mercy and fairness. It concept on intercession implies that
Muhammad (PBUH) and "those to whom permission is given" know things
that Allah does not know, or that they are more forgiving and merciful that
him.
Q-2: If God knows everything better than anyone else, is wiser than all his
creation and his prophets, why would he need anyone`s opinion? Doesn't this
imply that Muhammad (PBUH) knows something about humans that Allah does not
know?
Q-3 :
According to Islam, Allah is perfect while Muhammad (PBUH) and Muslims are not.
Will you please explain why a perfect being would listen to the opinions of
imperfect creatures? If the claim that Allah knows best is true, then
intercession by creatures who don't know anywhere close to what Allah knows is
not needed at all and is sheer arrogance. Does Muhammad (PBUH) and other devout
Muslims know the secrets of people`s heart better than God?
Q-4: The concept of intercession is nothing but blasphemy. Muhammad (PBUH) is
claiming to have the power to act as God's advisor. He even grants this
preposterous privilege to his followers. This is absurd. What possibly anyone
can tell God that He already does not know? If someone deserves a break because
of his loyalty or for any other reason, shouldn't God know that better than his
prophet? By claiming that he has the power to intercede with God, Muhammad
(PBUH) in assuming the role of the Almighty's partner. Please Explain and give
clear Answer
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errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from
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Answer:
The concept of
intercession
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 none 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: Explain logically why an all knowing, all wise God needs intercession
by his creatures. Is there anything that God does not know that the intercessor
can inform him?
Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 10 Surah Yunus
verse 18:
These people worship beside Allah those which
can neither harm nor benefit them, and say, “These are our ‘shofa’a’
(intercessors) with Allah!” (O Prophet
(saws)), tell them, “Do you wish to inform Allah of that thing which He
knows to be neither in the heavens nor in the earth?” He is absolutely free from, and exalted above the shirk that they commit.
The Lord Creator is the All-Knowing, All-Wise, and has
Perfect and Absolute Knowledge of everything that transpires in creation….and
rest absolutely assured that there is absolutely nothing anyone can inform Him
which He does not already Know! The Lord
Most Majestic Most Supreme is absolutely Self-Sufficient and He does not need
anything from anyone in His creation, least of all ‘intercession’!!!
The concept of ‘shafaa’ or intercession in Islam is
unfortunately grossly misunderstood by the believers and the disbelievers
alike….time and time again, Allah Subhanah in His Glorious Quran, and the Noble
Prophet Mohamed (saws) in his authentic and established Sunnah have
categorically denied that there will be any intercession for anyone on the Day
of Judgment!
Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 6 Surah
Anam verse 94:
(And on the Day of Resurrection, Allah will
say), “So, you have come before Us all alone,
as We created you at first. Now,
you have left behind all that We gave you in the world. Now We do not see with you those
‘shufa’a’(intercessors), who, you believed,
had a share in moulding your destinies! All the relations between you and them have
been cut off, and all those, in whom you trusted, have left you in the lurch.”
Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 2 Surah
Baqarah verse 48:
And
guard yourselves against the Day when no one shall avail anyone else; nor
shall ‘shafa’a’ (intercession) be
accepted from anyone; nor shall
anyone be acquitted for any amount of ransom; nor shall the guilty ones
be helped from any quarter.
Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 40 Surah Mumin verse 18:
O Prophet (saws), warn them of the Day that has
approached near, when the hearts will leap up to the throats and the people
will be standing mute, grief-stricken;
and the wrong-doers will neither have any kindly friend nor any
‘shafaa’ (intercessor) who may be listened to.
Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 34 Surah
Saba verse 26:
Say, “Our Lord will gather us all together, then
He (Alone) will Judge between us with Truth.
He Alone is the One Who Decides, and He Alone Knows everything.”
Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 6.294 Narrated by Abu Huraira
Allah's Messenger (saws) got up when the
Verse: "And warn your tribe of near kindred..." (26.214) was revealed and said, "O
(people of the tribe of) Quraish! Save yourselves! I cannot save you from
Allah (if you disobey Him). O Bani Abu Manaf! I cannot save you
from Allah (if you disobey Him). O Abbas! The son of Abdul Muttalib! I
cannot save you from Allah (if you disobey Him). O Safiyah, (the aunt
of Allah's Messenger (saws))! I cannot save you from Allah (if you
disobey Him). O Fatimah, the daughter of Muhammad (saws)! Ask what you
wish from my property, but I cannot save you from Allah (if you disobey
Him)."
In light of the guidance of the Holy Quran, there is
indeed a concept of ‘intercession’ or ‘shufaa’ in Islam…but we assure you it is
quite unlike what the disbelievers have envisioned or imagined for
themselves!!!
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.
The Lord Most Majestic, Most Supreme categorically
Declares that Intercession is wholly in the Power of Allah Subhanah Alone! It is Allah Subhanah Alone Who Will Decide and
Determine whom He Wills and Pleases to make an ‘intercessor’….and Allah is our
witness, it is the Lord Most Supreme Who Alone Will Decide and Determine for
whom He will accept ‘intercession’ from His nominated ‘intercessor’.
Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 20 Surah
Taha verses 108-109:
On that Day the people will come straight to the
call of the summoner! No one will dare
show any haughtiness, and all the voices
will be hushed before the Merciful and you will hear nothing but a whispering
mumur. On that Day, no intercession shall avail save his, whom
the Merciful may allow to intercede and be pleased to give him a hearing.
Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 19 Surah
Maryam verses 87:
(On that Day) no one shall have the
ability to make ‘shafaa’, except the one
who may have received permission from the Merciful.
Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 34 Surah
Saba verse 23 :
(On that Day) no intercession before
Allah can avail anyone, except for the
one for whom Allah permits it.
Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 78 Surah
Naba verses 38:
The Day when the Spirit (Jibrael) and the Angels
shall be standing up in ranks (means..Day of Judgement), none shall speak except the one whom
the Merciful may permit, and
(the one permitted) will only speak what is right.
Neither the ‘intercessor’ nor the ones who are to be
interceded for, will have any power or authority whatsoever in the absolute least! Intercession is wholly in the Power of the
Lord Most Supreme Alone; and He Alone will Decide and Determine who will
intercede for whom!
A simple worldly example will
make the matter of intercession very clear.
On the day of graduation of any good university, the moderators of the
university invite and honor a ‘chief guest’ to give away the certificates to
those who have passed their examinations.
It is the moderators of the university alone who decide who will be
their ‘chief guest’ and who amongst the students have passed the examinations,
and will thus receive their graduation certificates. Neither the ‘chief guest’ nor the students
have the right or privilege to choose their ‘chief guest’, nor does the ‘chief
guest’ have a right to award the graduation certificate to whomever he wills
amongst the students! It is the
moderators of the university who alone decide who will be the ‘chief guest’ and
it is they alone who determine who amongst the students deserve to be
certified.
Similarly, Allah Subhanah will
honor and nominate one amongst His fortunate slaves to be the ‘intercessor’,
and Allah Subhanah Alone will Decide whomsoever He Wills to forgive……and then
honor this fortunate person to intercede for them; and that fortunate person
will thus be honored as the ‘intercessor’ in the Presence of all mankind on
that Day of Judgment! Neither the
intercessor nor those who are being forgiven will have the power to make any
decisions on that Day, for it will be Allah Subhanah Alone Who will be the Supreme
Master of that Inevitable Day of Judgment!
Allah Subhanah has reserved ‘a’ place of honor in
Abdullah ibn 'Amr related that the Messenger
of Allah (saws) said, "If you hear the call to prayer, repeat after it.
Then supplicate for me, for whoever makes one supplication for me, Allah makes
ten for him. Then ask Allah to grant me the place of ‘Wasilah’. It is a
place in
Related by Muslim.
Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 17 Surah
Israa verse 79:
79 And pray (O Prophet (saws)) in the small
watches of the morning: (it would be) an additional prayer for thee (O Prophet
(saws)): soon will thy Lord raise thee (O Prophet (saws)) to a station of
‘Mahmuda’ (praise and glory)
Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 1.331 Narrated by Jabir bin Abdullah
The Prophet (saws) said, "I have been
given five things which were not given to any one else before me.
1.
Allah made me victorious by awe, (by His frightening my enemies)
for a distance of one month's journey.
2.
The
earth has been made for me (and for my followers) a place for praying and a
thing to perform Tayammum, therefore anyone of my followers can pray wherever
the time of a prayer is due.
3.
The booty has been made Halal (lawful) for me yet it was not
lawful for anyone else before me.
4.
I will be given the right of intercession (on the Day of
Resurrection).
5.
Every Prophet used to be sent to his nation only but I have been
sent to all mankind.
Thus in essence, and when taken in the right context,
there is a provision for intercession on the Day of Judgement in Islam; but the
determination of who will be the intercessor and who will receive intercession
is something that the Majestic and Supreme Lord Alone will Decide and Decree.
We humbly pray and beseech the Merciful Lord that He honor
and bless and grant this lofty and honorable status of ‘Al-Waseelah’ to our
beloved Prophet, Mohamed ar-Rasool Allah (saws) on the Day of Judgment; and we,
in all humility and hope and extreme fear, beg our Lord that we be amongst
those fortunate beings whom Allah Subhanah has chosen to be forgiven and thus
granted the intercession of the noble Messenger of Allah (saws). Ameen.
My beloved and dear Brother in Islam, this concept of
intercession is so pivotal, that when taken in the wrong context, has allowed
the Shaytaan to lead many amongst mankind to the heinous and unforgivable path
of ‘shirk’! Without exception, all the
nations that were destroyed in the past and related by Allah Subhanah in the
Glorious Quran were victims of this false belief of intercession, whereby they
invented their own deities and invoked them to intercede for them in the
Presence of the Majestic Lord; and they thus became involved in the heinous sin
of ‘shirk’!
Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 39 Surah Zumur verse 2-3:
So worship Allah Alone, making your religion His exclusively. Beware!
Religion is the exclusive Right of Allah. As for those who have taken other ‘auliyas’
(guardians) with Allah (and justify their this conduct by saying): “We
serve them only that they may bring us closer to Allah.” Allah will surely judge between them
concerning all that in which they differ.
Allah does not show guidance to any liar and denier of the Truth.
It is indeed unfortunate, that even after having believed in
the Quran and in the Last Messenger of Allah (saws), many amongst the Muslim
Ummah have fallen in this exact same trap of Shaytaan and chosen their own
intercessors without any right or authority!
They invoke the graves of their intercessors, celebrate and commemorate
their birthdays and their death-days, feed people in their names, and invoke
them at all times to intercede for them in the Presence of Allah Subhanah for
all their needs! Little do they realize
that this is precisely the sin of ‘shirk’ that overwhelmed those nations who
were destroyed by Allah Subhanah before them!
May Allah Subhanah have mercy on the Muslim Ummah and save
them from this evil and heinous temptation of the Shaytaan who leads them to
‘shirk’.
Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 16 Surah
Nahl verse 98-100:
Then,
when you begin to recite the Quran,
seek Allah’s refuge against the accursed Shaitaan, for he has no power over those who believe
and put their trust in Allah.
Shaitaan has power (to inspire)
only over those people, who make him
their patron, and practice ‘shirk’ by
his temptation.
Beloved Brother in Islam, if in spite of our best efforts,
and due to the shortcomings in our writing and explanations, if we have not
been able to completely clarify this concept of ‘intercession’ in Islam, or if
there is any doubt in your mind regarding this concept of ‘intercession’; we
humbly request you to ask us or any good scholar as many questions as you may
like to clarify and fully understand this concept of ‘intercession’ from the
Truth of the Quran and Sunnah. This
concept is so pivotal in the deen, that if mis-understood or taken in the wrong
context, it leads straight to the path of the unforgivable and heinous sin of
‘shirk’.
If one trusts,
obeys, and follows the guidance
and commands of Allah and His Messenger (saws), he 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), he 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. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only
Source of Strength.
Your brother and
well wisher in Islam,
Burhan
Wister