The Prophet’s Intercession: Its Privilege and Stages

(50) Chapters on Intercession by the Prophet

Allah has blessed the Prophet exclusively for intercession for his ummah. This excellence is not granted to any of the other Prophets. Some people among the ummah of the Prophet will also be granted an opportunity to intercede for others among the ummah who would be ruined by their errors and sins and who would have entered Hell. Intercession will be accepted for them so that they will be taken out of Hell after being punished in it in proportion to those of their sins which will not be forgiven. We seek Allāh’s refuge from the Fire.

(51) The Intercession Exclusively allowed to the Prophet by Allāh

This is the first intercession by the Prophet for his ummah. It is not shared by the rest of the Prophets. He will intercede for his ummah before Allah to release them from the prolonged station in the place where they will be gathered on the Last Day along with the earlier nations. The sun will be nearer to them. It will be inflicting them with pain. They will have suffered intolerable pain and grief. This intercession is distinct from the one which he will do later on in favour of those of the members of his ummah who will have been put in Hell for their crimes and sins in their worldly life; sins which Allah will not have forgiven them merely because of His blessing and mercifulness. That the Prophet will be blessed with an opportunity to see Allah at this occasion also forms part of this chapter.

1. Abū Qudāmah ᶜUbayd Allāh b. Saᶜīd and Yaᶜqūb b. Ibrāhīm al-Dawraqī and ᶜAbd al-Raḥmān b. Bishr b. al-Ḥakam → Yaḥyā b. Saᶜīd → Abū Ḥayān → Abū Zurᶜah b. ᶜAmr b. Jarīr → Abū Hurayrah:

2. ᶜAlī b. Mundhir → Ibn Fuḍayl → Abū Ḥayān al-Tamīmī → Abū Zurᶜah → Abū Hurayrah:

3. ᶜAbdah b. ᶜAbd Allāh al-Khuzāᶜī → Ibn Fuḍayl → Abū Ḥayān al-Tamīmī → Abū Zurᶜah → Abū Hurayrah:

Cooked mutton was presented to the Prophet and the flesh of the forearm was set before him. He used to like it. He took a morsel and said:

I will be the chief of all the people on the Day of Resurrection. Do you know why? Allah will gather all, the first and the last people, in one level place where an announcer will be able to hear them all and an observer will be able to see all of them. The sun will come near to them. Some people will say to others, “Do not you see, in what condition you are and the state to which you have reached? Why do not you look for a person who can intercede for you with your Lord?” Some people will say, “Appeal to your father, Adam.” They will go to him and say, “O Adam! You are the father of all mankind, and Allah created you with His Own Hands, and He blew into you from His spirit, and He ordered the angels who prostrated before you. Do not you see in what miserable state we are, and to what condition we have reached?” On that Adam will reply, “My Lord is so angry today as He has never been before and will never be in the future; besides, He forbade me to eat from the tree, but I disobeyed Him, (I am worried about) myself! Myself! Go to somebody else; go to Noah.”

They will go to Noah and say, “O Noah! You are the first amongst the messengers of Allah to the people of the earth, and Allah named you a thankful slave. Will you not intercede for us with your Lord? Do not you see in what a miserable state we are and to what condition we have reached?” Noah will reply, “Today my Lord has become so angry as he had never been before and will never be in the future. He prescribed for me to preach. I preached to my nation. Go to someone other than me. Go to Abraham. They will to Abraham.” They will say, “O Abraham. You are a Prophet of Allah and His friend from among the people of the earth. Intercede for us with your Lord. Do not you see in what a miserable state we are and to what condition we have reached?” Abraham will reply, “Today my Lord has become so angry as he had never been before and will never be in the future.” He will mention his lies and say, “Myself, myself. Go to someone other than me. Go to Moses.”

They will go to Moses and say, “O Moses! You are the Messenger of Allah. Allah granted you excellence by choosing you as His Messenger and by speaking to you. Intercede for us before your Lord. Do not you see in what a miserable state we are and to what condition we have reached?” Moses will reply, “Today my Lord is so angry as he had never been before and will never be in the future. I killed a man. Go to someone other than me. Go to Jesus.”

They will go to Jesus and say, “O Jesus! You are the Messenger of Allah. You spoke to the people while in the cradle. You are a word from Allah which He put in Mary. You are a Spirit from Allah. Will you not intercede for us with your Lord? Do not you see in what a miserable state we are and to what condition we have reached?” Jesus will reply, “Today my Lord has become so angry as he had never been before and will never be in the future.” He (Jesus) however, will not mention any sin of his. He will say, “Myself, myself. Go to someone other than me. Go to Muhammad.”

People will come to me and say, “You are the Messenger of Allah and the last of the Apostles. Allah forgave all of your sins, committed in past and in future. Will you not intercede for us with your Lord? Do not you see in what a miserable state we are and to what condition we have reached?” I will then go and prostrate myself underneath Allah’s throne. Then Allah will open up [great blessings] for me and will inspire to me expressions to praise Him which none will have been granted before. Then He will say, “O Muhammad! Raise your head; ask for anything, for you will be given and intercede, for your intercession will be accepted.” I will then raise my head and plead Him in the following words, “O My Lord! My ummah! My ummah!”

This I will utter thrice. Then it will be said, “O Muhammad! Let those among your ummah who have nothing to be accounted for enter Paradise from the rightmost door to it.” [This is exclusively for them. However, they will still] be sharing the other doors with the rest of the dwellers of Paradise.

[The Prophet said] By Allah in whose hands is my life, no two doors in Paradise will be shorter than the distance between Makkah and Hajar or (he said) between Makkah and Baṣrā.

This is the wording of ᶜAbd al-Raḥmān b. Bishr.

52. The First Intercession by the Prophet

Now I wish to bring evidence that the above-mentioned intercession by the Prophet will be the first intercession made by the Prophet in favour of the believers seeking Allāh to judge His creatures. Later, Allāh will order the Prophet to put in Paradise those among his ummah who have nothing to be held accountable for through the right door. He will be the first human to enter Paradise.

1. Muhammad b. ᶜAbd Allāh b. ᶜAbd al-Ḥakīm → his father and Shuᶜayb → al-Layth → Ibn Abī ᶜUbayd Allāh b. Abī Jaᶜfar → Ḥamzah b. ᶜAbd Allāh → ᶜAbd Allāh b. ᶜUmar:

2. Yūnus b. ᶜAbd al-Aᶜlā → Yaḥyā (Ibn ᶜAbd Allāh b. Bukayr) → al-Layth → Ibn Abī ᶜUbayd Allāh b. Abī Jaᶜfar → Ḥamzah b. ᶜAbd Allāh → ᶜAbd Allāh b. ᶜUmar: The Prophet said:

A man keeps on asking others for something till he comes on the Day of Resurrection without any piece of flesh on his face. On the Day of Resurrection, the sun will come near to the people to such an extent that the sweat will reach up to the middle of the ears, so, when all the people are in that state, they will ask Adam for help. He will tell them that he is not their man. Then they will ask Moses who will say the same. Then they will turn to Muhammad. Muhammad will intercede with Allah to judge amongst the people. He will proceed on till he will hold the ring of the door of Paradise and then Allah will exalt him to the station of privilege (muqām maḥmūd) and all the people of the gathering will praise him.

The wording is that of Yūnus.

3. Abū Zurᶜah, ᶜUbayd Allāh b. ᶜAbd al-Karīm → Saᶜīd b. Muhammad al-Jarmī → ᶜAbd al-Wāḥid b. Wāthil → Muhammad b. Thābit al-Bannānī → ᶜAbd Allāh b. ᶜAbd Allāh b. al-Ḥarath b. Nawfil → his father → ᶜAbd Allāh b. ᶜAbbās → the Prophet:

For the Prophets there will be seats made of gold. They will sit on them. [He said]: My seat will remain [empty]. I will not ascend to it and seat myself on it. I will remain standing before Allah fearing that He might take me to Paradise leaving my ummah behind me and I am left crying, “O my Lord! My nation! My nation!” Then Allāh will say, “O Muhammad! What do you want us to do with your Ummah?” I will say, “Hasten their accountability.” He will call them, and they will be judged. Some of them will enter Paradise with the mercy of Allāh, and some of them will enter Paradise through my intercession. I will go on interceding till I will be given booklets sent to Hell along with a group of people. [I will continue interceding] till the keepers of Hell will say, “O Muhammad! You have not left anything belonging to your Ummah for Fire which makes your Lord angry.”

The report of Qatādah from Anas, regarding the pleadings of the humans to Adam to get them out of their miserable state, contains the words, “Intercede for us with your Lord so that He releases us from this station.” Then they repeated the same words about human’s pleading to other Messengers too.

(53) On that this Intercession will be made prior to the Test of the Bridge

This intercession, which I have described as the first intercession, will be attempted before the people will pass through the bridge on their way to Paradise. Allāh says in this regard, “To the righteous, the Garden will be brought near” (Q 26:90).

1. ᶜAlī b. al-Mundhir → Muhammad b. Fuḍayl → Abū Mālik → Abū Ḥāzim → Abū Hurayrah:

And Ribᶜī b. Ḥirāsh → Ḥudhayfah:

The two Companions reported:

Allah, the Blessed and Exalted, would gather the people. The believers would keep standing till the Paradise would be brought near them. They would come to Adam and say, “O our father, open for us the Paradise.” He would say, “What turned you out from the Paradise was the sin of your father Adam. I am not able to do that; I had been the Friend (of Allah) from beyond, beyond; you better approach Moses with whom Allah conversed.” They would come to Moses, but he would say, “I am not in a position to do that; you better go to Jesus, the Word of Allah and His Spirit.” Jesus would say, “I am not in a position to do that.” So they would come to Muhammad. He would then be permitted (to open the door of Paradise). [The Prophet said], “Trustworthiness and kinship would be dispatched, and these would stand on the right and left of the Path and the first of you would pass with (the swiftness) of lightning.” The narrator said, “I said, “O you who are far dearer to me than my father and my mother what is this passing of lightning?” The Prophet replied, “Have you not seen lightning, how it passes and then comes back within the twinkling of an eye?” Then (they would pass) like the passing of the wind, then like the passing of a bird, and the hastening of persons would be according to their deeds, and your Apostle would be standing on the Path saying, “Save, O my Lord, save.” (The people would go on passing) and the deeds of the servants would become failing in strength. A man would come who would find it hard to go along (that Path) but crawlingly.” He (Abū Hurayrah) said, “And on the sides of the Path hooks would be suspended ready to catch anyone whom these would be required (to catch). There would be those who would somehow succeed in traversing that Path and some would be piled up in Hell. By Him in Whose Hand is the life of Abū Hurayrah it would take one seventy years to fathom the depth of Hell.”** **

(54) On that the Prophet will make many Intercessions on the Day of Judgment at one Place in Succession

The first intercession is the one mentioned in the report of Abū Zurᶜah from Abū Hurayrah and also in the reports of Ibn ᶜUmar and Ibn ᶜAbbās. This intercession concerns freeing the people from an endless assembly. It concerns beseeching Allah to judge the people. Later on, other intercessions will be made by the Prophet seeking Allah to release the monotheists from Hell party after party. He will follow each intercession with another. I will mention the report in parts, dropping the first part of the ḥadīth of Abū Hurayrah and the last part of the ḥadīth of Ibn ᶜUmar.

The Prophet said: Remain brief in your discussion.

The Companions of the Prophet at times cut the details from the ḥadīths of the Prophet short while narrating them. At times they would narrate the whole ḥadīth. Sometimes the memorizers of the ḥadīths memorize part of the ḥadīth they hear and leave part/s of it. Sometimes the memorizers forget a part. When we collate all the versions of a ḥadīth then we learn the entire text of the report under discussion along with the isnāds. One version adds to and explains the others. This is how we do in our mention of the ḥadīths in the book. Sometimes we mention a ḥadīth partly. At other times we opt for what is relevant in a discussion. Sometimes we choose a brief version and some other times we pick the detailed version. It is not allowable for the one who does not appreciate this convention to engage in this discipline of traditions.

1. Abū ᶜUmar Ḥafṣ b. ᶜAmr al-Rawbālī → ᶜAbd al-Raḥmān b. ᶜUthmān Abū Baḥr al-Babkarāwī → Shuᶜbah → Qatādah → Anas b. Mālik: The Prophet said:

The people will go to Noah and request him, “Please come on and intercede for us with your Lord.” He will say, “I am not fit for this undertaking.” He will mention his mistake which he had done. He will say to them, “Go to Abraham, the one whom Allah chose as His friend.”

They will go to Abraham who will ask him to go and intercede for them with their Lord. He will say, “I am not fit for this undertaking.” He would mention his three words by which he told lies, and say to them, “Go to Moses, a slave [of Allah] with whom He spoke directly.”

They will go to Moses who will say, “I am not fit for this undertaking.” He will mention his mistake he made. He will say to them to go to Jesus, Spirit of Allah and His word, His slave and Messenger.

They will go to Jesus and say, “Please go and intercede with your Lord.” [The Prophet said:] He will say, “I am not fit for this undertaking.” He will, however, not mention his mistakes. He will tell them, “You would better go to Muhammad the slave of Allah whose past and future sins have been forgiven by Him.” So they will come to me, and I will rise and hold the ring of the door [of Paradise]. I will then seek my Lord’s permission [to enter His House] and He will grant me permission. When I see Him, I will fall down in prostration before Him. He will say, “O Muhammad, lift up your head and speak, for you will be listened to, and intercede, for your intercession will be accepted, and ask (for anything) for it will be granted.” Then Allah will put a limit for me [to intercede for a certain type of people]. [At last] I will say, “O Lord none has remained in Hell except for those whom the Qurᵓān has kept there.”

The Prophet said:

Every Messenger has an invocation to be made [which will not be rejected] by Allah. I have kept my request for interceding for my ummah on the Last Day.

2. Abū al-Ashᶜath Aḥmad b. al-Miqdām al-ᶜAjalī → al-Muᶜtamir → his father → Qatādah → Anas:

Aḥmad narrating regarding the second round said: The Prophet said:

They will come to Adam on the Day of Judgment and say, “Allāh made the angels prostrate before you. Please intercede to Allāh for us so that He may release us from this station.” He will say, “I am not fit for this undertaking. Go to Noah.” They will go to Noah who will say, “I am not fit for this undertaking.” They will continue in that position and then go to Abraham who will say, “I am not fit for this undertaking. Go to Jesus. He is Spirit of Allah and His word.” They will go to Jesus and put the same request before him. He will say, “I am not fit for this undertaking. Go to Muhammad the slave of Allah whose past and future sins have been forgiven.” So they will come to me, and I will go to my Lord who will be in His abode. I will seek permission to enter and it will be granted me. When I see Him, I will fall down in prostration before Him. He will leave me in that state till He wills. Then He will say, “O Muhammad, lift up your head and speak, for you will be listened to, and ask (for anything) for it will be granted and intercede, for your intercession will be accepted.” Then I will sing His praises as He will inspire to me. Then I will intercede. Allah will put a limit for me [to intercede for a certain type of people]. I will leave [His presence] and let them enter Paradise. Then I will go back to Him a third time. When I see Him, I will fall down in prostration before Him. He will leave me in that state till He wills. Then He will say, “O Muhammad, rise and speak, for you will be listened to, and ask (for anything) for it will be granted and intercede, for your intercession will be accepted.” Then I will sing His praises as He will inspire to me. Then I will intercede. Allah will put a limit for me [to intercede for a certain type of people]. I will get them out and take them to Paradise. [This will continue] till I will say to my Lord, “None remains in Hell except those who have been kept by the holy Qurᵓān.”

…. 3. Aḥmad, → Khālid b. al-Ḥarath → Saᶜīd → Qatādah → Anas → the Prophet:

A similar report.

354. (4) Abū Mūsā, Muhammad b. al-Muthannā → Muhammad b. Abī ᶜAdī → Saᶜīd → Qatādah → Anas b. Mālik → the Messenger of Allāh:

The believers will assemble on the Day of Resurrection so long that they will become worried and say, “Let us ask somebody to intercede for us with our Lord so that He may relieve us from our long stay.” Then they will go to Adam and say, “You are Adam, the father of the people. Allah created you with His Own Hands, made the angels prostrate before you and taught you the names of all things. Will you intercede for us with your Lord so that He may relieve us from this place of ours?” He will say, “I am not fit for this undertaking.” He will mention his mistakes he had committed. He will feel ashamed to face Allah on account of that. [He will tell them], “Go to Noah, the first Prophet sent by Allah to the people of the Earth.” The people will go to Noah who will tell them, “I am not fit for this undertaking.” He will mention his questions to Allah regarding which he had no knowledge. He will feel ashamed to face Allah on account of those questions. He will say to them, “Go to Abraham, the one whom Allah chose as His friend.” They will go to Abraham who will say, “I am not fit for this undertaking.” He would say to them, “Go to Moses, a slave with whom Allah spoke directly and whom He gave the Torah.” They will go to Moses who will say, “I am not fit for this undertaking.” He will mention his unjust killing of a human being. He will be ashamed to face Allah on that account. He will say to them, “Go to Jesus, servant of Allah and His Messenger; His Spirit and His word.” They will go to Jesus who will say, “I am not fit for this undertaking.” He will, however, tell them to go to Muhammad the slave of Allah whose past and future sins have been forgiven.

So they will come to me. I will proceed (Ḥasan said, “I will walk among the ranks of the believers.” Then he (Ḥasan) returned to the report of Anas). I will seek my Lord’s permission [to enter His House] and He will grant me permission. When I see Him I will fall down in prostration before Him. He will leave me in that state till He wills. He will then say, “O Muhammad, lift up your head and speak, for you will be listened to, ask (for anything) for it will be granted you and intercede, for your intercession will be accepted.” I will raise my head and sing His praises as will be inspired to me by Him. Then I will intercede. Then Allah will determine a set number of people for me [to intercede]. They will be admitted into Paradise. Then I will return to Him another time and, seeing Him, fall in prostration. He will leave me in that state till He wills. Then it will be said, “O Muhammad, lift up your head and speak, for you will be listened to, ask (for anything) for it will be granted you and intercede, for your intercession will be accepted.” I will raise my head and sing His praises as will be inspired to me by Him. Then I will intercede. Then Allah will determine a set number of people for me [to intercede]. They will be admitted into Paradise.

Then I will return to Him the third time and, seeing Him, fall in prostration. He will leave me in that state till He wills. Then it will be said, “O Muhammad, lift up your head and speak, for you will be listened to, ask (for anything) for it will be granted you and intercede, for your intercession will be accepted.” I will raise my head and sing His praises as will be inspired to me by Him. Then I will intercede. Then Allah will determine a set number of people for me [to intercede]. They will be admitted into Paradise. Then I will return to Him the fourth time and say, “O Lord none has remained except for those whom the Qurᵓān has kept there.”

Abū Bakr said:

The Prophet’s statement related to the first mention of the intercession saying, “He will define a group for me from Hell” as reported by Shuᶜbah proves that this intercession would not be the first one, the one mentioned in the report of Abū Hurayrah which says they would be in the [painful] assembly. The report of Ibn ᶜUmar too deals with the same intercession [i.e. that mentioned in Abū Hurayrah’s report] seeking Allah to judge the people. In the report of Ibn ᶜAbbās it has been said, “He will ask Allah to start accountability immediately.” This is but judgement. Those of the narrators who stated that Allah will send some people to Paradise because of His mercifulness, they mean to refer to those who have no burden upon them of bad deeds to repay. They have been mentioned in the report of Abū Hurayrah. These are the people who will enter Paradise from the door lying in the extreme right side. According to the report of Ibn ᶜAbbās, the Prophet has also told us that he will start interceding that way and then will continue to (lā yazālu) intercede as has been explained in the report. According to the convention of the Arabic language, the expression lā yazālu is used to express continuity and persistence in an act. It is applied to an act which is carried out repeatedly and continuously. In the report narrated by al-Ḥasan from Anas the Prophet said, “I will go on interceding.” This report I have mentioned in another chapter.

The Prophetic words as reported by Saᶜīd b. Abī ᶜArūbah are, “He will fix a limit for me (to intercede) and then will admit them into Paradise.” These can either refer to the party mentioned by Abū Hurayrah, those without any liability upon them, who will enter Paradise from the right door. It is also possible that it refers to the party which finds mention in the report of Shuᶜbah, those released from the Fire. If he meant to refer to the party mentioned in the report of Abū Hurayrah, then the report of Saᶜīd contradicts it, its first and the last part just as the report of Ibn ᶜAbbās. If he means to refer to those mentioned in the report of Shuᶜbah, those taken out of the Fire, then the report of Saᶜīd is succinct like that of Shuᶜbah.

5. Muhammad b. Bashshār → ᶜAbd al-Wahhāb b. ᶜAbd al-Majīd al-Thaqafī → Abū Masᶜūd al-Jarīrī → al-Ḥasan → Anas b. Mālik: The Prophet said:

The believers will be assembled on the Day of Resurrection. They will be kept as long as Allah wills. It will worry the believers who will say, “Let us ask somebody to intercede for us with our Lord so that He may relieve us from our place.” Then they will approach all the Prophets. They (the Prophets) will tell them that it is not their position to do so. Then they (the believers) will go to Adam who will say, “O my sons! Consider that someone conceals something in a leather bag and stamps it. Can this treasure be obtained through any other means than the man who has locked it? Muhammad is the last of the Prophets. Therefore, he is the one to inaugurate the judgment. You should go to him.”

Then I will be approached by them. I will go to the door of Paradise. I will ask to open the gate. It will be opened for me. When I see my lord, I will fall in prostration. He will let me lie in prostration for as long as He wills. Then He will reveal to me words to praise Him. No one will have praised Him in such words before nor would any praise Him in that manner in future. Then it will be said, “O Muhammad. Intercede and your intercession will be accepted. Ask (for anything) for you will be given.” Then I will say, “O my Lord. I intercede for every such child who died in infancy.”

[The narrator says:] It will be said to him (the Prophet), “It is not for your O Muhammad. By My grace and Power and Greatness, there will remain no such individual in Hell who died without ascribing partners to Me, but you will get him out.” He told me that a person will say, “O my lord! There is a friend of mine [in Hell]. Then he will forbid [to himself anything] till he will get his friend out of [Hell].”

Abū Bakr said:

If this report is considerable, given that it is known to be from al-Jarīrī for sure or by some other reliable narrator, then its meaning is as follows: I will say, “O my lord I intercede for every child.” This I say because the reports ascribed to Anas which we have mentioned earlier prove that he will be allowed to intercede three times.

The narrative of Saᶜīd has been narrated to us also by Mūsā b. ᶜAbd al-Raḥmān al-Masrūqī → Abū Usāmah → Saᶜīd b. Abī ᶜArūbah → Qatādah → Anas → the Prophet:

He narrated the complete narrative which has the Prophet say:

When the believers will gather on the Day of Judgment [….] I will go to Him the fourth time and say, “O my lord nothing remains in Hell except those imprisoned by the holy Qurᵓān (ḥabasahu al-Qurᵓān)”.

Qatādah said it (ḥabasahu al-Qurᵓān) entails that everlasting punishment in Hell is final for him.

Qatādah reported that Anas b. Mālik reported the Prophet say, “He will release from Hell all those who ever declared that there is no god but Allah while he had in his heart belief weighing equal to an atom.” Qatādah said:

The knowledgeable people hold the view that the praised station (muqām maḥmūd) which Allāh mentions in the verse, “Soon will your Lord raise you to a station of praise and glory (muqām maḥmūd)! (Q 17:79) refers to the intercession on the Day of Judgment.”

Abū Bakr said: This report proves that the Prophet will intercede various times. A detailed discussion on this issue will follow soon in the book if Allah so willed and granted me the power to do so.

6. Muhammad b. ᶜUthmān b. Abī Ṣafwān → Muhammad b. Abī ᶜAdī → Saᶜīd:

He reported a narrative similar to that of Abū Mūsā.

7. Al-Ḥasan b. Muhammad b. al-Zaᶜfrānī → ᶜAffān (b. Muslim) → Ḥammād (b. Salamah) → Thābit → Anas → the Prophet:

8. Muhammad b. Yaḥyā → Muhammad b. Kathīr al-Thaqafī → Ḥammād b. Salamah → Thābit → Anas → the Prophet:

The Day of Judgment will be prolonged for the people, and they will say to one another, “Let us go to Adam, the father of all mankind and [ask him to] intercede for us with his Lord to judge us.” They will come to Adam and say, “O Adam! You are the one whom Allāh created with His own hand. And He placed you in Paradise and made the angels prostrate before you. Please intercede with your Lord for us to judge us.” He will say, “I am not fit for this undertaking. Go to Noah, the first of the Prophets.”

The people will go to Noah and say, “Please intercede for us with your Lord to judge us.” He will say, “I am not fit for this undertaking. Go to Abraham, the friend of Allah.”

They will go to Abraham and say to him, “Intercede for us with your Lord to judge us.” He will say, “I am not fit for this undertaking. Go to Moses, the one Allah chose as a Messenger and to speak to.”

They will go to Moses and ask him to intercede for them with his Lord to judge them. He will say, “I am not fit for this undertaking. Go to Jesus, the spirit of Allah and His word.”

They will go to Jesus and say to him, “Intercede for us with your Lord to judge us. He will say, “I am not fit for this undertaking. Consider a man who puts a treasure of him in a safe and then seals it. He will not then be able to obtain the treasure unless he removes the seal. Muhammad is the seal of the Prophets. He is there today. Allah has forgiven him all the sins of the past and future.” They will come to Muhammad (me) and say to him, “O Muhammad, intercede for us with your Lord to judge us. I will say, “I am fit to do it so that Allāh allows whom He pleases.” He said, “I will come to the gate of Paradise and knock it.” It will be said, “Who is this?” I will say, “I am Muhammad.” The door will be opened for me. I will come to my Lord who will be sitting on His bed (sarīrihī) or His throne (kursiyyihī). I will prostrate in front of Him. I will sing His praises in such great words that have not been adopted before me nor will such expressions be used after me. He will then say, “O Muhammad! Raise your head and name your request, for you will be heard. Ask [for anything] and you will be given. Intercede, for your intercession will be entertained.” I will raise my head and say, “O My Lord! My nation! My nation!” It will be said, “Get every such person as has an atom of faith in his heart [out of Hell].”

The Prophet said:

I will get them out [of Hell], will come back and prostrate again. I will praise Him in such words as will not have been used by anyone before or after me. Allah will say, “O Muhammad! Raise your head and say for you will be heard. Ask for anything, for your request will be fulfilled. Intercede, for your intercession will be accepted.” I will say, “O my Lord! My ummah! My ummah!” He will say, “Get every such person out of [Hell] as has an atom of faith in his heart.”

The Prophet said:

Ḥamīd said about the third turn, “I will get everybody who would have the least amount of faith in his heart.”

9. Abū Yaḥyā Muhammad b. Abd al-Raḥīm al-Bazzāz → Yūnus b. Muhammad → Ḥarab b. Maymūn → al-Naḍr → Anas → the Prophet:

I will be standing, waiting for my ummah to cross the bridge. Meanwhile Jesus Christ will come to me and say, “O Muhammad! All these Prophets have come to you to ask you to let them gather around you. Please ask Allāh so that He may separate all the gathering of all the ummahs the way He wants. All the creatures are drowning in the sweat, the believers find it intolerable, and the unbelievers are as if dying.” He (the Prophet) will say, “Wait till I come back to you.”

[The narrator says that] the Prophet then will go and stand under the Throne. He will meet an entity whom no chosen angel or Messenger has ever met.

Then Allāh will reveal to Gabriel to go to Muhammad and say to him, “Raise your head and beg, for you will be given. Intercede, for your intercession will be accepted.”

[The Prophet said], “I will then intercede for my ummah to the extent that I will have taken ninety-nine persons every time.” [He said], “I will continue going back to my Lord and every time I will stand up [after prostrating before Him] I will rescue some. This will continue and He will grant me my request till the point He will say, “O Muhammad! Get admitted into [Paradise] every such person Allāh created in your ummah who have witnessed that there is no god but Allāh and then died on this belief.””

(52) The Prophet is the first to intercede and the first whose intercession will be accepted on the Day of Judgment

The Prophet is the first to intercede on the Day of Judgment. His intercession will be accepted first of all. The narratives I shall quote prove that, on the Day of Judgment, other intercessions will be made after that of our Prophet’s. This we can base on the fact that according to the convention of the Arabic language there is no first without correlative subsequent degrees. This we will discuss later.

1. ᶜAbd Allāh b. Saᶜīd al-Ashajj → Ḥusayn b. ᶜAlī al-Juᶜfī → Zāᵓidah → al-Mukhtār b. Fulful → Anas → the Prophet:

I would be the first intercessor in Paradise and no apostle amongst the apostles has been testified (by such a large number of people) as I have been testified by. And verily there would be an apostle among the apostles who would be testified to by only one man from his people.

2. Muhammad b. Ḥassān al-Azraq → Rayḥān (b. Saᶜīd) → ᶜAbbād b. Manṣūr → Abū Qilābah → Anas:

Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah, will be the first person to enter Paradise on the Day of Judgment and will be the first man to intercede.

3. Al-Awzāᶜī → Qatādah → Abd al-Malik al-ᶜAtakī → Abū Hurayrah → the Prophet:

I am the leader of the children of Adam and the first to tear the earth [to be resurrected on the Day of Judgment], and the first person whose intercession will be accepted.

This narrative has also been narrated to us by: Yaᶜqūb al-Dawraqī → Muhammad b. Muṣᶜab al-Qurqasāᵓī → al-Awzā‘ī.

Abū Bakr said: I do not know the status of this Abd al-Malik in terms of reliability or otherwise (bi adālah wa lā jarḥ) nor do I know his bloodline. The report we mentioned earlier which says that people will come to Adam and say, “Intercede for us with our Lord,” clarifies that our Prophet is the first to intercede and the first whose intercession will be entertained.

4. Alī b. Yazīd b. Judᶜān → Abū Naḍrah → Abū Saᶜīd al-Khudrī:

People will have to face three occasions of immense terror.

He then related the whole narrative which contains the following:

They will come to me (Muhammad). I will go and hold the ring of the door of Paradise and knock at it. They will say, “Who is it?” I will say, “Muhammad.” They will say, “Muhammad has been sent for?” Then they will welcome me.

This ḥadīth has been narrated to us by: Abū Qudāmah → Sufyān → Ibn Judᶜān

The above passage is translated from Kitāb al-Tawḥīd by Imām Abū Bakr Ibn Khuzaymah (d. 311 AH). English translation by Dr Tariq Mahmood Hashmi.

English Translation of Seminal Islamic Texts

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