al-Muddaththir

وَكُنَّا نُكَذِّبُ بِيَوْمِ الدِّينِ

حَتَّىٰ أَتَانَا الْيَقِينُ

فَمَا تَنفَعُهُمْ شَفَاعَةُ الشَّافِعِينَ

46. "And we used to belie the Day of Recompense at all times,
47. "Until there came to us the death."
48. Therefore, no intercession of intercessors will be of any avail to them.

The blessed Verses 46-47, the sinners confess that their sins included the denial of the Day of Reckoning at all times, until their death came unto them. It goes without saying that denial of the Day of Resurrection which is the Day of Reckoning destabilizes all Divine and ethical values, particularly when it continues to the end of life. It is worthy of note that the blessed Verses in question clearly reflect that the disbelievers are obliged to observe the primary and the secondary principles of religion, and the four injunctions, namely establishing ritual prayers, paying religious obligatory alms, refraining from attending the meetings held by the followers of falsehood, and believing in the Day of Resurrection significantly contribute to human guidance and spiritual growth.

Thus, those who truly establish obligatory ritual prayers, pay alms, believe in the Day of Resurrection, and refrain from following falsehood shall not be cast into Hell. It goes without saying that establishing prayers entails worshipping God Almighty and it solely rests on faith. Thus, making a reference to it reflects believing in God Almighty and obedience to His Command. It may be said that these four pillars begin with monotheism and end in Resurrection, encompassing the relations amongst the Creator, the created, and one’s self. The majority of Qur’an exegetes maintain that death is herein intended by "certitude," since the believers and the disbelievers believe in its certainty.

Man may doubt anything, but death, as it is reflected elsewhere²⁰ in the Holy Qur’an:

However, some hold that certainty herein indicates the awareness obtained posthumously as to purgatory and Resurrection. Such exegesis is somehow in line with the former. The blessed Verse 48 makes a reference to the dire fate of this group saying:

Neither the intercession of Allah’s Messengers (as) and Imams (as), nor that of angels, nor the true believers, nor the martyrs, nor the righteous shall be of any avail to them, since intercession requires the right ground, and the disbelievers have totally destroyed such ground. It is like pure water by which a feeble sapling is irrigated. Now, when the sapling happens to be dead, such pure water may not give a new life to it.

It was mentioned above in the discussion devoted to intercession²¹ that the Arabic word shafa‘a derives from the root sh-f-‘, originally denoting "attach something to something else," connoting that the person for whom it is interceded is supposed to have traversed some part of the way, though he has faced hardships, vicissitudes, and impediments. Thus, he is interceded with to bear him assistance to traverse the remaining distance. It is noteworthy that the blessed Verse in question once again emphasizes the question of intercession and the diversity of the intercessors interceding with the believers at Divine Threshold. It also serves as a harsh response to those belying the principle of intercession.

It lays further emphasis on the point that intercession is not unconditional; in other words, it is not a green light to committing sins, but may lead to spiritual growth such that he prepares the required ground for being interceded with him. The ties of such person are not supposed to be totally severed from God Almighty and His friends. It is also worthy of note, however, that the blessed Verse in question is not saying that intercessors intercede with such people, but it reflects that they cease to intercede with them as intercession shall be of no avail to them and Allah’s friends may never perform vain deeds.

The blessed Verses in question and some other Qur’anic Verses indicate that there shall be different kinds of intercessors interceding with God Almighty on the behalf of the true believers. The numerous traditions transmitted in the Shi‘i and Sunni sources reflect that such intercessors shall intercede on behalf of those sinners who have prepared the required ground for intercession. Reference may be made here to such different intercessors:

1. The Noble Prophet of the Islamic faith, as reflected in the Prophetic tradition:

"I shall be the first intercessor in Paradise." ²²

2. All the Prophets (as) shall be intercessors on the Day of Resurrection, as per another Prophetic tradition:

"The Prophets shall intercede on behalf of all those who sincerely testify to Divine Unity and take them out of Hell." ²³

3. Angels shall be amongst the intercessors on the Day of Resurrection, as reported in the Prophetic tradition:

4-5. The Infallible Imams (as) and their followers shall also intercede on behalf of true believers. In this respect, Imam ‘Ali (as) is narrated as saying:

"We and our friends shall intercede [on behalf of true believers]." ²⁵

6-7. The religious scholars and the martyrs shall be among the interceders, as it is reflected in the Prophetic tradition:

"On the Day of Resurrection, the Prophets (as), then the scholars, then the martyrs shall be intercessors." ²⁶

According to another Prophetic tradition:

"The martyr’s intercession on behalf of seventy people from amongst his family shall be accepted." ²⁷

As per another tradition recorded in ‘Allama Majlisi’s Bihar al-Anwar²⁸, their intercession on behalf of seventy people shall be accepted.

8. According to Imam ‘Ali (as), the Holy Qur’an shall be an intercessor on the Day of Resurrection.²⁹

9. The intercession of those believers who are advanced in years shall be accepted.

In this vein, it is narrated from the Noble Prophet (S) as saying:

"When man reaches the age of ninety [having proceeded on the path of faith], God Almighty shall forgive his past and future sins and his intercession on behalf of his family shall be accepted." ³⁰

10. Prayers and devotions shall be intercessors as well, as it is narrated from Allah’s Messenger (S) as saying:

"Fasting and the Qur’an shall intercede on behalf of the servants [of Allah] on the Day of Resurrection." ³¹

11. Some traditions reflect that God Almighty shall intercede on behalf of the sinners, as it is narrated from the Noble Prophet (S) as saying:

"The Prophets, the angels, and the believers shall intercede on the Day of Resurrection and God Almighty shall say:

'I am to intercede as well." ³²

12. It is reflected in a number of traditions that the good righteous deeds, like something for whose preservation man has made attempts, shall intercede on behalf of man on the Day of Resurrection.³³

Numerous traditions have been transmitted concerning intercession, a few of which were mentioned above. It would fruitful to reiterate that there are certain conditions for intercession without which it may not be accepted by God Almighty. In this vein, the blessed Verses in question clearly indicate that the intercessions of all intercessors shall be of no avail to some of the disobedient. It is of significance to pave the required ground for the acceptance of intercession, since intercession on behalf of some people may not be of any avail.³⁴