The followers of Imam Ali (a.s) > The Belief of Shia > The Resurrection

All of us are well acquainted with the term Shafa'at. When the discussion of crime, sin and guilt of a person is brought up and someone else intercedes and mediates for him in order to save him from death and execution or imprisonment and detention, we say so and so has done Shafa'at' for him.

The word of Shafa'at' has been taken from the article (شفيع) which means as against (وتر) which means odd. The reason that the mediation of a person for saving a sinner is known as ~Shafa at is that the status and position of the one doing Shafa at and his effective powers get attached (and become even) with the factors of salvation which is present in the person receiving the Shafa'at (even though it may be a little). Both these, with the help of one another become the cause of release of the sinful person.

The Shafa'at of the beloved ones of Allah for the sinners is apparently this that because of their proximity and position which they have before Allah, (Of course by the Will of Allah and under special norms which have general and not personal aspects) they can mediate for the criminals and the sinners and through (invocation), and pleadings ask God to forgive their crimes and sins.

Of course, Shafa'at and its acceptance depends on a series of conditions which some are related to the sinful person and some to the circumstances of Shafa'at (sins).

Shafa'at in other words is the help of the beloved ones of Allah (by His will) to the one who in spite of being sinful, has not disconnected his spiritual relation with Allah and the beloved ones of Allah. Moreover, this standard should always be safeguarded.

According to one meaning, Shafa'at is this that some inferior person who has the aptitude for leaping forward and progressing seeks help from a superior person in the form of one lawful order. However the person seeking help should not, from the view-point of spiritual perfections, fall to such extent that he loses the power of advancing and the possibility of changing into a pious man.

Right from the time of the Holy Prophet(s.a.w) till the later periods it had been the practice of the Muslims to seek Shafa'at from the true intercessors. They were always asking in their lifetime or in their death and such Shafa'at had never been objected by any of the Islamic scholars on any ground or Islamic principles.

It was only in the 7th century A.H. that Ibn Taimiya with his special way of thinking, opposed this and many other lasting customs and traditions which was in vogue among the Muslims. Three centuries after him, Mohammad - bin - Abdul Wahab once again raised the flag of opposition and enlivened Ibn - Taimiya's school of thought with much more vigour.

One of the point of differences of the Wahabis with the other Islamic sects is that although they have accepted Shafa'atT as an Islamic principle (like the other Muslims) and say that on the Day of Qiyamat the intercessors will intercede for the sinners and in this matter the Holy Prophet will play a greater role, yet they say that no one has the right to seek Shafa'at from them in this world. In this matter they have gone to such extreme that narrating the text of their sayings will be the source of spiritual discomfort. In short, they say:

The Holy Prophet, the other Prophets, the angels and the beloved ones of Allah have the right of doing Shafa at on the Day of Judgment but one should ask for Shafa at from the Master of Shafa'at and the One who gives permission for that i.e. Allah and say:

اللهم شفع نبينا محمدا فينا يوم القيامة و الله شفع فينا عبادك الصالحين او ملائكتك او نحو ذلك مما يطلب من الله لا منهم فلا يقال يا رسول الله او يا ولي الله اسالك الشفاعة او غيرها مما لا يقدر عليه الا الله فاذا طلبت ذلك في ايام البرزخ كان من اقسام الشرك·

"O God, make the Holy Prophet and your virtuous servants and the Angels as our intercessors on the Day of Judgment. However we are not having the right to say, "O Prophet of Allah or "O Wali of Allah we ask you to seek Shafa'at for us". This is because "Shafa'at is something which no one is capable of doing except Allah. Asking such a thing from the Holy Prophet who is living in Barzakh will be polytheism and will be reckoned as 'Ibadat' (worship). (1)

The Wahabis have, with a series of notions, forbidden the seeking of Shafa at from the true intercessors and have labeled the one who does so as a polytheist and his action as polytheism.

Before looking into their reasonings, we shall discuss the matter from the view - point of Quran, traditions and the practice of the Muslims in this regard. After that, we will examine their reasonings.

Our reasoning for the permissibility of seeking intercession (Shafa'at) is a combination of two matters which by proving them, the matter of intercession will become clear. These two matters are:

(2) Requesting for Dua` from some worthy person is a Mustahabi (recommendary) order.

The intercession of the Holy Prophet and other true intercessors is nothing but "Dua and eulogy before Allah owing to the proximity and the position which they have before Allah. It is due to their Dua s that Allah bestows His mercy and Grace upon the sinners and forgives them. Asking for Dua from one believer (what if it is asked from the Holy Prophet) is an approved affair and none amongst the Islamic scholars whether Wahabis or Non - Wahabis have doubt in its authenticity.

Of course it cannot be said that the reality of Shafa'at in all the stations of Mahshar is this very Dua before Allah. But one can say that one of its clear meanings is Dua` and the one who says:

"O' the one who has a position before Allah intercede for us from Allah": denotes the same meaning.

"And whoever joins himself (to another) in an evil cause shall have the responsibility of it". Surah Nisa Ayat 85.

It is also narrated from the Holy Prophet that anyone who performs Dua` for his Muslim brother will be accepted and an angel will cry out: The same shall be for you too..

Ibn-Taimiya is one of those who believes that request for Dua` from a living person is correct. Therefore asking for Shafa'at is not confined to the Holy Prophet but one can make such a request from any believer who possesses value and esteem before Allah. "Fakhr-e-Raazi is one of those who has interpreted Shafa'at as Dua` and "eulogy before Allah. In interpreting the Ayat:

و يستغفرون للذين آمنوا ربنا و سعت كلي شيء رحمة

"And ask protection for those who believe: Our Lord I Thou embracest all things in mercy". (Surah Ghafir Ayat 7.)

he says: This Ayat shows that the Shafa at performed by the carriers of Arsh (Throne) is only in connection with the sinners. (2)

Similarly, the Shafa'at of the Holy Prophet and other Prophets with regards to the same group (i.e. the sinners) is the same because Allah commands as such:

"And, ask protection for your fault and for the believing men and the believing women". (Surah Mohammad Ayat 19.)

And Hazrat Nuh sought forgiveness for himself, his parents, those who had faith in him and all the believers who are to come till Qiyamat and in this way he has fulfilled his mission of Shafa'at (Surah Nuh: Ayat 28).

This description from Fakhre-Raazi bears witness that he has presented Shafa`at to be the same Dua` of the intercessor for the sinner and has reckoned the request for Shafa'at to be the same as request for Dua`

In the Islamic traditions, there are clear indications that the Dua` of one Muslim for another Muslims is 'Shafa'at'.

ما من رجل مسلم يموت فيقوم على جنازته اربعون رجلا لا يشركون شيئا الا شفعهم الله فيه

"If one Muslim dies and forty men who are not polytheist, recite salat over his dead body, then Allah will accept their Shafa'at (Dua`) which was done in his favour". (4)

In this tradition, the person reciting the "Dua` is introduced as an intercessor. Now, if someone in his life-time requests forty of his loyal friends to be present after his death and perform salat and Dua` upon his dead body he has in reality sought Shafa'at from them and has prepared the premises of Shafa'at of the servants of Allah.

اذا استشفعوا لي الامام ليستشقي لهم لم يردهم

"When the people would ask their Imam to intercede (do Shafa'at) and plead before Allah to descend rain, he (i.e. the Imam) would not reject their demands".

Narration of these two chapters indicates that request for Shafa'at is the same as request for "Dua and it should not be interpreted in another way.

Till here, one pillar of reasoning has been clarified and that is, the reality of "seeking Shafa'at is nothing but "requesting Dua . Now we should engage ourselves in describing the second pillar of reasoning and that is asking from one brother-in-faith (what if it is asking the divine leaders) is a desirable and recommended action.

The Ayats of Quran bear witness that when the Prophet's seek forgiveness for the people it is very effective and beneficial such as the following Ayats:

"And ask protection for your fault and for the believers". (Surah Mohammad Ayat 19.)

"And pray for them, surely your prayer is a relief to them". (Sura Tauba Ayat 103.)

If the Dua of Prophet has such benefit for man then what is the harm if one requests him to pray as such for him? On the other hand, request for Dua` is nothing but request for Shafa'at.

و لو انهم اذ ظلموا انفسهم جاوك فاستغفرو الله و استغفر لهم الرسول لوجدوا الله توابا رحيما

"And had they, when they were unjust to themselves, come to you and asked forgiveness of Allah and the Apostle had (also) asked forgiveness for them, they would have found Allah Oft - returning (to mercy), Merciful". (Surah Nisa: Ayat 64.)

By 'they come to you' it means that they would come and ask the Prophet to pray and seek forgiveness. If it means something else then their coming will be useless and in vain. Moreover, the honour of meeting the Prophet and asking him to pray is itself a witness of the spiritual transformation which prepares the ground for acceptance of prayers. The Holy Quran narrates from the

Sons of Yaqoob that they requested their father to seek forgiveness for them and Yaqoob too accepted their request and acted upon his promise.

قالوا يا ابانا استغفر لنا ذنوبنا انا كنا خاطئين قال سوف اسغفر لكم ربي

"They said: O our father! ask forgiveness of our faults for us, surely we were sinners. He said: I will ask for you forgiveness from my Lord". (Sura Yusuf: Ayat 97.)

All these Ayats show that requesting the Prophet and other virtuous ones to perform "Dua` which is the same as requesting Shafa'at, is not having the least objection from the view-point of Islamic standards. For the sake of brevity, we have not narrated the traditions regarding request of Dua` from the virtuous ones.

The famous traditionist, "Tirmizi the writer of one of the Sihah's of Ahl-e-Sunnat narrates from Anas as such:

(6) سالت النبي ان يشفع لي يوم القيامة فقال انا فاعل قلت فاين اطلبك فقال علي الصراط···

(Anas says): I requested the Holy Prophet to ask Shafa'at for me on the day of Judgment and he accepted and said, I shall request your Shafa at. I asked: Where should I find you? The Prophet said: find me near Siraat (Bridge over Hell). With elegant temper, Anas requests for Shafa at from the Holy Prophet and he too accepts it and gives him glad tidings. "Savaad Qaareb is one of the Companions of the Holy Prophet. In the contents of his poems he seeks intercession from the Prophet and says:

(7) فكن لي شفيعا يوم لا ذو شفاعة بمغن فتيلا عن سواد بن قارب

O' the honourable Prophet! you be my intercessor on the Day of judgment, the day when the Shafa'at of no one will be useful and beneficial to Savaad Qaareb.

Before the Holy Prophet's birth, a person by the name of 'Taba'e' from the tribe of Hameer had heard that soon a Prophet was going to be appointed in the Arab territory. Before dying, he wrote one letter and requested his near ones that if the day came when such a prophet was sent, then they should hand over his letter to him. In this letter, he had written as such:

و ان لم ادركك فاشفع لي يوم القيامة و لا تنسى

"Though my age was not loyal and I died before seeing you, ask my Shafa at on the Day of Qiyamat and do not forget me" When the letter was handed to the Holy Prophet he thrice said:

If request for Shafa'at was polytheism then Holy Prophet would never have addressed him as his brother and would not have thrice congratulated him.

This section of traditions indicates that seeking Shafa'at from the true intercessors in their life-time is absolutely correct.

Now, we shall mention two traditions which show that the companions of the Holy Prophet used to seek Shafa'at from him even after his demise.

(1) Ibn-Abbass' says: when Amir-ul-Momineen finished giving Ghusl (ablution) and Kafan (shroud) to the Holy Prophet, he uncovered the face (of the Prophet) and said:

(9) بابي انت و امي طبت حيا و طبت ميتا··· و اذكرنا عند ربك···

May my mother and father be sacrificed; you are chaste and pure in life and in death. Remember us near your Lord.

(2) When the Holy Prophet passed away Abu Bakr uncovered his face and kissed him and said: May my father and mother be sacrificed; you are chaste and pure in life and death. Remember and think of us near your Lord. (10)

The afore-said traditions show that seeking Shafa'at of the intercessor makes no difference whether the intercessor is alive or dead. Thus, by paying attention to these Ayats, traditions and the custom of the Muslims in all the ages, the matter of seeking Shafa at becomes self - evident and one should never doubt in its integrity. Moreover, the companions of the Holy Prophet were requesting the Holy Prophet to pray for them even after his demise and if request for Dua (prayers) after his demise is correct, then request for Shafa'at too which is one kind of request for Dua is proper and correct. (11).

Source - Wahabism, by Ayatullah Ja'far Subhani. Translated by Jalil Dorrani.

3- As decisive evidences bear witness to the immaculateness of the Holy Prophet and other Prophets naturally the word (ذنب) (sin) means something else for them. We have written the description of this section in Vol.5 of Exegesis of "Manshoor Jaaveed which is the first topic-wise Exegesis in Persian.

6- Sunan Tirmizi Vol.4 Page 42. Chapter of: ماجاء في شان الصراط

11 - For more details refer to the book "Shafa'at in the realm of reason, Quran and Traditions written by (this) author. In this book, you will find 100 traditions (45 traditions from Ahl-e-Sunnat and 55 traditions from Shia books).

SEEKING SHAFA'AT (INTERCESSION) FROM THE BELOVED ONES OF ALLAH