It literally means something like to join someone in order to support, to assist and to intercede for him. In the religious terminology, it means praying, imploring, and begging of the Prophet, and of the special people, who will be given permission by Allah, to Allah in the world-to-come for His forgiveness of the believers’ sins, and for promotion of the sinless ones to higher ranks. Without Allah’s permission nobody can exert and show shafa’at to someone whom Allah has no consent. ''...There is no intercessor except after His permission...'' {Yûnus, 10/3), ''...They do not intercede except for him whom He approves..'' {Anbiyâ’, 21/28}. There is no intercession for kâfir (infidel), mushrik (Polytheist), and hypocrites. Qur’an says: ''...The intercession of intercessors shall not avail them.'' {Muddaththir, 74/48; An’âm, 6/51) In one of his Hadiths our Prophet Muhammad informed that he will intercede for the sinful people of his nation. {Tirmîdhî, Qıyâmat, 11; Ibn Mâja, Zuhd, 37}
Prophet Muhammad will also have a general and more inclusive intercession. All the human being who will be anxious and distressful will demand intercession from the prophet to intercede in Mahshar in order to hasten their judgement. This is named as shafâ’at-i uzmâ {the great intercession}. This type of intercession of the Prophet is mentioned in the Qur’an as “maqâm mahmûd” (The praised rank). |
