Regarding Intercession on the Day of Judgment... Please can you explain the relevance intercession has in Islam? Is there any proof of it in the Qur'an and Sunnah ? Muslims believe that the Prophet (p) may intercede for them, or Ali (ra) or a Saint (r). Can any of this be backed with any proof? Razwan, UK Reply Before discussing the possibility of intercession on the Day of Judgment, a few aspects relating to the very nature of the Day of Judgment as well as those relating to the attributes of the Almighty should be kept in perspective. As far as the Day of Judgment is concerned, the basic purpose for which it shall be brought into existence is to reward each soul for what it has actually earned in an absolutely just and equitable manner. The Qur'an says: To Him will be your return, of all of you. The promise of Allah is true and sure [to happen]. It is He Who begins the process of Creation, and then shall repeat it, so that He may reward with justice those who believe and do righteous deeds... ( Yunus 10: 4) At another instance, the Qur'an says: [This will happen] So that God may reward each soul according to its deeds; and verily God is Swift in calling to account. ( Ibraheem 14: 51) Then again in Al-Aa`raaf , the Qur'an says: The balance that day will be according to justice: those whose scale [of good deeds] will be heavier shall prosper; while those whose scale [of good deeds] will be lighter these are the ones who shall lose themselves... ( Al-Aa`raaf 7: 8 - 9) In Ghaafir , the Qur'an says: Today shall each soul be compensated for its deeds; no injustice will there be today, for God is Swift in taking account. ( Ghaafir 40: 17) Because the basic purpose of the very existence of the Day of Judgment is to decide among people according to absolute justice, therefore, the Qur'an has unequivocally refuted all such concepts, which may - directly or indirectly - go against the concept of absolute justice, on the Day of Judgment. The Qur'an says: Guard yourselves against a day, when no soul shall avail another nor shall intercession be accepted for it, nor shall compensation be taken from it, nor shall anyone be helped. ( Al-Baqarah 2: 48) Some of the Hypocrite Muslims and the Ahl e Kitaab ascribed to the belief that irrespective of their deeds, they shall be forgiven for whatever they do, whether on the basis of intercession of their prophets and elders or merely on the basis of their being the selected ones. Such a concept was clearly contradictory to the concept of justice. Thus, the Qur'an has termed this belief as their 'vain desires' and has forcefully negated it. The Qur'an says: Neither your vain desires, nor those of the People of the Book shall come to pass. [On the contrary,] whoever does evil, shall be rewarded accordingly. He will not find, besides God, any protector or helper. ( Al-Nisaa 4: 123) Thus, the first point that should be kept in mind, while considering even the possibility of any intercession - on the Day of Judgment - is that it should not contradict the principle of justice, which according to the Qur'an, is the very purpose for which the souls shall be resurrected after their death. The second point that should be kept in mind, in this respect, relates to the attributes of the Almighty. It should be remembered that: God is Most Merciful - No one is more merciful than the Almighty Himself, no one loves us more than the Almighty does. Thus, any concept of intercession, based on the belief that any person is more merciful or more loving than the Almighty is against Islam; God is Omniscient - He knows everything, nothing is hidden from Him. Thus, any concept of intercession based on the belief that any other person shall inform God about the 'goodness' of a person, is absolute alien to Islam; God is Omnipotent as well as the Highest Authority - No one is more powerful than God and neither has the courage to overrule His decisions. Thus, any concept of intercession based on the belief that any person shall be in a position to overrule the decision of God is clearly against the Qur'an; God is 'Justice' - All His decisions are just. No one is more just than God. Thus, any concept of intercession based on the belief that any person shall give a more just decision than God, is clearly against the teachings of Islam. In short, no concept of intercession, which is against or contradictory to any of the attributes of God can be ascribed to by a Muslim. Keeping the above clarifications in perspective, it may now be considered whether or not any form of intercession can be held as applicable on for the Day of Judgment. It seems that a concept of intercession, which is neither contradictory to the principle of justice nor challenges any of the attributes of God maybe accepted as true. However, one may ask, what sort of intercession can that be. With some deliberation, one may find a possible answer from the Qur'an itself. Al-Taubah 9: 100 - 103 informs us about the fate of three groups from among the Muslims: Those who excelled in their belief and in doing good deeds ( Al-Taubah 9: 100). These are the people, who are promised the eternal bliss of the hereafter. Their success shall not be dependent on or subject to any intercession. They shall stand successful on the basis of their own deeds and the strength and truthfulness of their faith. In other words, these are those whose scale of good deeds shall clearly outweigh their mistakes and who shall, therefore, deserve the eternal rewards of the hereafter; Those who, even though they had apparently accepted faith, were not true in their faith ( Al-Taubah 9: 101). These were the hypocrites among Muslims. These are those for whom no intercession or request shall be heard - not even that of the Prophet (pbuh) [1] . In other words, these are those, whose scale of bad deeds shall clearly outweigh their good deeds and, therefore, nothing shall be able to save them from the eternal punishment of hellfire. Those who although are sincere in their faith and truly seek the pleasures of the Almighty by doing good deeds, yet keep falling prey to the attractions of their worldly desires ( Al-Taubah 9: 102 - 103). In other words, these are those, whose scales of good and bad deeds are almost equal. On the basis only of their own deeds, they neither deserve reward nor punishment. For such people, the Qur'an directs the Prophet (pbuh) in the following words: Take charity from their wealth, you shall cleanse and purify them through it, and pray for them. Indeed your prayer shall be a source of comfort for them. ( Al-Taubah 9: 103) It seems that just as, according to the above-cited verse, the Prophet (pbuh) is directed to pray for such people in the life of this world, in the same manner, the Prophet (pbuh) may be asked to pray for their forgiveness in the hereafter as well. As should be clear, the Prophet's prayer (or intercession) for such people and their subsequent forgiveness shall neither be against the principle of justice nor would it amount to a refutation of any of the attributes of God. Furthermore, according to the Qur'an, any intercession (or prayer or request) for any person shall be subject to the following conditions: Such prayer (or intercession or request) shall only be made by a person, to whom God grants permission [2] ; Such prayer (or intercession or request) shall only be made in favor of such a person for whom God grants permission [3] ; Such prayer (or intercession or request) shall not be unjust or based on a lie [4] . In the above explanation, I have tried to cover the various aspects that relate to the topic under consideration, as given in the Qur'an. All the narratives ascribed to the Prophet (pbuh), relating to the said issue, should be seen, understood and explained in the light of the principles outlined in the Qur'an. Any concept of intercession, which is against the principles outlined in the Qur'an, is obviously, false. Any narrative, ascribed to the Prophet (pbuh), which is contrary to any of the principles outlined in the Qur'an, has to be rejected as one, which is incorrectly ascribed to the Prophet (pbuh) or incorrectly perceived and reported by one or more of its narrators. I hope this helps. Regards, Moiz Amjad [1] See Al-Taubah 9: 80 and Al-Munaafiqoon 63: 6. [2] See Al-Baqarah 2: 255; Ta Ha 20: 109; and Al-Naba' 78: 38 [3] See Ta Ha 20: 109; Al-Najam 53: 26; and Al-Anbiyaa 21: 28. [4] See Al-Naba' 78: 38.