—freed by the All-Merciful from the nation of Muhammad ﷺ.” Because of this inscription they will be recognized among the people of Paradise. They will then implore Allah, Exalted is He, to efface that mark, and He will erase it, so that thereafter they are no longer distinguished from the rest of the dwellers of Paradise.

Portions of this report are supported by other sound narrations, and Allah knows best.

After the ḥadiths on intercession, we shall—Allah willing—cite the report concerning the last person to emerge from the Fire and enter Paradise.

Section: Ḥadiths that speak of the intercession of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ on the Day of Resurrection, together with an explanation of its categories and number.

The first of these categories is his initial intercession, the greatest one, which is his alone to the exclusion of all his brother-prophets and messengers—may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him and upon them all. It is the intercession that all creatures, even Abraham the Friend and Moses [the one who spoke directly with Allah], will seek from him. [On that day people will turn to Adam, and then to each of the messengers after him, yet every one of them will step aside and say, “I am not the one for it,”] until the matter reaches the master of the children of Adam in this world and the next, Muhammad ﷺ. He will say, [“I am for it,] I am for it,” and he will go to intercede before Allah Most High for the judgment to begin between the creatures, to relieve them of the anguish they are in, and to separate the believer from the unbeliever—rewarding the believers with Paradise and consigning the disbelievers to the Fire.

We have already discussed this when commenting on His words in Sūrat al-Isrāʾ: “And during the night, awake for prayer as an act of devotion for yourself; it may be that your Lord will raise you to a praiseworthy station” (al-Isrāʾ 17:79). Earlier in this book we have quoted sufficient ḥadiths attesting to that praiseworthy station; praise and gratitude belong to Allah.

It is authentically reported in the two Ṣaḥīḥs, through the chain of Hushaym → Sayyār → Yazīd al-Faqīr → Jābir b. ʿAbd Allāh, that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

“I have been given five things that were not given to anyone before me: I was helped by awe cast into the hearts of my enemies at a distance of one month’s travel; the earth was made for me a place of worship and a means of purification; booty was made lawful for me, whereas it was not lawful for anyone before me; I was granted intercession; and each prophet was sent only to his own people, whereas I have been sent to all mankind.” (1)

Abū Dāwūd al-Ṭayālisī narrated the same meaning from Shuʿbah → Wāṣil → Mujāhid → Abū Dharr, from the Prophet ﷺ; and al-Aʿmash narrated it from Mujāhid → ʿUbayd b. ʿUmayr → Abū Dharr. (2)

His statement, “I was granted intercession,” refers to that greatest intercession, the first one in which he will intercede before Allah—Exalted is He—for the judgment to begin among the servants; over it the first and the last will envy him.