Al-Bidayah wa an-Nihayah - Ibn Kathir - (17/392)

Al-Bidayah wa an-NihayahIbn Kathir

when his uncle Abu Ṭālib was mentioned, whereupon he said:

“Perhaps my intercession will be of some use to him on the Day of Resurrection, so that he will be placed in a shallow pool of Fire reaching only to his ankles, yet from it his brains will boil.” (1)

He then said:

If it is asked, “But Allah the Exalted has said, ‘So their intercession will not benefit them at all’ (Qur’an 74:48),” the reply is that this intercession will not secure his release from the Fire, as it does for sinful monotheists who are taken out of it and admitted into Paradise.

The seventh category of intercession is his ﷺ intercession on behalf of all the believers, granting them permission to enter Paradise. This is established in Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim from the narration of Anas ibn Mālik, where the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

“I will be the first intercessor concerning Paradise.” (2)

He also said in the ḥadīth of the Trumpet—after describing the people’s passage over the Bridge (al-ṣirāṭ) (3):

“When the believers have safely crossed the Bridge and those destined for Paradise have reached it, they will say, ‘Who will intercede for us with our Lord so that we may enter Paradise?’ They will go from prophet to prophet until they come to me. I will have—exalted is He—three intercessions, unique to me, Allah knows best.

“I will proceed to the gate of Paradise, take hold of its ring, and ask that it be opened. The keeper will say, ‘Who are you?’ I will reply, ‘Muḥammad.’ He will open it for me, greet me, and welcome me. When I enter and behold my Lord, glorified be He, I will fall down in prostration. Allah, mighty and sublime, will then inspire me with praises and glorifications He has given to no one else. Then He will say, ‘Raise your head, O Muḥammad; intercede and your intercession will be accepted, ask and you shall be granted.’ When I raise my head, Allah—who knows best—will ask, ‘What do you seek?’ I will say, ‘My Lord, You promised me intercession; allow me to intercede for the people of Paradise.’ Allah—exalted is He—will say, ‘I have granted your intercession and given them permission to enter Paradise.’”

He related the remainder of the report as previously cited in the ḥadīth of the Trumpet.

After this he mentioned the intercession for those guilty of major sins. This is the eighth category: his intercession for the major sinners of his community who have entered the Fire because of their grave offences, so that they will be brought out of it.

Hadiths concerning this type of intercession are mutawātir (mass-transmitted). Yet the Khārijites and the Muʿtazilites failed to grasp this, opposing it either out of ignorance of the authentic reports or, for those aware of them, out of obstinate persistence in their innovation.

In this intercession he is joined by the angels, the prophets, and the believers, and it will be repeated by him—peace and blessings be upon him—[four] times.

(1) Sahih Muslim, hadith no. 210. (2) Sahih Muslim, hadith no. 196. (3) The text enclosed between the two parentheses in the ṭaba‘ah (edition).

عِنْدهُ عَمُّهُ أبو طَالِبٍ فقال: "لَعلَّهُ تَنْفَعُه شَفَاعَتي يَوْمَ القِيَامةِ، فَيُجْعل في ضَحْضَاحٍ منْ نارٍ يَبْلُغُ كَعْبَيْهِ يَغْلي منْهُ دِمَاغُه" (١) . ثم قال: فإنْ قيلَ: فقدْ قال الله تعالى: ﴿فَمَا تَنْفَعُهُمْ شَفَاعَةُ الشَّافِعِينَ﴾ [المدثر: ٤٨] ، قيل: لا تنفعُهُ في الخُروج منَ النَّارِ، كما تَنْفعُ عُصَاةَ المُوحِّدينَ الَّذينَ يَخْرُجُون منْها، ويَدْخلون الْجنَّةَ. النوع السابع من الشفاعة، شفاعتُه ﷺ لجَميعِ المُؤْمنينَ قَاطِبَةً في أنْ يُؤْذَنَ لَهُمْ في دُخُولِ الْجنَّة، كما ثبت في "صحيح مسلم" عن أنس بن مالك: أنَّ رسولَ اللهِ ﷺ . قال: "أنَا أؤَلُ شَفيع في الْجَنَّة" (٢) . وقال في حديث الصُّور [بعد ذِكر مرور الناس على الصِّرَاط] (٣) : فإذا خلص المؤمنون من الصراط، وأفْضَى أهْلُ الْجنَّةِ إلى الجَنةِ قالوا: منْ يَشْفعُ لَنا إلى رَبِّنَا فَنَدْخُلَ الجَنَّةَ؟ ثم ذكر مجيء المؤمنين من نبي إلى نبي، حتى جاؤوا إلى النبي ﷺ ، قال النبي ﷺ : "فيأْتُوني ولي عند رَبِّي – Exalté soit-Il – ثَلاثُ شَفَاعاتٍ، يعني والله أعلم خاصة به دون غيره، قال: فأنْطلقُ فآتي الجَنَّةَ فآخُذُ بِحَلْقَةِ بَابِها، ثم أسْتَفْتحُ، فيقول الخازن: مَنْ أنت؟ فأقول: محمد، فيفتح لي، فأُحَيَّا، وُيرحَّبُ بي فإذا دخلت ونظرت إلى ربي سبحانه، خررت له ساجدًا، فيأذن الله تعالى لي من حمده وتمجيده بشيء ما أذن به لأحد، ثم يقول لي: ارفع رأسك يا محمد، واشفع تُشفَّعِ، وسل تُعْطَه، فإذا رفعت رأسي قال الله وهو أعلم: ما شأنك؟ فأقُولُ: يا رَبِّ وَعَدْتَني الشَّفَاعَة، فشَفِّعْني في أهْلِ الْجنّةِ، فيقولُ اللهُ – Exalté soit-Il – : قدْ شَفَّعْتُكَ، وَأذِنْتُ لَهُمْ في دخول الْجنَّةِ … وذكر الحديث كما تقدَّم في حديث الصور. ثم ذكر بعد هذا الشفاعةَ في أهْلِ الكَبائِرِ، وهُوَ: النوعِ الثامن من الشفاعة وهو شَفاعته في أهْلِ الكبائر مِنْ أُمَّتِه ممَّنْ دَخَلَ النَّارَ بذنوبه وكبائر إثمه، فَيَخْرُجُون مِنْها. وَقَدْ تواترت بهذا النوع الأحاديثُ، وقد خَفيَ علم ذلك على الخوارج، والمُعتزلةِ، فخالفواْ في ذلك جَهْلًا منهم بصحّة الأحاديث، وعِنَادًا ممَّنْ عَلِمَ ذلك واستَمرّ على بِدْعتهِ. وهذه الشفاعة يشاركه فيها الملائكةُ والنبيُّون والمؤمنون، وهذه الشفاعة تتَكَرَّر منه صلواتُ الله وسلامه عليه [أرْبَعَ] مَرَّاتٍ.

(١) رواه مسلم (٢١٠). (٢) رواه مسلم رقم (١٩٦). (٣) ما بين الحاصرتين من (ط).