the Quran. As for what the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said would take place, he reported:

“He will come and prostrate before his Lord and praise Him; he will not begin by interceding. Once he has prostrated and praised his Lord with words of praise that He inspires him to utter, he will be told: ‘O Muhammad, raise your head. Speak, and you will be heard; ask, and you will be given; intercede, and your intercession will be accepted.’ He will say: ‘O Lord, my nation!’ Allah will then set a limit for him, and he will admit them to Paradise. The same will happen a second and a third time. Abū Hurayra asked him: ‘Who will be most blessed by your intercession on the Day of Resurrection?’ He replied: ‘Whoever says “There is no deity worthy of worship except Allah” sincerely from his heart.’”

That “intercession” is for those sincerely devoted to Allah, by His permission. It is not for those who associate partners with Allah, and it takes place only with His permission. Its reality is that Allah Himself bestows His favour upon those sincerely devoted to Him alone, forgiving them through the supplication of the intercessor whom He has permitted to intercede. He thereby honours him and grants him the Praiseworthy Station, which the first and last generations will long to attain—may Allah bless him and grant him peace. Likewise, in this world he would pray for rain for them and supplicate for them. That was intercession on their behalf, and Allah would answer his supplication and accept his intercession.

Since this is so, “wrongdoing is of three kinds”: there is no intercession for wrongdoing that consists of associating partners with Allah. As for people wronging one another, the wronged person must receive his due; his right is not waived through intercession or anything else. Yet the wronged person may receive his due from the wrongdoer, just as one who has wronged himself may be forgiven through intercession. The wrongdoer in the absolute sense has no intercessor whose plea will be heeded. The monotheist, however, is not a wrongdoer in the absolute sense; rather, he remains a monotheist despite wronging himself. In reality, it is his sincere devotion to Allah that benefits him, making him one of those who may benefit from intercession.

The Quran’s purpose in denying intercession is to rule out associating partners with Allah: a person must worship Allah alone