Some people might imagine that the Sunnah contains reports which run counter to the principle we have just established. They cite, for instance, the following ḥadith:

On the authority of Abū Saʿīd al-Khudrī: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ once mentioned his uncle Abū Ṭālib and said, “Perhaps my intercession (shafāʿah) will benefit him on the Day of Resurrection, so that he will be placed in a shallow pool of the Fire reaching his ankles, while his brain boils because of it.”

54 – Abū Saʿīd al-Khudrī reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ referred to his uncle Abū Ṭālib and said, “Perhaps my intercession will benefit him on the Day of Resurrection, and he will be lodged in a shallow pool of the Fire that reaches his ankles, from which his brain will boil.”

Abū Saʿīd al-Khudrī also narrated that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was asked about his uncle Abū Ṭālib and replied, “Yes. He is in a shallow pool of Fire, and were it not for me (that is, my intercession) he would be in the lowest depth of the Fire.”

This narration is recorded by Muslim (1/135), Aḥmad (3/50–55), Ibn ʿAsākir (19/51/1), and Abū Yaʿlā in his Musnad (folio 86/2).

Our answer to this objection is two-fold:

First, we find nothing in the ḥadith that conflicts with the previously cited principle. It nowhere says that Abū Ṭālib’s own deeds are the cause of his punishment being lightened; rather, the cause is the Prophet’s ﷺ intercession, and that alone is what benefits him. This is confirmed by the following ḥadith:

Al-ʿAbbās ibn ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib said, “O Messenger of Allah, have you been of any benefit to Abū Ṭālib, for he used to protect you and become angry for your sake?” He replied, “Yes; he is in a shallow pool of Fire, and were it not for me (i.e., my intercession) he would be in the lowest depth of the Fire.”