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Issue #10 2009

The topic of shifaat isdiscussed in thisnewsletter with referencesfrom the Holy Quran. TheQuran states in manyplaces that there is nointercession. Intercessionas defined as prayer, petition or entreaty infavor of another by the Webster Dictionary

2.048. Then guard yourselves against a

day when one soul shall not avail another

nor shall intercession be accepted for her,

nor shall compensation be taken from her,

nor shall anyone be helped (from outside)]

On reading these two ayats itseems pretty cut and dry that there is nointercession on the day of judgment. The

Quran explains itself or does its owntafseer (paraphrasing Imam Ali A.S.). Onreading further the Quran goes on to say.

40:18Warn them (O Muhammad) of the

Day of the approaching (doom), when the

hearts will be choking the throats, (when)

there will be no friend for the wrong-doers,

nor any intercessor who will be heard.

Therefore in this verse the Quran clarifiesthat for a wrong-doer there will be nofriend and no intercession. A zalim(wrong-doer) has done zulm or movedsomething from its proper place. He hasdone this to himself or to another and bydoing so is no longer eligible for

intercession.

Further in theahlul sunnaschools ofthought onceAllah decidesanything thenthis decisionis final andpermanent.HoweverAllah says inthe HolyQuran.

20:24 Go thou

unto Pharaoh!

Lo! he hath

transgressed.

On reading

Shifaat in the Quran

26:100

Now we

have no

intercessors

INTERCESSION

There is nointercession for theoppressors &unrepentant sinners

The Ahlul Bayt (as)can intercede as canthe shaheed, thesiddiqeen, the ulamaand the auliyaaUllah.

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this incident further:

20:25 (Moses) said:

My Lord! relieve mymind

20:26 And ease my

task for me;

20:27 And loose a

knot from my

tongue,

20:28 That they may

understand my

saying.

20:29 Appoint for mea henchman from my

folk,

20:30 Aaron, my

brother.

20:31 Confirm my

strength with him

20:32 And let him

share my task,

Ponder on thisbrothers and sisters.Allah commandedMoses to go toPharaoh alone.

Moses was ahonorable prophetand knew that Allah

has to be obeyedwithout question.

Especially if the ideaof immutability ofAllah's will is correcthe must obey andgo to Pharaoh rightaway. Instead heasks Allah 10 boonsor favors. The lastfavor isrecommending thatAllah make his

brother Aaron hispartner.

20:36 He said: Thou

art granted thy

request, O Moses.

Thus Allah grantedthe recommendationor in other words theintercession ofMoosa.

4:64 We sent no

messenger save that

he should be obeyed

by Allah's leave. And

if, when they had

wronged themselves,

they had but come

unto thee and asked

forgiveness of Allah,

and asked

forgiveness of the

messenger, they

would have found

Allah Forgiving,

Merciful.

[Pooya/AliCommentary 4:64]

It is the will ofAllah that peopleshould obey theHoly Prophet. Ifthe sinnersapproach the HolyProphet, he willspeak on theirbehalf to Allah,because He hasgiven him theauthority tointercede on behalfof the repentantsinners; and on his(and his Ahl ulBayt's)recommendation.Allah forgives thesinners, as hasbeen clearlymentioned in thisverse.

Isteghfar

Whoever recites ten verses on a night is notwritten among the heedless. Whoever recites fifty verses is written among those who praise

(Allah). Whoever recites a hundred verses is written among the obedient. Whoever recites two

hundred verses is written among the humble. Whoever recites three hundred verses is written

among the successful. Whoever recites five hundred verses is written among the strives.

Whoever recites a thousand verses, a hundred weight of gold is written for him.

Al-Bayan fi Tafsir al-Quran p 25

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Thus it is clear that aprophet has doneintercession andfurther our prophetcan do intercessionfor repentantsinners. This versealso clarifies thatseeking forgivenessis accepted only with

the intercession ofthe Holy Prophet.

12:97 They said: O

our father! Ask

forgiveness of our

sins for us, for lo! we

were sinful. 12:98 He

said: I shall ask

forgiveness for you of

my Lord. Lo! He isthe Forgiving, the

Merciful.

The Quran goes onto show us thatothers besides theprophets can do

intercession.

12:84 And he turned

away from them and

said: Alas, my grief

for Joseph! And his

eyes were whitened

with the sorrow that

he was suppressing

12:93 Go with this

shirt of mine and lay

it on my father's face,

he will become

(again) a seer; and

come to me with all

your folk.

12:96 Then, when the

bearer of glad tidings

came, he laid it on his

face and he became aseer once more. He

said: Said I not unto

you that I know from

Allah that which ye

know not?

Therefore the dress

of Yusuf didintercession andrestored vision.

40:7 Those who bear

the Throne, and all

who are round about

it, hymn the praises

of their Lord and

believe in Him andask forgiveness for

those who believe

(saying): Our Lord!

Thou comprehendest

all things in mercy

and knowledge,

therefor forgive those

who repent and

follow Thy way.

Ward off from them

the punishment ofhell.

Therefore the angelscan do intercessionfor those whorepent. Intercessionis for those peoplewho have committedgrave sins. And aman has got to

admit that hecommitted sin. Andhe has to return toAllah for seekingand begging theforgiveness ofAllahSubhana-Wa-

Taaala. Then he willbe included amongthem who will getthe shafaa(intercession) of the

prophet.

The 'fear' of Moosa

In the incident in the court of pharaoh with the snakes and the

staff there is an important point. All the courtiers knew that thesnakes of the magicians were fake and therefore were notscared. Moosa was afraid that the same 'unsophisticated' peoplewould mistake his miracle for magic that is to say think themiracle to be something else. This is the same fear mentionedin the ayat of Ghadeer when Allah says to the Prophet do notfear. However in the case of Ghadeer a large number of peopletook Wilayat to mean something else---.

The angel Fitrus who had lost his wings ontouching the cradle of baby Imam Hussain

(AS) found his wings restored to him---.

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