Verses 47–48

Chapter 2: Al-Baqarah (The Cow) · Printed edition: Volume 1, pp. 176–214

يَا بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ اذْكُرُوا نِعْمَتِيَ الَّتِي أَنْعَمْتُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَأَنِّي فَضَّلْتُكُمْ عَلَى الْعَالَمِينَ٤٧ وَاتَّقُوا يَوْمًا لَا تَجْزِي نَفْسٌ عَنْ نَفْسٍ شَيْئًا وَلَا يُقْبَلُ مِنْهَا شَفَاعَةٌ وَلَا يُؤْخَذُ مِنْهَا عَدْلٌ وَلَا هُمْ يُنْصَرُونَ ٤٨

(2:47-48) O Children of Israel! call to mind My favor which I bestowed on you and that I made you excel the nation. And be on your guard against the day when one soul shall not avail another in the least; neither shall intercession (shafāʿah) on its behalf be accepted, nor shall any compensation be taken from it, nor shall they be helped.

Commentary

The temporal power and authority, with all its various systems and varying conditions, is based on a necessity of life—the only justification of this institution is that it fulfills this need in the framework of the prevailing factors of the society. It sometimes exchanges a commodity for another, gives up a benefit for another, substitutes an order with another—without any hard and fast criterion to regulate such dispensations. The same phenomenon is observed in their judiciary. Logically, a crime must be recompensed with punishment. Yet sometimes the judge, because of some extraneous reasons, decides not to punish the criminal. Sometimes the criminal rouses in the judge an overwhelming feeling of pity by his passionate appeal for mercy. Or he wins him over by bribe which induces him to deliver an unjust judgment. Or an influential man intercedes with the judge on behalf of the said criminal and the judge cannot ignore that intercession. Or, the said criminal becomes a state witness leading to the conviction of even greater criminals, and is himself, thus, released without any punishment. Or his tribe or colleagues get him freed from the clutches of the authorities. Whatever the cause may be, it is a well-established custom in the worldly governments and human societies to let the wrongdoers go free at times.

The ancient tribes and the idol-worshipers believed that the life hereafter was an extension of this one; that the customs of this world were valid for that one too, and that the next world was permeated by the same actions and reactions which prevailed in this one. Thus they offered sacrifices and offerings to their deities seeking forgiveness for their sins or assistance in their needs; the offerings were supposed to intercede on their behalf. Sometimes a sin was expiated or help was sought by offering even a human sacrifice. They carried this idea of continuation of the life so far as to bury with a man all types of necessities of life, not forgetting his ornaments and arms, in order that he might use them on his onward journey; sometimes even his concubines and soldiers were buried alive with him to keep him company. You may see a lot of such finds in archaeological museums around the world. Some such ideas have persisted even among the Muslims—with all their diverse cultures and languages, albeit in modified forms.

The Qur’an has rejected all such superstitious beliefs and baseless ideas in no uncertain terms:

… and the command on that day shall be entirely Allah’s ().

… and they see the chastisement and their ties are cut asunder ().

And certainly you have come to Us alone as We created you at first, and you have left behind your backs the things which We gave you, and We do not see with you your intercessors about whom you asserted that they were [Allah’s] associates in respect to you; certainly the ties between you are now cut off and what you asserted is gone from you ().

There shall every soul become acquainted with what is sent before, and they shall be brought back to Allah, their true Master and what they did fabricate shall escape from them ().

There are many similar verses; and they show that the life hereafter is cut off from the natural causes which govern this life, and is quite separate from material connections. Once this principle is understood all the above mentioned myths would automatically be cleared away. But the Qur’an is not content with this general declaration; it refutes each and every myth and superstition described above:

And be on your guard against the day when one soul shall not avail another in the least; neither shall intercession on its behalf be accepted, nor shall any compensation be taken from it, nor shall they be helped ().

… before the day comes in which there is no bargaining, neither any friendship nor intercession ().

The day on which a friend shall not avail [his] friend aught … ()

… there shall be no savior for you from Allah … ().

What is the matter with you that you do not help each other? Nay! on this day they are submissive ().

And they worship beside Allah what can neither harm them nor profit them, and they say: These are our intercessors with Allah. Say: Do you [presume to] inform Allah of what He knows not in the heavens and the earth? Glory be to Him, and supremely exalted is He above what they set up with Him. (10: 18).

… the unjust shall not have any friend nor any intercessors who should be obeyed ().

So we have neither intercessors, nor a true friend ().

There are many other verses of the same theme, all rejecting the intercession on the Day of Resurrection. On the other hand, the Qur’an does not totally reject the intercession; rather it confirms it to a certain extent. For example, it says:

Allah is He Who created the heavens and the earth and what is between them in six periods and He is firmly established on the throne; you have not besides Him any guardian or any intercessors; will you not then mind? ()

… there is no guardian for them, nor any intercessor besides Him [].

Say: Allah’s is the intercession altogether ().

… whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth is His; who is he that can intercede with Him but by His permission? He knows what is before them and what is behind them ().

Surely your Lord is Allah, Who created the heavens and the earth in six periods; and He is firmly established on the throne, regulating the affair; there is neither intercessor except after His permission ().

And they say; The Beneficent Allah had taken to Himself a son. Glory be to Him! Nay! they are honored servants; they do not precede Him in speech and [only] according to His commandment do they act. He knows what is before them and what is behind them, and they do not intercede except for whom He approves, and for fear of Him they tremble ().

And those whom they call upon besides Him have no authority for intercession, but he who bears witness of the truth, and they know [him] ().

They shall have no authority for intercession, save he who has made a covenant with the Beneficent Allah ().

On that day shall no intercession avail except of him whom the Beneficent Allah allows and whose word He is pleased with. He knows what is before them and what is behind them, while they do not comprehend Him in knowledge ().

And intercession will not avail aught with Him save of him whom He permits ().

And how many an angel is there in the heavens whose intercession does not avail at all except after Allah has given permission to whom He pleases and chooses ().

Some of these verses (like the first three) say that intercession is reserved for God, while the rest declare that others too may intercede with God’s permission. In any case, all of them confirm the intercession as such. How are these verses related to the preceding ones which totally reject intercession? It is exactly the same relation that exists between the verses that say that the knowledge of unseen is reserved to God and those which declare that others too may have that knowledge with the permission of God. As God says:

Say: No one in the heaven and the earth knows the unseen but Allah ().

And with Him are the keys of the unseen, does not know it any except He ().

The Knower of the unseen! so He does not reveal His secrets to any, except to him whom He chooses of a messenger ().

The same is the case with various verses on the subjects of creating, sustaining, giving death, causality, command, authority and similar things. Some verses reserve them for God, while some say that others too may do these things. It is a well known style of the Qur’an: first it rejects the idea that anyone other than God has any virtue or perfection; thereafter it confirms the same virtue or perfection for others depending on the permission and pleasure of God. When read together, the verses show that nobody has any virtue by his own power and right; whatever excellence there may be, he has got it because God has given it to him. God puts much emphasis to this fact; He attaches the proviso of His will even for those things which are firmly decreed by Him. For example:

So as to those who are unhappy, they shall be in the fire; for them shall be sighing and groaning in it; abiding therein so long as the heavens and the earth endure, except as your Lord please; surely your Lord is the [mighty] doer of what He intends. And as to those who are made happy, they shall be in the garden, abiding in it as long as the heavens and the earth endure, except as your Lord please; a gift which shall never be cut off ().

Note that abiding forever is made dependent on the pleasure of God, even in case of the garden, although it is a gift which shall never be cut off. It emphasizes the fact that even when God firmly decrees a thing, it does not pass out of His control or authority; surely your Lord is [mighty] doer of what He intends (). When God gives a thing, it does not go out of His total possession. When He denies something to someone, it is not done to protect Himself against any need or poverty!

In short, the verses that reject intercession—albeit talking about the Day of Resurrection—do so in the context of intercession independent of God’s authority; while the ones proving it, prove it basically for God and then, depending on His pleasure, for others.

Thus the intercession is proved for other than God with His permission.

Now we should see what is the meaning of intercession? Who may intercede? On behalf of whom? And when? How is it related to the divine forgiveness?

Discourse

The discussion “A Discourse on Intercession” appears here in the printed volume. Read it in the Al-Mizan App.

Examining Narrations

1. al-Ḥusayn b. Khālid narrates from Imam al-Riḍā, who narrated through his forefathers from the Leader of the faithful that he said: “The Messenger of God said: ‘Whoever does not believe in my reservoir, may God not bring him to my reservoir, and whoever does not believe in my intercession, may God not extend to him my intercession.’ Then he said: ‘Verily, my intercession is for those of my ummah who shall have committed great sins; as for the good-doers, there shall be no difficulty for them.’ ” al-Ḥusayn b. Khalid said: “I asked Imam al-Riḍā: ‘O son of the Messenger of God! what is then the meaning of the words of God, Mighty and Great is He: and they do not intercede except for him whom He approves?’ He said: ‘They do not intercede except for him whose religion God is pleased with.’ ” (al-Amāli, al-Ṣadūq)

Author’s comment: The tradition of the Prophet, “Verily my intercession is …,” has been narrated by both sects with numerous chains; and we have shown earlier that it is based on the theme of Qur’anic verses.

2. Sumāʿah b. Mihrān narrates from Abū Ibrāhīm that he said about the words of God: may be your Lord will raise you to a praised position: “The people, on the Day of Resurrection, will remain standing for forty years; and the sun will be ordered so that it will ride over their heads and they will be bridled by sweat—and the earth will be told not to accept any of their sweat. So, they shall approach Adam to intercede for them, and he will direct them to Noah, and Noah will direct them to Abraham, and Abraham will direct them to Moses, and Moses will direct them to Jesus, and Jesus will direct them saying: ‘You should seek help of Muḥammad, the last prophet.’ Thereupon, Muḥammad will say: ‘I’ll do it;’ and will proceed until, arriving at the door of the garden, he will knock at it. It will be asked, ‘Who is it?’ (while God knows better!), and he will say: ‘Muḥammad.’ Then it will be said: ‘Open for him.’ When the door will be opened he will turn to his Lord, falling in prostration (sajdah). He will not raise his head until he is told: ‘Speak up and ask, you shall be given; and intercede, your intercession shall be granted.’ He will raise his head and turning to his Lord will fall (again) in prostration. Then he will be promised as before; then he will raise his head. (Thereupon, he shall intercede) until he will intercede even for him who would have been burnt in the fire. Therefore, on the Day of Resurrection, no one among all the nations will be more eminent than Muḥammad; and it is (the meaning of) the words of God: May be your Lord will raise you to a praised position.” (al-ʿAyyāshi)

Author’s comment: This meaning is narrated by both sects in great number, in detail as well as in short, with numerous chains; and it proves that the “praised position” means the position of intercession. This tradition is not in conflict with intercession of other prophets, because probably their intercession will be an off-shoot of our Prophet’s, and it will begin on his hand.

3. ʿUbayd b. Zurarah said: “Abū ʿAbdillāh was asked whether a believer would have the right of intercession. He said: ‘Yes.’ Then someone said: ‘Will even a believer need the intercession of Muḥammad on that day?’ He said: ‘Yes. The believers too will come with wrongs and sins; and there will be none but he shall need the intercession of Muḥammad on that day.’” (ʿUbayd) said: “And someone asked him about the words of the Messenger of God: ‘I am the Chief of the children of Adam, and I say this without boasting.’ He said: ‘Yes.’ (Then) he said: ‘He will hold the chain-link of the door of the garden and open it; then he will fall in prostration, and God will tell him:

‘Raise your head, do intercede, your intercession shall be granted; ask, you shall be given.’ So he will raise his head and again will fall in prostration; then God will (again) say to him: ‘Raise your head, do intercede, your intercession shall be granted, and ask, you shall be given.’ Thereupon he will raise his head and intercede—and his intercession will be accepted; and he will ask and be given.” (ibid.)

4. Muḥammad b. al-Qāsim narrates through his chains from Bishr b. Shurayh al-Baṣri that he said: “I said to Muḥammad b. ʿAlī: ‘Which verse in the Book of God is the most hope-inspiring?’ He said: ‘And what do your people say (about it)?’ I said: ‘They say, (it is the verse,) Say: “O my servants! who have acted extravagantly against their own souls, do not despair of the mercy of God.” ‘He said: ‘But we, the people of the house, do not say so.’ I said: ‘Then what do you say about it?’ He said: ‘We say (it is the verse,) And soon will your Lord give you so that you shall be well pleased. (It means) the intercession, by God the intercession, by God the intercession.’ ” (al-Tafsīr, Furāt b. Ibrāhīm)

Author’s comment: The words of God, may be your Lord will raise you to a praised position, refers to the Prophet’s glorious position of intercession, as the numerous traditions of the Prophet himself prove. Moreover, the wording of the verse too supports it: “will raise you” shows that it is a position which he will attain in future, that is on the Day of Judgment; “praised” is general and unconditional, and implies that he shall be praised by all men, past and present. al-Ḥamd means to praise someone for a good done to you intentionally. This definition shows that the Prophet will do something by his own will and power which will benefit all of them and in return everyone will praise him. That is why the Imam said in the tradition of ʿUbayd b. Zurarah, “and there will be no one but he shall need the intercession of Muḥammad on that day.”

We shall later explain it further.

Now about the declaration that the verse, and soon will your Lord give you so that you shall be well pleased, is the most hope-inspiring one in the Qur’an—especially when compared to the verse, Say: O my servants! who have acted extravagantly against their own souls, do not despair of the mercy of Allah; surely Allah forgives the faults altogether; surely He is the Forgiving, the Merciful. And return to your Lord and submit to Him before there comes to you the punishment … and follow the best that has been revealed to you … (). al-Qunut (to lose hope, to despair) has been mentioned several times in the Qur’an. God quotes Abraham as saying: And who despairs of the mercy of his Lord but the erring ones (). Also He quotes Jacob: surely none despairs of Allah’s mercy except the unbelieving ones (). But the context in both places shows it as referring to losing hope of divine mercy in matters of creation. As for the verse under discussion the context shows that it admonishes against losing hope of divine mercy in matters of legislation and judgment; look for instance at the words, who have acted extravagantly against their own souls. They clearly say that one who has committed sins should not despair of the mercy of God. Also God has promised forgiveness for the faults altogether without any exception. But this promise is followed by admonition to repent (turn to your Lord) and submit to God and follow the divine commandments. The text on the whole demonstrates that a man who might have committed sins need not despair of the mercy of God as long as he is in a position to turn to God, to submit to Him, and to follow His commandments. In short, this mercy is conditional. And there is a vast difference between this conditional mercy and the all-encompassing, unconditional mercy and unrestricted granting and pleasing which God has promised His Messenger, who himself was a mercy for all the mankind. It is that promise which will make the Messenger of God well pleased: and soon will your Lord give you, so that you shall be well pleased.

This last mentioned verse occurs in a context where God mentions His grace and bounties to the Prophet; it is a unique promise never made to anyone else. The phrase, “will give you,” is unconditional and unrestricted. A promise, somewhat similar, has been made to a group of the people of the garden: they shall have what they please with their Lord (); They have therein what they wish and with Us is more yet (). These verses show that those people shall be given more than they wish for—and man by nature desires all that he can think of happiness, good and felicity. It means that they shall be given more than they can think of, as God says: So no soul knows what is hidden for them of the joy of the eyes (). Now this is what God has promised those who believe and do good; and even this is beyond human imagination. Surely, what He shall give to His Prophet as His special grace must be far greater than this.

This much about the grace of God. Now let us reflect upon “you shall be well pleased.” Obviously this pleasure has no relation whatsoever to the pleasure a man should have for whatever God gives Him and decrees for him. God is the Master and the servant has nothing of his own except the inherent need and poverty. He must always be happy and grateful for whatever his Master gives him, no matter whether it is more or less, big or small; he must always be pleased with whatever God decrees for him, whether it looks comforting or distressing. This is what is expected of every good believer; surely the Prophet knows this ideal better, and acts upon it more perfectly, than anyone else; in short, he likes for himself only that which God wills for him. Therefore, it would have been superfluous and irrelevant to say that he would be pleased after he was given something. It follows that this promised pleasure refers to something else. It refers to that happiness or satisfaction which a needy person experiences when his need is fully met. A similar promise was given to some of His virtuous servants: [As for] those who believe and do good, surely they are the best of men. Their reward with their Lord is gardens of perpetuity beneath which rivers flow, abiding therein forever; Allah is well pleased with them and they are well pleased with Him; that is for him who fears his Lord (). Its context shows that this too is to show some special divine favor for them, and hence it must be a very exclusive and comprehensive pleasure. At this juncture, it should be mentioned that God has praised His Messenger in these words: to the believers [he is] compassionate, merciful ().

Keeping all these things in view, ponder on this question:

Can the Prophet be pleased to enjoy the bounties of the garden, or can he be happy with the pleasures of the paradise, when some believers are imprisoned inside the hell? Remember that they are the people who believed in God as the One God, in the Prophet as the true prophet, and in what he brought with him as the true revelation; but they were overcome by their indiscretion and Satan twisted them between his fingers as a toy, and so they committed errors and sins—without any thought of revolting against God, of any arrogance before Him. Even we, when we remember what mistakes we committed in past, what chances of spiritual perfection we missed before, we start blaming ourselves for all the shortcomings; then if we see some inexperienced youth indulging in youthful frolics, we are reluctant to condemn them; we feel compassion for them. But this mercy of ours is a manifestation of the imperfect compassion put in our nature by the Creator. How can we understand the mercy of the Lord of the worlds, in a place where the magnanimity of the compassionate, merciful prophet and the mercy of the Most Merciful of all have to decide about the indiscretions of a powerless human being? Especially so when he had undergone all the torments of al-barzakh in proportion to his misdeeds?

5. al-Qummi narrates a tradition in his al-Tafsīr, under the verse: And intercession will not avail aught with Him save of him whom He permits (), that Abū al-ʿAbbas al-Mukabbar said: “A servant of a wife of ʿAlī b. al-Ḥusayn, named Abū Ayman, came (to the fifth Imam) and said: ‘O Abū Jaʿfar! You mislead the people, saying, intercession of Muḥammad, intercession of Muḥammad.’ (Hearing this) Abū Jaʿfar became so angry that his face took a glowering expression; then he said: ‘Woe unto you! O Abū Ayman! Are you deluded by chastity of your stomach and genitals? Why, when you will see the terrors of the resurrection, you shall certainly be in need of intercession of Muḥammad. Fie on you! Would he intercede except for him who would have been sentenced to the fire?’ (Then) he said: ‘There is no one from the early people to the latter ones but he will need the intercession of Muḥammad on the Day of Resurrection.’ Then again Abū Jaʿfar said: ‘Certainly the Messenger of God has (authority of) intercession for his ummah, and we have (authority of) intercession for our Shias, and our Shias have (authority of) intercession for their families.’ Then he said: “And surely a believer shall intercede for (very large number of) people like the (tribes of) Rabiʾah and Mudar. And surely a believer shall intercede for his servant, saying: “O my Lord! I owe this to him, he was protecting me from heat and cold.”

Author’s comment: This tradition refers to a general intercession (“There is no one from the early people to the latter ones but he will need the intercession of Muḥammad …”) and a particular one (“Fie on you! Would he intercede except for him who would have been sentenced to the fire?”). We find similar idea in al-ʿAyyāshi’s tradition from ʿUbayd b. Zurarah mentioned earlier. There are other traditions of the same theme narrated by both sects. It is supported also by the verse: And those whom they call upon besides Him have no authority for intercession, but he who bears witness of the truth and they know [him] (). This verse shows that the prerequisite of intercession is the witnessing of the truth. The witnesses are the intercessors, the owners of the intercession. And we shall describe under verse (And thus We have made you a medium [just] nation that you may be witnesses over the people and [that] the Messenger may be a witness over you), that the prophets are the witnesses and that Muḥammad is the witness over them; so he is the witness over the witnesses, and thus he is the intercessor for the intercessors; and without the testimony of the witnesses the foundation of the Day of Judgment would crumble.

6. The (fifth) Imam said about the verse, And intercession will not avail aught with Him save him whom He permits: “No prophet or messenger may intercede until God permits him, except the Messenger of God, because God has already given him permission before the Day of Resurrection; and intercession is (allowed) to him and to the imams from his progeny, and after that to the prophets.” (al-Tafsīr, al-Qummi)
7. Imam ʿAlī said: “The Messenger of God said: ‘Three (groups) shall intercede with God and their intercession will be accepted: The prophets, then the (religious) scholars, then the martyrs.’ ” (al-Khiṣāl)

Author’s comment: al-Shuhadāʾ in the Qur’anic terminology means witnesses of the deeds; but in the traditions of the imams it is generally used for the martyrs who are killed in the way of God. And apparently it is in this meaning that the word has been used in these traditions.

8. The Imam said: “We have the (authority of) intercession; and the people who love us have the (authority of) intercession.” (ibid.)

Author’s comment: Numerous traditions prove that the Lady of paradise, Fāṭimah has the power and authority of intercession, as do his descendants other than the imams. Likewise, a lot of traditions bestow similar authority on the believers—even to their miscarried fetus. There is a well-known tradition that the Prophet said: “Marry (and) procreate; for I shall boast of you (that is your number) against other nations on the Day of Resurrection—even of miscarried fetus; he shall stand at the door of the garden in a restive mood; he shall be told to enter, but he will say: ‘No, until my parents enter it …’ ”

9. Abū Abdillāh narrates, through his father and grandfather, from Imam ʿAlī that he said: “The garden has eight gates: one for the entry of prophets and the truthful ones, the other for the martyrs and the good ones; and five gates are for the entry of our Shias and lovers—I shall be standing on the al-Sirat (the path; the bridge over the hell) praying and saying: ‘My Lord! save my Shias and my lovers and my helpers and those who followed me in the (life of the) world.’ Then all of a sudden there will come a voice from inside the throne: ‘Your prayer is granted and your intercession for your Shias accepted. And every Shia of mine and everyone who loves me, helps me and fights my enemies by (his) deed or word, shall intercede for seventy thousand of his neighbors and relatives—and (there is) a gate from which shall enter all the Muslims who witness that there is no god except God and in whose heart there is not an iota of enmity toward us, the people of the house.” (ibid.)
10. Ḥafṣ al-Muʾadhdhin narrates that Abū ʿAbdillāh wrote, among other things, in a letter to his companions: “And know that none of the creatures of God shall avail you against Him, neither an angel who is near to Him, nor a messenger prophet nor anyone below them. Whoever likes intercession of intercessors to avail him, should ask God to be pleased with him.” (al-Kāfī)
11. Imam al-Ṣādiq said: “Jabir told Abū Jaʿfar: ‘May I be your ransom, O son of the Messenger of God! Narrate to me a tradition about your grandmother, Fāṭimah.’ (Then the tradition continues, mentioning the intercession of Fāṭimah on the Day of Resurrection, until it says:) Abū Jaʿfar said: ‘Then, by God, no one among the people will remain (unsaved) except a doubting one or an unbeliever or a hypocrite. When they shall be (put) into (various) ranks of the hell, they shall cry out—as God has said—So we have neither intercessors, nor a true friend: But if we could but once return, we would be of the believers (): Then Abū Jaʿfar said: ‘But oh! how preposterous! They shall be denied what they asked for; and if they were sent back they would certainly return to what they were forbidden, and most certainly they are liars ().’ ” (al-Tafsīr, Furāt b. Ibrāhīm)

Author’s comment: The Imam has proved by the sentence, “So we have no intercessors,” that intercession will take place on the Day of Judgment. In this light, it is amusing to see our adversaries trying to use it as an argument against intercession! Just as we said about the verse, So the intercession of intercessors avails them not (), this verse too shows that intercession will surely take place on that day. If the Qur’an wanted to negate the inter-cession altogether, it would have used the singular form (… neither intercessor nor a true friend). But it has used the plural, “So we have no intercessors”; and it proves that there shall be a group interceding on behalf of some people, but it will not be of any avail to those particular speakers. Moreover, the following sentence, “But if we could but once return, we would be of the believers,” shows a desire within the frame of grief. Obviously such a desire is related to that thing loss of which has caused the grief. Therefore, what this sentence implies is this: Would that we could return to the previous life; then we would be of the believers, so that the intercession of intercessors would avail us too, as it has benefited the believers. The verse, therefore, is a good proof for intercession.

12. Imam al-Kāẓim narrated from his father, through his fore-fathers, from the Prophet that he said: “My intercession is for those of my ummah who would have committed big sins; as for the doers of good, there shall be no difficulty for them.” He was asked: “O son of the Messenger of God! How can the intercession be for those who would have committed big sins, while God says, and they do not intercede except for him whom He approves (); and one who commits big sins cannot be approved?” He said: “No believer commits a sin but he regrets it and feels ashamed. And the Prophet has said: ‘Enough is regret as repentance.’ And also he has said: ‘Whoever is pleased by a good deed and displeased by a bad deed, he is a believer.’ Therefore, if there is someone who does not feel remorse for a sin he has committed, he is not a believer, and intercession will not avail him, and he will be an unjust one. And God says: the unjust shall not have any true friend nor any intercessor who should be obeyed ().” It was said to him: “O son of the Messenger of God! How is it that he who is not sorry of a sin he has committed, he does not remain a believer?” He said: “Anyone who commits a big sin, knowing that he must be punished for it, will certainly feel remorse for what he has done. And as soon as he is sorry, he is repentant, eligible for intercession. But if he is not sorry, then he is persisting in it, and a persistent (sinner) is not forgiven, because he does not believe in the punishment of what he has done; had he believed in that punishment, he would have been sorry. And the Prophet has said: ‘No big sin abides with apologizing, and no small sin remains (small) with persistence.’ And as for the words of God, and they do not intercede except for him whom He approves, it means that they do not intercede except for him whose religion He approves. Religion is an acknowledgment that good and bad deeds have to be recompensed. If one’s religion were approved, one would feel remorse for the sins one would have committed, because he would know what their result would be on the (day of) resurrection.” (al-Tawhid]

Author’s comment: The words of the Imam, “and he will be an unjust one:” It gives the definition of “unjust” as applicable on the Day of Resurrection. It alludes to the Qur'anic verse, Then a crier will cry out among them that the curse of Allah is on the unjust, who hinder [people] from Allah’s way and seek to make it crooked and they are disbelievers in the hereafter (). Accordingly, unjust is he who does not believe in the Day of Judgment; naturally, such a man would not be sorry if he neglected to do what he was ordered to do, or if he indulged in sins and crimes. May be, he outright rejects basic truths and teachings of religion; or may be he just does not care, is not worried of punishment of sins on the Day of Reckoning. In latter case, his verbal acknowledgment of the Day of Judgment would be but a joke and mockery.

“… as soon as he is sorry, he is repentant, eligible for intercession”:The adjective, repentant, is not used here in its well-known terminological sense—repentance (in the terminological sense) is by itself the best intercessor and savior. What the Imam meant here is this: If he feels remorse for the sin committed, he returns to God, his religion is thus approved by Him, and therefore he becomes eligible for intercession.

“And the Prophet has said: ‘No big sin abides with apologizing …’ :” The Imam narrated this tradition to prove that persistence in a sin (even a small one) changes it from its original smallness to a far greater transgression—it shows one’s disbelief in the Day of Judgment and injustice toward the signs of God. And such a thing is not forgiven. A sin is forgiven if the sinner sincerely repents, or if intercession avails him—and this depends on his religion being approved; and both repentance and approved religion are absent in case of persistence.

13. A similar theme is found in a tradition quoted in ʿIlalu al-sharāʿiʿ from Abū Ishāq al-Laythi that he said: “I said to Abū Jaʿfar Muḥammad b. ʿAlī al-Bāqir: ‘O son of the Messenger of God! Tell me about a believer, possessing religious understanding when he reaches (a high point in) knowledge and becomes perfect, does he commit fornication?’ He said: ‘By God! No.’ I said: ‘Then does he indulge in sodomy?’ He said: ‘By God! No.’ I said: ‘Then does he steal?’ He said: ‘No.’ I said: ‘Then does he drink intoxicant?' He said: ‘No.’ I said: ‘Then does he commit any of the big sins or indulge in any of these indecencies?’ He said: ‘No.’ I said: ‘Then does he commit a sin?’ He said: ‘Yes, and he is a believer, sinner, submissive.’ I said; ‘What does submissive mean?’ He said: ‘The submissive (servant) does not persist in it, does not keep doing it …”
14. Imam al-Riḍā narrated through his forefathers that the Messenger of God said: “When the resurrection comes, God, Great and Mighty is He, will manifest Himself to His believing servant, and will remind him of his sins one by one; then God will forgive him; God will not let (even) a near angel or a messenger-prophet know of his (sins), and will cover it lest anyone becomes aware of it. Then He will say to his bad deeds: ‘Be good deeds.’ ”(al-Khiṣāl)
15. Abū Dharr said: “The Messenger of God said: ‘A man will be brought on the Day of Resurrection; and it will be said: “Show him his small sins; and keep back from him his big sins.” Then it will be said to him: “You did so and so on such and such a day.” And he will go on confessing, while apprehensive of his big sins. Then it will be said: “Give him a good deed in place of every bad deed.” Then he will say: “I had done some sins which I do not see (mentioned) here.” ’ ” Abū Dharr said: “And I saw the Messenger of God laughing until his teeth were shown.” (Muslim)
16. Imam al-Ṣādiq said: “When the Day of Resurrection comes, God, Glorified and Sublime is He, shall spread His mercy until even Iblīs will hope for His mercy.” (al-Amāli, al-Ṣadūq)

Author’s comment: The last three traditions are of general nature. The traditions about intercession of the Prophet, emanating from the imams of Ahl al-Bayt as well as from the Sunni sources have successively been narrated by so many narrators as to leave no room for any doubt about their authenticity. Altogether they prove that intercession will take place, and that it will avail the believers who might have committed sins; it will prevent them from entering into hell, or will rescue them from it if already sent therein. It is however certain that the sinning believers shall not be allowed to abide forever in the hell. And we have earlier explained that the Qur’an too does not say more than this.

Discourse

The discussions “A Philosophical Contemplation”; “A Social Discourse” appear here in the printed volume. Read them in the Al-Mizan App.