Tareek al-Hedayah: Episode 11
A Special episode in the occasion of the Prophet’s Birthday (3)
Translated by: Dar al-Tarjama – The English Convoy
This episode’s guests: Dr. Muhammad Hedayah, and Sheikh Abdullah Al-Saadi and Sheikh Amr Attia.
As an opening for the episode Sheikh Abdullah Al-Saadi recited some verses (52-54) from Sûrat Al-Araf (The Heights): “Certainly, We have brought them a Book (the Qur’an) which We have explained in detail with knowledge, – a guidance and a mercy to a people who believe. Await they just for the final fulfillment of the event? On the Day the event is finally fulfilled (i.e. the Day of Resurrection), those who neglected it before will say: “Verily, the Messengers of our Lord did come with the truth, now are there any intercessors for us that they might intercede on our behalf? Or could we be sent back (to the first life of the world) so that we might do (good) deeds other than those (evil) deeds which we used to do?” Verily, they have lost their own selves (i.e. destroyed themselves) and that which they used to fabricate (invoking and worshipping others besides Allâh) has gone away from them. Indeed your Lord is Allâh, Who created the heavens and the earth in Six Days, and then He rose over (Istawâ) the Throne (really in a manner that suits His Majesty). He brings the night as a cover over the day, seeking it rapidly, and (He created) the sun, the moon, the stars subjected to His Command. Surely, His is the Creation and Commandment. Blessed is Allâh, the Lord of the ‘Âlamîn (mankind, jinn and all that exists)!”
He also recited some verses (1-3) from Sûrat Al-Hujurât (The Dwellings): “O you who believe! Make not (a decision) in advance before Allâh and His Messenger (PBUH), and fear Allâh. Verily! Allâh is All-Hearing, All-Knowing. O you who believe! Raise not your voices above the voice of the Prophet (PBUH), nor speak aloud to him in talk as you speak aloud to one another, lest your deeds should be rendered fruitless while you perceive not. Verily, those who lower their voices in the presence of Allâh’s Messenger (PBUH), they are the ones whose hearts Allâh has tested for piety. For them is forgiveness and a great reward.”
The presenter started the episode by referring to a family who was subject to a terrible trial; their young daughter aged 17 was killed in a car accident, while their son has been in the intensive care unit at the hospital. The mother talked on the phone with Dr. Muhammad Hedayah on what she could do for her deceased daughter and her son. She also asked him and all Muslims to pray for a quick recovery of her son. Dr Hedayah answered her and asked Allah forgiveness and mercy for the deceased daughter. He reminded the family to pray for her with the conviction that Allah will forgive her. He mentioned the Qudsi (Divine) Hadith: “You took the life of my servant’s son…” and told them that Allah will build them a house in paradise if they praise Allah and bear this calamity. He also reminded them that this girl had been predestined to die this way, and that forbearance and remembrance are the only attitudes they had to express. As for the son, Dr. Hedayah prayed for Allah to recover him soon.
Then Sheikh Al-Saadi said the following supplication: “All praise and thanks be to You Allah. To You all revealed and unrevealed things go back. You are worth praising and worth adoring, and You have the power upon all things. O Allah! Cure our diseased people and those of all Muslims and Have mercy on them all. O Allah! Make his recovery and that of all Muslims smooth and easy, Quicken his recovery and that of all diseased Muslims. O Allah! Quicken his recovery and that of all diseased Muslims. O Allah! We ask You repentant unsuspicious hearts. O Allah! Make us happy with being pious, and make us fear You as if we are seeing You. O, Curer of the diseased! Cure our diseased and those of all Muslims, and grant our dead and those of all Muslims mercy. Thanks to Your mercy, power and sovereignty; the most generous of all.
We continue the topic of the two previous episodes on the occasion of the Prophet’s (PBUH) birthday. We previously said that Allah characterized His messenger by things that have formed the pillars of his message: his orphanage, illiteracy, being a shepherd, his work in trading, and the fact that he was truthful and honest. Let’s get back to what we said about the words “orphan” and “illiterate”. We asked who an orphan is and answered that, the one who says Muhammad (PBUH) is an orphan using the general term is mistaken; especially after things were clarified in Sûrat Ad-Duha (The Forenoon “After Sunrise”). Allah says: “Did He not find you (O Muhammad) an orphan and gave you a refuge?”
Here, we say that the Prophet (PBUH) was born an orphan because his father died before his birth. But if we consider Allah’s words: “Did He not find you (O Muhammad) an orphan and gave you a refuge?”, we know that it’s Allah (SWT) who gave him a shelter, so can we still say that he was an orphan? It is true that he was an orphan as his father died, but this orphanage meant nothing to the Prophet, for Allah (SWT) gave him a shelter. It is an honour that Allah (SWT) gave him a shelter. It is an honour to every orphan that the Prophet (PBUH) was himself an orphan.
When we listen to the Holy Qur’an and the Prophet’s (PBUH) commandments, as in the Hadith: “Me and the orphan guardian are as these in Paradise” (he pointed with his thumb and forefinger).This realizes Allah’s words: “Did He not find you (O Muhammad) an orphan and gave you a refuge?”,and “Therefore, treat not the orphan with oppression.”
The Prophet (PBUH) said this Hadith because he understood the meaning of this verse. In fact, this Sûrah tackles many targets. We have to understand the Holy Qur’an according to the meanings Allah (SWT) wants to convey. The greatest problem we have is that we have the Holy Qur’an but we have deserted, which was exactly the Prophet’s complaint when he said: “Verily, my people deserted this Qur’an (neither listened to it, nor acted on its laws and teachings)”.
Muhammad (PBUH) was the orphan to whom Allah (SWT) gave a shelter, and the illiterate whom Allah (SWT) educated. Illiteracy is a shame for any person after Muhammad (PBUH), but for the Prophet (PBUH) it was a necessity so that he could receive the revelation from his Lord. In the previous episode we set the example of three papers: the first one is blank, the second contains writings with a pencil, and the third contains writings with a pen. So, the easiest to write on is the first paper, while the second one is like someone who learnt from a weak teacher. It is quite easy to clean it, exactly as we say in our daily life: “forget all what you know about this subject and let’s start from the beginning”. That’s why illiteracy was necessary in the Prophet’s (PBUH) case.
Sheikh Al-Saâdy recited Sûrat Ad-Duha (The Morning Bright), then the presenter asked a question about the significance of the use of “oppression” with the “orphan” and “rebuke” with the “beggar” in this Sûrah.
This Sûrah must be implanted in Muslims’ minds for it tells us about the period when the Prophet (PBUH) endured hardship because of the ceasing of the revelation, which lasted between ten to fifteen days. It was due to the fact that the Prophet promised to answer someone’s question without saying “Insha’ Allah” (If God (SWT) wills). Then the following verses from Sûrat Al-Kahf (The Cave) were revealed: “And never say of anything, ‘I shall do such and such thing tomorrow.’ Except (with the saying), ‘If Allâh will!’ And remember your Lord when you forget and say: ‘It may be that my Lord guides me unto a nearer way of truth than this.’“ During this period the Qurayshi disbelievers persecuted the Prophet (PBUH) and used to say that Muhammad’s God hated him or that his Satan abandoned him,… etc. So the Prophet suffered a lot during this period of his life. Let’s consider the oath in Sûrat Ad-Duha. We said that Allah (SWT) can swear by anything He wants, whenever He wants and with the way He wants, because He (SWT) is the Creator of everything. However, we can swear only by Allah (SWT) as it occurred in the Hadith of the Prophet (PBUH): “If someone is making an oath, let him swear by Allah or keep silent”. Oaths in the Holy Qur’an are characterized by beauty and glamour. Allah (SWT) swears by specific things on other specific things as in Sûrat An-Najm (The Star), At-Tur (The Mount), Ad-Duha (The Morning Bright) Chapters and many others. We need to consider the reason behind such oaths, so if we read the Holy Qur’an with a researcher’s care, we find, for instance, in Sûrat An-Najm that there is a kind sanctity of the Prophet from the first verse to the following verse: “Indeed he (Muhammad) did see of the Greatest Signs, of his Lord (Allâh).”, talking here about the Prophet’s (PBUH) midnight ascending to the sky. We notice that Allah (SWT) talked openly about the Isra’ incident (The night Journey) in Sûrat Al-Isrâ’: “Glorified (and Exalted) be He (Allâh) [above all that (evil) they associate with Him] Who took His slave (Muhammad) for a journey by night “, yet didn’t talk openly about the ascension because the ascension happened in Heaven while the Isra’ happened on earth. When the Prophet (PBUH) talked about Al-Aqsa mosque, they asked him to describe it, so who would have asked him to describe Heaven? This was an ultimate faith and belief in the unseen, and this was Abu Bakr’s attitude (May Allah be pleased with him), which was referred to at the beginning of Sûrat Al-Bakara (The Cow): “Who believe in the Ghaib (the Unseen)”. As we said before, the Isra’ incident happened on earth while the ascension happened in the sky. The star is in the sky, so if you believe in the existence of the unseen star, you will have to believe in the ascension, “Indeed he (Muhammad) did see of the Greatest Signs, of his Lord (Allâh).” And he also mentioned “Sedrat Almontaha” in Sûrat An-Najm (verse 16): “When that covered the lote-tree which did cover it!”. So Allah swears by the star on purpose.
Sûrat At-Tin (The Fig):
“By the fig, and the olive. By Mount Sinai. By this city of security (Makkah). Verily, We created man in the best stature (mould).” In this Sûrah Allah (SWT) didn’t say “We created the believers”, but He said “We created man”. Why did He swear by the fig, the olive, the mount of Sinai and the secured city? And who is the man is meant in this verse? When we hear this verse we think of Adam (AS), the first man on earth, for Adam and Eve used the fig tree leaves to cover their genital organs after they ate from the forbidden tree. Olive is a reference to Nuh (Noah) (PBUH), for the first thing he saw after the flood was the olive tree. As for the mount of Sinai, it refers to Musa (Moses) and Isa (Jesus), (AS). It is the mount on which Allah (SWT) addressed Musa, and it also refers to that era between Musa and Isa (AS). This “city of security” is a reference to Ibrahim (Abraham) and Muhammad (PBUH). it is clear that this oath is a reference to the five Resolute messengers who represent all prophets, from Adam (PUH) to the Dooms Day. It is as if Allah (SWT) is swearing by all those prophets, assuring that He created man in the best of moulds. Hence, behind every oath there is a kind of wisdom.
Allah saved us with this Holy Book from some of those who oppose it and ask about the reason behind negating the oath in Sûrat Al-Wâqi‘ah (verse75) “So wouldn’t I swear by the setting of the stars”. We reply saying that the answer is in the Holy Qur’an itself, in the verse following that verse. In the following verse, Allah-be He Exalted and Glorified- says, “And verily that is indeed a great oath, if you but know”. Hence, the negated oath here is in itself an oath, but what is its usage? We use such an oath daily in different life issues. If we follow that kind of oaths in the whole Qur’an, we find that Allah uses it to swear ion things that originally need no swearing, like that in that verse subject to the question. Allah swears that “That (this) is indeed an honorable recitation (the Noble Qur’an). In a Book well-guarded (with Allâh in the heaven i.e. Al-Lauh Al-Mahfûz ).” It’s as if such a thing should be crystal clear and needs no swearing or oath. With regard to the positive oath, it is used with things that need swearing.
Sûrat Ad-Duha (The Forenoon):
“By the forenoon (after sunrise). By the night when it darkens (and stands still). Your Lord (O Muhammad) has neither forsaken you nor hates you”. The morning light takes an hour from the day hours, while the night takes many hours (starting from sunset to dawn). In this context, Allah swears by both the morning light and the night on the following facts: “Your Lord (O Muhammad) has neither forsaken you nor hates you. And indeed the last time you receive the revelation is always better than the previous one”. This was meant to comfort the Prophet’s heart. There is also the meaning that the Prophet (PBUH) is like the morning bright hour in relation to the many night hours that refer to the rest of prophets and messengers (AS) Them all). Prophet Muhammad is like a star among the rest of prophets and messengers. He is a complete group, while the rest of prophets and messengers are all considered another group. Furthermore, what is the meaning of ““? Is it night that gets quiet and rests or people during night hours? Hence, it is people who rest at night. It’s a linguistic creativity to examine the impact of the oath in this verse “Your Lord (O Muhammad) has neither forsaken you nor hates you.” on the Prophet (PBUH). It’s an honor to have Prophet Muhammad as the sole prophet for our oumma (nation). As we said before that the numerousness of prophets in a nation isn’t a proof of that nation’s nobility. Thus all such praising for the Prophet describes him as the sole prophet of the Muslim nation.
If we go back to the Prophet’s orphanage and Allah’s words, “and gave you a refuge?” after which we can never say that Muhammad was an orphan. We notice that every time there was a guardian who cared for the Prophet, that guardian died: his father died before he was born, then his grandfather Abdul-Muttalib. All this happened on purpose, so that it would not be said that the Prophet (PBUH) got his cleverness and eloquence from the men of his tribe, to assure the Prophet’s words: “Allah disciplined me, and so well He did”. Even the mother who has a great effect in educating the child and bringing him up, died after he came back from Halima’s house! Therefore, we say that orphanage did not affect the Prophet (PBUH), because being an orphan renders him in need to the sympathy and pity of people, but Muhammad was given shelter ands care by Allah (SWT).
“And He found you unaware (of the Qur’an, its laws, and Prophethood) and guided you?” We need to stop at this verse because a lot of people ask about the meaning of “unaware” here. Let’s consider Ibrahim’s (Abraham) (AS) story when he went searching for the true God, before Allah revealed Himself to him Sûrat Al-An’âm (verse75): “Thus did we show Ibrâhîm (Abraham) the kingdom of the heavens and the earth that he be one of those who have Faith with certainty.” He took refuge in meditation, he looked at the sky and saw the star and took it as a god; in Sûrat Al-An’âm (verses76-77), Allah (SWT) says, “When the night covered him over with darkness he saw a star. He said: “This is my lord.” But when it set, he said: “I like not those that set.” When he saw the moon rising up, he said: “This is my lord.” But when it set, he said: “Unless my Lord guides me, I shall surely be among the people who went astray.” When the star disappeared, he thought with his sound fitra (nature) that something that can be altered needs an alternative that is worthy to be worshipped. After that, he saw the moon and again took him as a god: “When he saw the moon rising up, he said: “This is my lord.” But when the moon set, he said, “Unless my Lord guides me, I shall surely be among the people who went astray.” Again, he saw the sun and thought it was a god; he said, (verse 78). “When he saw the sun rising up, he said: “This is my lord. This is greater.” But when it set, he said: “O my people! I am indeed free from all that you join as partners (in worship with Allâh).” Finally, he said, (verse 79). “Verily, I have turned my face towards Him Who has created the heavens and the earth Hanîfa (Islâmic Monotheism, i.e. worshipping none but Allâh Alone), and I am not of Al-Mushrikûn”. “Going astray” here doesn’t mean polytheism, but it means being lost in the search for Allah.
Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) was in Hira’ cave searching for Allah (SWT) when the revelation was sent down to him the first time. In such a context and in this special case we have to take care not to say the he used to go to the cave to pray or worship. This is not correct, because it might mean that he had a religion with which he worshipped and prayed at that time. He used to go there to search by his sound nature for Allah, and meditate and think deeply about the idols which were neither useful nor harmful. This is why Allah, be He Exalted and Glorified, said, “And He found you unaware (of the Qur’an, its laws, and Prophethood) and guided you”. The Prophet (PBUH) was wandering in his search for Allah, which is different from polytheism. Moreover, the oath in Sûrat At-Tin: “And this City of security,” is a reference to Ibrahim (AS) who submitted to Allah, and Muhammad (PBUH) who went to Hira’ cave searching and meditating upon Allah, just like Ibrahim.
“And He found you poor and made you wealthy”. This verse is of high importance, because people said that Muhammad (PBUH) was poor, acting as the polytheists when they said they wanted a rich prophet. How can he be poor when Allah had enriched him? The words ghanie (rich) and fakir (poor) don’t always refer to money, especially in the Holy Qur’an! If we consider Allah’s words in Sûrat Fatir (The Originator) (verse 15): “O mankind! it is you who stand in need of Allâh. But Allâh is Rich (Free of all needs), Worthy of all praise”.
The word “al-ghanie” here means “self-sufficient”, it is an attribute of Allah (SWT). But people tend generally to use the word “rich” (ghanie) to describe a person who has money ( we cannot here say “property” or “wealth” instead of money, because it would mean all what man possesses or owns, as in the Prophet’s Hadith, “You and all your wealth belong to your parent”), while they have to use the word “tharie” (wealthy). It’s Allah who is Rich, and all people are poor because they are in constant need of Him.
Allah’s mercy is reflected on the Holy Qur’an , as the word “poor” (fakir) is not absolute all over the Qur’an Allah (SWT) said: “O mankind! it is you who stand in need of Allâh”. It rather means to be in need of Allah and not to anyone else. Musa (Moses) said in Sûrat Al-Qasas (verse 24), “and said: “My Lord! truly, I am in need of whatever good that You bestow on me”. He is in need of any good that comes from Allah (SWT). Any one can be in need at a certain time! Sheikh Shaarawi gave us a good example: when a wealthy man wanted to enter his palace, he was prevented by a problem in the water pipes and couldn’t go in until he called a plumber to repair them. Thus, this wealthy person was at that particular time desperately in need of that plumber. How truthful is Allah (SWT) when He says, “O mankind! it is you who stand in need of Allâh. But Allâh is Rich (Free of all needs), Worthy of all praise”. We have to note that the word “rich” must be used to describe only “Allah”.
Khadijah (May Allah be pleased with her) admired Muhammad (PBUH) because he was a keen trader, who used to earn doubles of the amount of money others earned. Yet, he spent all his money on poor people, as Khadijah told him when he was afraid after the first time the revelation was sent down to him: “You keep contact with your kinship, you are hospitable and you give the deprived”. All this requires money, that’s why the Prophet never appeared as wealthy. It’s narrated that one day The Prophet (PBUH) went to Abou Ad-Dardae’s house and found him sitting on the bare floor. He had just donated to twenty poor people-The Prophet asked him, “where is your furniture?” Abud-Dardae answered him, “I have another house where I send my furniture whenever I can (meaning in the hereafter)”. Hence, how can we say that someone is poor when Allah has made him free of wants?
These three characteristics of the Prophet (PBUH) (orphanage, illiteracy and guidance) (Did He not find you (O Muhammad) an orphan and gave you a refuge? And He found you unaware (of the Qur’an, its laws, and Prophethood) and guided you? And He found you poor and made you rich (self-sufficient with self-contentment)?) Sûrat Ad-Duha (verses 6-8). This resulted in three commandments from Allah (SWT) to Muhammad (PBUH) and his nation, “Therefore, treat not the orphan with oppression. And repulse not the beggar. And proclaim the Grace of your Lord (i.e. the Prophethood and all other Graces)” Sûrat Ad-Duha (verses 9-11). Such commandments are forwarded to the whole nation.
As far as the Prophet’s illiteracy is concerned, it was a necessity so that nobody would feel suspicious towards his prophecy and that he was a poet. Allah (SWT) says in Sûrat Al-‘Ankabût (The Spider, verse 48): “Neither did you (O Muhammad) read any book before it (this Qur’an), nor did you write any book (whatsoever) with your right hand. In that case, indeed, the followers of falsehood might have doubted”. Allah (SWT) describes Muhammad’s nation as illiterate. He says in Sûrat Al-Jumu‘ah (verse 2), “He it is Who sent among the unlettered ones a Messenger (Muhammad) from among themselves”. This verse is emphasized by The Prophet’s (PBUH) Hadith: “I was sent to an unlettered nation”. I think that we have to remain illiterate as far as the Holy Qur’an is concerned; we can’t say that such a word should be replaced by another one, because every word in the Holy Qur’an is definitely in its right place. For instance the word “ruh”-as we said in previous episodes-has six different meanings, each one differs from the other. Accordingly, the nation’s illiteracy with regard to the wordings of the Holy Qur’an should be maintained.
We previously asked, “Who is the illiterate?”, and we said that it’s wrong to say that an illiterate is someone who can neither read nor write. In fact the illiterate is someone who cannot just write, for the first word that was revealed was “Read”. That is why we should not desert the Holy Qur’an, but we should open our minds, hearts and souls to it. We have been using our ancestors’ books to explain the Holy Qur’an for 500 years. We haven’t added anything new! We will certainly be asked about what we did for the sake of the Holy Qur’an on the Day of Judgment, so it’s time to work!
“Read. What would I read”, i.e. I have nothing to read, I’m waiting for the message of Allah. This incident of the first revelation was described in a validated Hadith, where the Prophet (PBUH) answered Jibril (Gabriel), “What would I read?” . The question that we ask here is why didn’t Allah (SWT) mention in the Holy Qur’an the dialogue between the Prophet (PBUH) and Jibril (AS), while He mentioned all the dialogues between other prophets and angels (between Ibrahim and angels, between lute and angels…). The answer is because when Jibril ordered him to read, and he asked what to read, Jibril recited verses from the Holy Qur’an, and Muhammad read after him. On this occasion of the Prophet’s birthday, we have to know who is this man (the Prophet {PBUH}) who will come on the Day of Judgment and say with no haughtiness, “I am the master of Adam’s children, I am the mediator”.
I repeat what I said in the previous episode, that we have to inquire about the Prophet’s (PBUH) real names, and we have to take them from him. He said: I am Mohammad.. I am Ahmad ..I am Al-Hasher( the gatherer).. I am Al-Akeb (the last prophet) and there are no followers. Yet, he has many characteristics such as Al- Mustapha (the selected), Al-Kurashi (belonging to Quraysh tribe) and others. He was also known by Abal-kassem but this was his surname; he said: “Name people by my names but don’t name them by my surname”. “Ta-Ha” and “Ya-Seen” weren’t his names; they are just cut mystic letters that occur at the beginning of some of the Holy Qur’an chapters. We also mentioned earlier that his names were known clearly long before his birth, as it was predicated by Isa “Jesus” (AS). The numerousness of names is a sign of his nobility. In the previous episode we mentioned that Muhammad’s (PBUH) names were clear even before his birth, and this is proved through Isa’s (PBUH) herald. Isa (PBUH) used the name “Ahmed” in announcing the news about Muhammad (PBUH). (We have to note that “Muhammad, Ahmed, and Mahmoud” are derived from the root verb “Hamada”, which means “to be thankful to”.) This is because the noun “Muhammad” is an object, which cannot be used except for an existent; “Ahmed” is suitable for the era of the speaker as it is a used in the superlative case, hence, the meaning of the announcement is really “……..more thankful to Allah than I am”. When “Ahmed” is born, he becomes “Muhammad”, and when he achieves his mission and delivers his assigned message properly he becomes “Mahmoud” (praised), i.e. he will be of a praised position on the Judgment Day.
The presenter raised another issue: “Let’s move to the issue of intercession, Al-Hawd (The Fountain or the Basin) and Al-kawthar ( A river in Paradise). What should Muslims do to be worthy of the Prophet’s intercession?
Before answering this question Sheikh Amr Atteya recited the following holy verses from different Qur’an chapters.
Sûrat Al-Mâ’idah, (verse 67): “O Messenger (Muhammad)! Proclaim (the Message) which has been sent down to you from your Lord. And if you do not, then you have not conveyed His Message. Allâh will protect you from mankind. Verily, Allâh guides not the people who disbelieve.”
Sûrat Al-Ahqâf, (verse 9): “Say (O Muhammad): “I am not a new thing among the Messengers (of Allâh i.e. I am not the first Messenger) nor do I know what will be done with me or with you. I only follow that which is revealed to me, and I am but a plain warner.”
Sûrat Al-Jinn, (verses 20-23): “Say (O Muhammad): “I invoke only my Lord (Allâh Alone), and I associate none as partners along with Him.” Say: “It is not in my power to cause you harm, or to bring you to the Right Path.” Say (O Muhammad): “None can protect me from Allâh’s punishment (if I were to disobey Him), nor can I find refuge except in Him. “(Mine is) but conveyance (of the truth) from Allâh and His Messages (of Islâmic Monotheism), and whosoever disobeys Allâh and His Messenger, then Verily, for him is the Fire of Hell, he shall dwell therein forever.”
Sûrat Maryam, (verses 85-87): “The Day We shall gather the Muttaqûn (the pious – See V.2:2) unto the Most Gracious (Allâh), like a delegation (presented before a king for honour). And We shall drive the Mujrimûn (polytheists, sinners, criminals, disbelievers in the Oneness of Allâh) to Hell, in a thirsty state (like a thirsty herd driven down to water). None shall have the power of intercession, but such a one as has received permission (or promise) from the Most Gracious (Allâh).”
Sûrat Ta-Ha, (verses 109-112): “On that day no intercession shall avail, except the one for whom the Most Gracious (Allâh) has given permission and whose word is acceptable to Him. He (Allâh) knows what happens to them (His creatures) in this world, and what will happen to them (in the Hereafter) but they will never compass anything of His Knowledge. And (all) faces shall be humbled before (Allâh), Al-Hayyul-Qayyum (the Ever Living, the One Who sustains and protects all that exists). And he who carried (a burden of) wrongdoing (i.e. he who disbelieved in Allâh, ascribed partners to Him, and did deeds of His disobedience), will be indeed a complete failure (on that Day). And he who works deeds of righteousness, while he is a believer (in Islâmic Monotheism), then he will have no fear of injustice, nor of any curtailment (of his reward).”
We have to approach the issue of intercession with the awareness of a true Muslim believer, because it is an issue that was subject to a lot of controversy from the Prophet’s (PBUH) era until now. If people had perceived it with the real meaning intended in the Holy Qur’an, none of these disagreements would have happened! The controversy started at the time of Imam Ali, Al-Hassan Al-Bassri and Al- Mu’tazila (a deviant Muslim sect). Such disagreements had really contributed to the corruption of Akida (belief). I personally witnessed when Dr Mustapha Mahmoud talked about the intercession and the authentic Hadiths about it. I also bear witness before Allah, be He Exalted and Glorified, that the keen response of Dr Yusuf Al-Kardawi who ended up the controversy and refuted Dr. Mahmoud’s ideas, but still admitted the reasons behind them. He said that Dr Mahmoud did that because he noticed that people exaggerated in making sins, relying too much on the Prophet’s intercession!
The question that we ask here is: What is intercession? Someone commits adultery and if you blame him for that, he would talk about the Prophet’s (PBUH) intercession; the same thing for the thief and all matters that concern the limits ordained by Allah (SWT). If people don’t understand the meaning of intercession, then it is our duty not to facilitate things for them so that their ending wouldn’t be in hell. Facilitation should as well be understood in the right way. It is true that the Prophet (PBUH) used to choose the easier of two matters, but in deeds that make people go to Paradise easily. For instance, when he ordered us to pray the morning prayers in the mosque, he was the first to do it; he did not sleep leaving others pray there. When Allah (SWT) ordered us to fast, he authorized the ill and the traveler to perform their fasting later (and this is a special case at the beginning of assigning duties). Allah said in Sûrat Al-Baqarah {The Cow} verse 184: “[Observing Saum (fasts)] for a fixed number of days, but if any of you is ill or on a journey, the same number (should be made up) from other days. And as for those who can fast with difficulty, (e.g. an old man), they have (a choice either to fast or) to feed a Miskîn (poor person) (for every day). But whoever does good of his own accord, it is better for him. And that you fast is better for you if only you know.”.
We notice here that although Allah (SWT) authorized the ill and the traveler to postpone their fasting duty, he said it is better for them to fast! We have to differentiate between authorization, duties and intercession. When Allah (SWT) talked about the authorization in Ramadan which is one of the duties, he said: “must observe Saum (fasts) that month”. If we consider verse 185 in Sûrat Al-Baqara (The Cow): “The month of Ramadan in which was revealed the Qur’an, a guidance for mankind and clear proofs for the guidance and the criterion (between right and wrong). So whoever of you sights (the crescent on the first night of) the month (of Ramadan i.e. is present at his home), he must observe Saum (fasts) that month, and whoever is ill or on a journey, the same number [of days which one did not observe Saum (fasts) must be made up] from other days. Allâh intends for you ease, and He does not want to make things difficult for you. (He wants that you) must complete the same number (of days), and that you must magnify Allâh [i.e. to say Takbîr (Allâhu Akbar; Allâh is the Most Great] for having guided you so that you may be grateful to Him.”
When Allah wanted facilitation for us he ordered us to fast so that we would get rewarded.
If we go back to shafaa (intercession), we can say that it existed since the era of Adam (AS). There were many mediators, topped by Muhammad! The word “shafaa” is derived from the word “shaf’” that occurs in the Holy Qura’n at the beginning of Sûrat Al-Fajr: “By the dawn; By the ten nights (i.e. the first ten days of the month of Dhul-Hijjah), And by the even and the odd (of all the creations of Allâh).” “Shaf’“ means “even” which is the opposite of “watr” which means “odd”. For example, if a debtor goes Alone to meet the creditor to ask him for a new deadline to pay his debt, the creditor will send him away. To avoid this, he will take with him a mediator, thus they become two persons (even), which means that the one (Watr), is interceded taking with him a mediator (they become two persons, i.e. shaf’).
The intercession process requires the following parties: the mediator (shafi’), the one who benefits from this intercession (mashfou’ lahou), the one who receives the intercession and the thing for which intercession is needed. There is a difference between the worldly intercession and that of the Hereafter. The first one is achieved on the basis of religion while the second one depends entirely on the mercy of Allah (SWT). Good deeds also can intercede for people, as well as the Holy Qur’an and fasting; the Prophet (PBUH) said: “Qur’an intercedes for his reciter saying: “I prevented him from sleeping at night so let me intercede for him”, and fasting says: “ I prevented him from eating, talking and enjoying himself so let me intercede for him”; and they both intercede for him.” It is important to understand that the Prophet’s intercession is not set for an adulterer or a thief. Yet, we cannot deny that the Prophet (PBUH) will intercede for them. But, before this type of intercession there is a much greater intercession: it is when the Prophet (PBUH) intercedes for all the people on the Day of Judgment so that Allah would agree to start the judgment! Finally, I hope that Allah (SWT) will guide those who take the responsibility of guiding this nation.
At the end of this episode Sheikh Amr Atteya said a Dua’ (supplication): “Praise be to Allah who guided us to this (felicity): never could we have found guidance, had it not been for Allah. Praise be to Allah Who has sent His Messenger as a witness, a herald, a precursor, and a preacher, with the bright lantern of guidance and the Religion of Truth, spreading its light. Peace be upon Muhammad, Allah’s slave, the illiterate messenger and prophet. Peace be upon his people, relatives, companions, wives, and offspring. O Allah! Grant Your peace and blessings to Muhammad and his people as You granted Ibrahim and his people. O Allah! You are the Most Praised, the Most Glorified”! We bear witness that our Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) delivered the message, settled the trust, advised his nation and took away our sorrows and gloom. O Allah! Reward him with the best rewards You have ever granted a messenger and a prophet. O Allah! Grant him the good high rank You promised him. O Allah! Deprive us not of his intercession and gather us with him in Paradise (Al-Firdaws) (the best place in paradise). O Allah! Grant Your peace and blessings to Muhammad and all his people and companions.
The episode was aired 16th May, 2004.