[FOURTH]: In the fourth statement, Allaah, the Most High, said:


Who is it that can interceded with Him except with His Permission?

The word “Who” is an interrogative noun[1][46] and the intended use of the interrogation in the sentence is to assert the negation [that there is none who can intercede] as evident in the affirmation phrase which followed it: “Except with His Permission.” Whenever a negation takes the form of an interrogative construct, then the statement is infused with the meaning of challenge.

The Intercession (Ash-Shafaa’ah):

Regarding the saying of Allaah, the Most High: “Intercedes,” know that:

1 . Linguistically, the term “shafaa’ah” means to make an odd number an even one.[2][47]

2 . Traditionally, it refers to the laying of a petition (interceding, mediating) with someone in favor of another, in procuring a benefit or warding off a harm. Thus the shafaa’ah of the Prophet (r) for ahlul-mawqif[3][48] after the worry and distress which befalls them and which they are unable to bear is an intercession to ward off a harm. On the other hand, the Prophet’s shafaa’ah for ahlul-Jannah[4][49] to enter al-Jannah is aimed at procuring a benefit.
3. None can intercede except by Allaah’s Permission:
His Leave is kawni.[5][50] Even Muhammad (r) who has the greatest rank with Allaah cannot intercede except with the prior leave from Allaah. He will be granted this permission after he (r) prostrates before Allaah and praises Him with the great praises and glorifications which Allaah guides him to it on that day. Then it will be said:

“Raise your head and speak; you will be listened to, intercede and your intercession will be accepted.”[6][51]

[It is known] that no one have a rank with Allaah greater than that of the Messenger [Muhammad r], nevertheless, he (r) cannot intercede except with the prior leave of Allaah. It is so because of Allaah, Most Majestic and Most High’s, perfection of Authority and hayybah.[7][52] The more a king’s authority becomes fully established, the more reverent and respected he becomes. People would not even speak in his court unless he speaks. Consider the Prophet’s (r) relation with his companions and which Quraysh’s[8][53] emissary [‘Urwah bin Mas’oud] described [after finalizing the treaty of Al-Hudaybiyah]:

"And when they spoke to him they would lower their voices."[9][54]

All of this is out of respect. You find that if a king is revered by his flock then no one can speak in his court and in his presence because of the might of his authority.[10][55]

[The Conditions of Confirmed Intercession]: [11][56]
Allaah, U, has made it clear that He does not permit intercession except for the one whom He approves of and whose word is acceptable to Him, and for the one He is pleased with and on whose behalf intercession shall be made. It is inevitable that Allaah is pleased with ash-shaafi’, the intercessor, and al-mashfoo’i lahu, the one on whose behalf intercession is sought.[12][57] Consequently, the idols of the polytheists could not intercede on their behalf with Allaah because Allaah does not approve of them. The Prophets and the righteous do not intercede on behalf of the polytheists because the latter are not approved with Allaah.

Accordingly, the conditions for the confirmed shafaa’ah are three:

1. Allaah’s permission of it.
2. Allaah being pleased with the shaafi’.
3. His approval of the one on whose behalf intercession is sought (al-mashfoo’i lahu).[13][58]
[Five]: Then Allaah U Said in the Fifth Statement:


And Allaah Knows what happens to them (His creatures) in this world, and what will happen to them in the Hereafter.

Knowledge, according to the scholars of usool (the fundamental principles of deen), is the definitive comprehension of a thing in conformity with its true nature. Thus, the lack of comprehension is ignorance, the indecisive comprehension is doubt, and the assertive comprehension which does not concur with reality is compounded ignorance.

For example, if you were asked, “When did the expedition of Badr[14][59] take place?” And you say, “I do not know,” then this is ignorance. If you were asked the same question and you said, “It happened in the second or the third year of hijrah,” then this is doubt.[15][60] And if your answer to the same question was, “The fifth year,” then this is compounded ignorance.[16][61] Allaah, the Most Mighty and Most Majestic, knows things comprehensively and with perfection, on the whole and in detail. His knowledge is unlike the knowledge of ‘ibaad. That is why He said:

And Allaah knows what happens to them [the creatures] in the future and what happened to them in the past.[17][62] The conjunctive noun { ما } is a form of generalization (gram.) which comprises everything be it small or great, or whether it is from the actions of Allaah or from the creatures’ deeds. Knowing what happens to them in the future implies that Allaah U is not unaware of the future, and that His knowledge of the past necessitates that He does not forget the past. That is why when Fir’awn said to Mûsa u:


“What about the generations of the old?”
[Qur’aan, Soorat Taaha (20:51)].

Mûsa u replied:


The knowledge thereof is with my Rabb, in a Record. My Rabb is neither unaware nor He forgets.
[Qur’aan, Soorat Taaha (20:52)].
This means that Allaah I is neither unaware of the future nor does He forget the past.

[Six]: In the sixth statement, Allaah تعالى said:


And they will never compass anything of His Knowledge except that which He wills.

The pronoun of the verb “compass” refers to either all that is in the heavens and the earth or to the letter haa’ in Allaah’s saying: “what happens to them [the creatures] in the future and what happened to them in the past.” In the latter case, the meaning would be “Those who Allaah knows what happens to them in the future and what happened to them in the past, will never compass anything of His Knowledge except that which He Wills.”

In this statement Allaah I makes clear the perfection of His knowledge and the imperfection of the creature’s knowledge. And thus He U compares His Attributes to that of His ‘ibaad in order that His perfection and the imperfection of the creatures become clearly evident. This is also clear in His saying:


Whatsoever on it (the earth) will perish. And the Face of your Rabb, full of Majesty and Honour will abide forever.
[Qur’aan, Soorat Ar-Rahmaan (55:26-27)].

As far as the word‘ilm (knowledge) in His saying: “His Knowledge,” it is an infinitive (verbal noun) denoting either (a) the ‘ilm of His thaat (Essence) and sifaat (Attributes), or (b) His ma’loom (What Allaah Knows). Accordingly, the meaning of the aayah:
And they will never compass anything of His Knowledge except that which He wills, means either (a) that we do not know anything about Allaah, His thaat, and His sifaat except that which He willed for us to know, or (b) that we do not know of what Allaah knows except that which He willed to be known. The aayah implies both meanings, and both are correct since we do not know of Allaah’s thaat or sifaat except that which He willed for us to know. Indeed, He is the One Who made it known to us that He ascended upon the ‘arsh (Throne); and He is the One Who taught us on the tongue of His Messenger [Muhammad r] that He descends to the lowest heaven [in the last third of the night]; and this is the case with the rest of His sifaat: We have no knowledge of them except that He wills. Similarly what Allaah knows regarding what is in the heavens and what is on the earth, our knowledge thereof is restricted to that which He willed for us to know. After all, He is the One Who informed us of the existence of the angels in the heavens and that there are seven heavens. So it is with respect to the rest of what Allaah knows, we are aware of that which He willed for us to know. Even that which He has made known, many of us are unaware of it; the knowledge thereof are attained only if He wills. In the human being, there are many things which people [i.e. scientists] are not yet fully aware of. They gradually attained the knowledge which they knew not before.
So the aayah comprises both of the meanings discussed above. Thus we do not know anything of what Allaah knows even that which concerns ourselves except that which He wills, and that we do not compass anything about Allaah’s thaat and sifaat except that which He wills. Therefore, whatever Allaah wills for His creatures to know, whether in relation to His thaat, sifaat, asmaa’ (Names), or Actions; or with respect to His creation or His legal ways which He revealed to His Messengers, then He I will make it known for them.
[1][46]In the grammatical sense the noun { مَنْ } is the subject, and the term { ذا } is omitted for being redundant. The term { الذي } “he that”is a relative pronoun standing as the predicate of the subject { مَنْ } “Who”. [Author’s note]
[2][47]Allaah I said: { والشَّفْعِ والوَتْرِ },[which means], And by the shaf’a (even) and the witr (odd) [of all the creations of Allaah]. [Qur’aan Soorat Al-Fajr (89:3)].
[3][48]Ahlul-Mawqif: All human beings gathered on one plane on the Day of Resurrection awaiting their accounts to be taken by Allaah. The Prophet (r) said, “The sun will come so close to the people that they will suffer such distress and trouble as they will not be able to tolerate it or to bear it.” The Prophet (r) intercedes with Allaah to pronounce His Judgment among the people of al-mawqif. They will be relieved from their long standing by virtue of his interceding with Allaah on their behalf. [See Saheeh Al-Bukhaari (Arabic/English)], vol. 6, no. 236.
[4][49]Ahlul-Jannah: The believers who will be admitted to reside forever in al-Jannah.
[5][50]Kawni: Pertaining to the Universal Will of Allaah, the Most Majestic and Most Magnificent, and which is in accordance with His Foreknowledge and Wisdom. Creation, provisions, life, death, permission to intercede, and so forth exist by the Will of Allaah. Everything which Allaah Wills is certain to occur. He Willed that eemaan (belief in Allaah) and kufr (disbelief) occur, although He Loves eemaan and Hates kufr. On the other hand, the Legislative Decree (al-hukm ash-shar’i) comprises the Revealed Laws (sharee’ah) which the Messengers came with and what is stated in the Revealed Scriptures. Under this Decree, Allaah Loves that mankind believe in Him (eemaan) and does not Love for them to commit kufr. Mankind, however, may or may not believe in Allaah. In short, under His Universal Will, everything Allaah Wills is certain to pass while under the Legislative Will, what is beloved to Allaah may or may not take place.
[6][51]Part of a long and agreed upon hadeeth. [See Saheeh Al-Bukhaari (Arabic/ English)], vol. 6, no. 3 and no. 236.
[7][52]Hayybah: An attribute inspiring reverence, or veneration.
[8][53]Quraysh is the tribe of the Prophet Muhammad (r).
[9][54]This is part of a long hadeeth detailing the story of the treaty of Al-Hudaybiyah. [See Saheeh Al-Bukhaari ‎(Arabic/English)], vol. 3, no. 891.
[10][55]Kings are in need of intercessors because of the imperfection of their knowledge, might and authority. Allaah, Most Perfect in His Might, Knowledge, and Authority, is in no need for intercessors. That is why intercession with Allaah takes place only if He permits it. With kings, however, intercession is permitted with or without a king’s permission. Those close to the king, for example, may intercede without permission. [See Shaykh ibn ‘Uthaymeen’s Al-Qawlul Mufeed ‘Alaa Kitaabit-Tawheed (Riyaadh, Saudi Arabia: Daarul ‘Aasimah, 1st ed. 1415/1994)], vol. 1, p. 330, 332.
[11][56]The intercessions permitted by Allaah تعالى are six. The Prophet (r) will have the privilege of making three of these intercessions. They are:
1. The Prophet’s intercession for ahlul-mawqif. This is known as the Prophet’s greatest shafaa’ah and it is part of the highest station of praise and honour (al-maqaam al-mahmood) with which the Prophet (r) is distinguished, and for which he will be praised by all creatures. It is mentioned in the Qur’aan [17:78].
2. The Prophet’s intercession for ahlul-Jannah to enter al-Jannah.
3. The Prophet’s (r) intercession with Allaah تعالى to reduce the punishment of his uncle, Abu Taalib because of his protection and support of the Prophet (r). He will be placed in a shallow part of Hell-Fire.
The other intercessions are not restricted to the Prophet Muhammad (r). They include:
4. The Prophet’s intercession with Allaah تعالى that He does not cast into Hell the one who deserves it.
5. His intercession of taking out from Hell those admitted to it as a result of their sins.
6. The intercession to raise the ranks of the believers. This is the du’aa of the Prophet (r) to believers and by the believers for each other. [See (1) Shaykh ‘Abdul ‘Azeez bin Baaz’s commentary on Shaykh-ul Islaam ibn Taymeeyah’s Al-’Aqeedah Al-Waasitiyyah which Shaykh ‘Ali Hasan ‘Abdul Hameed compiled in his verification of Shaykh ‘Abdur-Rahmaan As-Sa’di’s book At-Tanbeehaat Al-lateefah ‘Ala Al-Waasitiyyah (Dammaam, Saudi Arabia: Daar ibnul Qayyim, 1409/1989), p. 73, and (2) Shaykh ibn ‘Uthaymeen’s Al-Qawlul-Mufeed, pp. 332-335].
The intercessions mentioned above are the ones which are approved by Allaah I. The annulled intercession is any intercession which is not approved by Allaah U.
[12][57]The conditions are stated in the following aayaat:
1. Allaah I says:
{ مَنْ ذا الَّذي يَشْفَعُ عِنْدَهُ إلاَّ بإذُنِهِ } [البقرة، 255]
Who is he that will intercede with Him except by His permission.
[Qur’aan, Soorat Al-Baqarah (2:255)].

2. Allaah I says:
{ يَومَئِذٍ لا تَنْفَعُ الشَّفاعَةُ إلاَّ مَنْ أَذِنَ لَهُ الرَّحمن وَرَضِيَ لَهُ قَولا } [طه، 109]

On that day no intercession shall avail, except the one for whom
ar-Rahmaan has given permission and whose word is acceptable to Him. [Qur’aan, Soorat Taaha (20:109)].

3. Allaah I says:
{ وَلاَ يَشْفَعُونَ إلاَّ لِمَنِ ارتَضَى } [الأنبياء، 28]
And they cannot intercede except for him with whom He is pleased. [Qur’aan, Soorat Al-Anbiyaa’ (21:28)].

[13][58]The case of intercession on behalf of the Prophet’s uncle, Abu Taalib, is excluded and in a very limited sense from the ruling stated in Allaah’s saying:
{ فمَا تنْفَعُهُم شَفَاعَةُ الشَافِعِين } [المدَّثر،48]
No intercession of intercessors will be of any use to them [unbelievers, polytheists]. [Qur’aan, Soorat Al-Muddathir (74:48)].
Abu Taalib stood in support of the Prophet (r) and protected him from his enemies of Quraysh. The intercession on behalf of Abu Taalib is special for the Prophet (r). Other than this special intercession, none is allowed to intercede for a kaafir. Even Abu Taalib is not saved from the Fire of Hell. Had it not been for the intercession of the Prophet (r), Abu Taalib “would have been in the bottom of the (Hell) Fire,” as the Prophet (r) said. “Perhaps my intercession will be helpful to him on the Day of Resurrection so that he may be put in a shallow fire reaching only up to his ankles with which his brain will boil,” he (r) added. [See Saheeh Al-Bukhaari, vol. 5, no. 222 and no. 224, and Shaykh ibn ‘Uthaymeen’s Al-Qawlul Mufeed, vol. 1, p. 334].
[14][59]The Battle of Badr occurred between the army of the believers lead by Prophet Muhammad (r) and the polytheists of Quarysh and it took place on the 17th of Ramadaan of the second year of Hijrah.
[15][60]Because you give another answer which you think has the same possibility of being the truth.
[16][61]This is known as al-jahlul-murakkab, which is to comprehend something in a way contrary to its true reality. [See Shaykh ibn ‘Uthaymeen’s Sharh Thalaathat Al-Usool (Burmingham, UK: Al-Hidaayah Publication, 1st ed. 1418/1997)], p. 37.
[17][62]This is one of the meanings of this great aayah. It signifies that Allaah’s knowledge encompasses everything in the past, present, and the future; nothing escapes Allaah’s knowledge.
Note: One of the Names of Allaah U is العليم al-'Aleem: The One Who knows what has been and what will be; Who ever has known, and ever will know, what has been and what will be; His knowledge comprehends all things, the covert and the overt, the small thereof and the great, the possible and the impossible, the lofty and lower spheres, etc. in the most complete manner. Nothing is concealed from Him in the earth or in the heavens. [See Shaykh as-Sa’dee’s Tayseer Al-Kareem Ar-Rahmaan fi Tafseeri Kalaamil-Mannaan [‘Unayzah, Saudi Arabia: Saalih bin Saalih Center Publish. 1412/1992)], vol. 5, p. 299.