What is Intercession? | Repentance with a Spiritual Guide in the Qur'ân | The Forgiveness of Sins

The Realization of Intercession in An-Nisa 64

Allah Almighty sets forth the issue of intercession in an extremely clear manner in the 64th verse of Surah An-Nisa:

4/AN-NISA-64: And We did not send any messenger except for the purpose that he should be obeyed by the permission of Allah. And if they, when they had wronged their own souls (nafs), had come to you and asked for Forgiveness from Allah, and the Messenger had asked for Forgiveness for them, they would have surely found Allah to be the One who accepts repentance and is the Merciful.

The design in the verse is clear: If those who wronged their souls (nafs) had come to the Messenger and repented in his presence, and if the Messenger had requested the forgiveness of their sins, Allah Almighty would have accepted both requests. The Companions followed this path; they repented in the presence of the spiritual guide for the forgiveness of all their sins, and Our Master the Prophet (PBUH) requested the forgiveness of their sins. Thus, the institution of intercession was realized in practice.

The essence of intercession is not merely the forgiveness of sins; it is to be forgiven once more after being forgiven, that is, the conversion of sins into rewards.

The Institution of Forgiveness: The Conversion of Sins into Rewards

Allah Almighty uses the word Forgiveness (maghfirah) not as a synonym for repentance, but in the sense of the conversion of sins into rewards. This distinction is clearly seen in the 7th verse of Surah Ghafir (Mu'min):

40/GHAFIR (AL-MU'MIN)-7: The bearer angels of the throne and those around it glorify their Lord with praise and believe in Him. And they ask for Forgiveness (from Allah) for those who are amenu (those who wish to reach Allah): "Our Lord, You have encompassed everything with mercy and knowledge. So, grant Forgiveness to those who repent (in the presence of the spiritual guide) and follow Your path. Protect them from the torment of hell!"

The bearer angels of the throne and the imam of the time ask for Forgiveness from Allah Almighty for the servants who repent in the presence of the spiritual guide and enter the Sirat al-Mustaqim. The 70th verse of Surah Al-Furqan explains the result of this process:

25/AL-FURQAN-70: Except for those who repent (in the presence of their spiritual guide), become a Believer, and perform righteous deeds (that reform the soul (nafs)), then for them, Allah converts their sinful deeds into good deeds (spiritual rewards). And Allah is Ghafur (the One who converts sins into rewards), Rahim (the One who sends the light of mercy).

In Al-Furqan 71, it is stated that those who repent in the presence of the spiritual guide set their spirits on the path toward Allah, and their spirits reach Allah with their repentance accepted.

Intercession Does Not Benefit on the Day of Judgment

The belief that intercession will take place on the day of judgment contradicts the clear declarations of the Qur'ân. Allah Almighty decrees as follows in the 123rd verse of Surah Al-Baqarah:

2/AL-BAQARAH-123: And fear a day when no one will pay for another, and no ransom (price) will be accepted from them, and intercession will not benefit them, and they will not be helped.

Allah Almighty says for the day of judgment that "intercession will not benefit." Our Master the Prophet (PBUH) also decreed, "My intercession is the intercession I made for the Companions years ago." Therefore, it is understood that intercession does not take place on the day of judgment, but in this world, through repentance made in the presence of the spiritual guide. Hadiths that contradict the Qur'ân are not true, in the words of Our Master the Prophet himself.

Repentance in the Presence of the Spiritual Guide and the Spirit's Reaching Allah

The nature of the repentance made in the presence of the spiritual guide is revealed by the 38th and 39th verses of Surah An-Naba:

78/AN-NABA-38: On that day, the spirit (the spirit of the imam of the time) and the (bearer angels of the throne) will stand in rows. No one can speak except him whom the Rahman has permitted. And (the one permitted) has spoken only the truth.

78/AN-NABA-39: That day (the day when the hand of the spiritual guide is kissed to reach the Truth and one follows him) is the day of Truth. Whoever wishes (whoever wishes to reach Allah) takes the Sirat al-Mustaqim that leads him to his Lord as his path.

A murid is a person who wishes to reach Allah. Because what they say while repenting in the presence of the spiritual guide matches what they do, Allah Almighty accepts them as having "spoken the truth." Allah Almighty decrees in the 32nd verse of Surah Qaf:

50/QAF-32: This is what you were promised (paradise). For every awwab (one whose spirit has reached Allah and taken shelter) and hafiz (one whose head has been reached by the spirit of the imam of the time).

Paradise is promised to the pious who are awwab and hafiz. Awwab means a person who has taken shelter in the Shelter (ma'ab); it is the person whose spirit has reached Allah and for whom the Essence of Allah is a shelter.

The Writing of Faith into the Heart and Becoming a Believer

Before a person reaches their spiritual guide, Allah Almighty performs four operations in their heart: He removes the ekinnah (covering) from their heart, places ikhbat (divinely granted cognition) in its place, turns their heart's gate of light toward Allah, and opens a path of light from their chest to their heart. The 125th verse of Surah Al-An'am expresses this truth:

6/AL-AN'AM-125: So whoever Allah wishes to reach to Himself, He expands his chest and opens it to surrender (Islam). And whoever He wishes to leave in darkness (misguidance), He makes his chest narrow and constricted as if he were climbing into the sky.

The expansion of the chest and the entry of lights into the heart are the same thing. The 22nd verse of Surah Az-Zumar reinforces this connection: a person whose chest is expanded for Islam is upon a light from their Lord.

When a person reaches their spiritual guide, Allah Almighty removes the writing of disbelief from their heart and writes the writing of faith in its place. In the 40th verse of Surah Ghafir (Mu'min), Allah Almighty decrees: "Whoever becomes a Believer, I will surely admit them into My paradise and provide them with sustenance without measure." In the 257th verse of Surah Al-Baqarah, this truth is summarized as follows:

2/AL-BAQARAH-257: Allah is the friend of those who are amenu (those who wish to reach Allah); He brings them (the hearts of their souls (nafs)) out of darkness into light. And the friends of the disbelievers are taghut (human and jinn devils); they bring them out of light into darkness. Those are the companions of the fire. They will abide therein eternally.

The person who reaches their spiritual guide has severed their connection with taghut and has become a friend of Allah Almighty. Allah Almighty, in turn, brings the heart of this person out of darkness into light. It is clearly stated in the Surahs of Al-Hijr and Sad that satan cannot influence anyone who has reached the station of sincerity (ikhlas): Allah Almighty has limited the powers of Iblis and kept His muhlis (utterly sincere) servants outside this limit.

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