Will the Holy Prophet ﷺ intercede for pious and sinful Muslims or only the pious?
Quran
Hadith
Islamic Text
The Holy Prophet ﷺ will intercede for sinful Muslims too.
عَنْ أَنَسٍ، قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: شَفَاعَتِي لِأَهْلِ الكَبَائِرِ مِنْ أُمَّتِي. هَذَا حَدِيثٌ حَسَنٌ صَحِيحٌ غَرِيبٌ مِنْ هَذَا الوَجْهِ
Anas said, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, ‘My intercession is for the people of Kabaair (major sins) from my Ummah.’ (Tirmidhi 2435, Hasan Sahih).
The authentic Hadith above makes it clear that the intercession of the Prophet ﷺ will include the people of Kabaair (major sins). Therefore, it is not acceptable to deny such a fact. However, it should be noted that the Holy Prophet ﷺ will intercede many times and will be given different types of intercession. These various types of intercession will be applicable to different groups, it is best to study this issue in detail from the books of Aqeedah to gain a more detailed understanding.
واختلفوا في شفاعة رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم هل هي لأهل الكبائر؟ فأنكرت المعتزلة ذلك وقالت بإبطاله. وقال بعضهم الشفاعة من النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم للمؤمنين أن يزادوا في منازلهم من باب التفضيل. وقال “أهل السنة والاستقامة” بشفاعة رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم لأهل الكبائر من أمته
And they differed over the issue of Shafa’ah (intercession) of the Prophet ﷺ, is it for the people of Kabaair (major sins)? The Mu’tazilah rejected it and considered it baseless. Some of them said the Shafa’ah of the Prophet ﷺ is for the believers in order to raise them in ranks due to virtue. The people of Sunnah and uprightness believed that Shafa’ah is valid for the people of Kabair (major sins). (Imam al-Ashari, Maqalaat al-Islamieen).
As we see in the Nass (text) above, there were groups that did not accept the concept of intercession for people who commit major sins. However, the Ahl Sunnah opposed this view due to evidence found in the Sunnah.
And Allah (Most High) Knows Best.
– Answered by Shaykh Noorud-deen Rashid (16.08.2021)
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