The term intercession has...

The term intercession has, presumably been used in such conditions because the guilty person does not deserve forgiveness without such help, as indeed the servant does not deserve reward; however, the association of an intercessor’s request makes them deserving.

In usual situations, the reason why one accepts the request of an intercessor is to avoid him becoming annoyed; this might, in turn, cause one to be deprived from the pleasures of the intercessor’s companionship or services, or it might even cause harm from the side of intercessor.

The dualists, who associate human characteristics such as the need for companionship with a spouse, maids, friends, and colleagues, or fear from one’s partners and mates, present their requests to their imaginary gods to attract God’s attention or to protect them from His anger. They also worshipped Angels and Jinn or bowed down before idols and statues and said: These are our intercessors with God.

(Yūnus:18, see also: al-Rūm:13, al-An’ām:94, al-Zumar:44) Or they said: “We only worship them so that they may bring us near to Allah” (al- Zumar:3).

The Holy Qur’an in rejecting such ignorant ideas maintains: “It shall not have any guardian besides Allah, nor any intercessor” (al-An’ām:70, see also: al- An’ām :51, al-Sajdah:4, al-Zumar:4) Nevertheless, rejecting such intercessors or intercession does not mean the total rejection of intercession, as there are verses in the Holy Qur’an, which prove that ‘God permits intercession’. There are also some verses, which state the conditions for the intercessors aswell as the subjects of intercession.

The Holy Qur’an maintains that acceptance of the intercessors’ request is not due to fright or need, rather it is a gate God Himself has opened for those who have the least merit for receiving His eternal mercy; He has nevertheless, identified some conditions and limitations for such intercession.

Therefore, the difference between belief in true intercession and in the false one is the same as the difference between management and political authority by God’s permission, and management and political authority independent from Him is discussed in the section on monotheism (See lesson 16). The word intercession is sometimes used in a more general term including the representation of any pleasurable effect in an individual’s life initiated by a third party.