Concerning those who do not offer prayers and deny the Day of Resurrection...

Concerning those who do not offer prayers and deny the Day of Resurrection, the Qur’an states: "فما تنفعهم شفعة الشفعين." “So the intercession of the intercessors will not avail them.” [^4] And regarding the wrongdoers, it says: "ما للظالمين من حميم ولا شفيع يُطاع." “The wrongdoers will have no sympathizer, nor any intercessor who might be heard.” [^5] The philosophy of shafa‘ah Shafa‘ah {intercession}, like tawbah {repentance}, is a gleam source of hope for those who can abandon their sins in the midway of deviation and sin, and spend the rest of their life in obedience to God; for, whenever a sinful person feels that he or she can, under limited circumstances (not any circumstances), attain the intercession of the intercessor, he or she will try to keep to this limit and not go any further.

The outcome of shafa‘ah Different views are shown by exegetes on whether the outcome of intercession is forgiveness of sins or elevation of one’s station, but the following saying of the Prophet (S): "إن شفاعتي يوم القيامة لأهل الكبائر من أمتي." “My intercession on the Day of Resurrection is granted to those from my ummah who have committed major sins”[^6] highlights the first view. [^1]: Musnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal, vol. 1, p. 301; Sahih al-Bukhari (Egypt), vol. 1, p. 91. [^2]: Surah Maryam 19:87.

[^3]: Surah Ta Ha 20:109. [^4]: Surah al-Muddaththir 74:48. [^5]: Surah al-Ghafir (or al-Mu’min) 40:18. [^6]: Sunan Ibn Majah, vol. 2, p. 583; Musnad Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, vol. 3, p. 213; Sunan Ibn Dawud, vol. 2, p. 537; Sunan at-Tirmidhi, vol. 4, p. 45. Previous…