Tajdeed

Sunni Doctrine of Shafa’a & Salvation for Evildoers

Introduction

The doctrine of the Prophet Muhammad’s intercession, mediation and negotiation saving the Muslims on the Day of Judgement is a vital doctrinal belief for the majority of Muslim schools, such as the Ash’aris, Maturidis & Atharis. If this doctrine is textually proven, then surely it is a fundamental part of the Islamic faith due to the strong impact it has on Judgement Day. These mentioned groups who have endorsed this view are united under the denomination called Ahlul Sunnat wal-Jama’a.

In contrast to this belief, the Mu’tazilite school known as Ahl al-adl wa-Tawhid (The People of Justice & Monotheism), the Ibadis & the Zaydi Shi’a argue that salvation is only attained through the correct creed, the fulfilment of the prescribed obligatory good deeds and by abstaining from the immorality and major sins that the Qur’an threatened hellfire with.

The comparison of the differing doctrines will show that although the mainstream view of Shafa’a (intercession) is similar to the Christian doctrine of Christ’s atonement, the prophets being intermediaries for the salvation of believers is absent in the Qur’an, hence why the Qur’an-centric methodology of the Mu’tazilites, Zaydis and Ibadis reject this belief.

Hadith Regarding Intercession for Major Sinners

To reconcile the doctrine of Shafa’a with the Qur’an, the mainstream Sunnis such as the Maturidis, Ash`ārītes & Hanbalis contend that the intercession is not for the disbelievers but for the believing grave sinners, as the hadith mentions (Muttaqin, Buckley and Karimullah, n.d.). There are countless Hadith reports about this important subject of salvation & exiting the hellfire through the Shafa’a (intercession) of the Prophet Muhammad.

The textual proofs to substantiate this doctrine is seen in the Hadith literature, the famous hadith says:

1. InJami` al-Tirmidhi 2435, Book 37, Hadith 21, Vol. 4, Book 11, Hadith 2435,

Anas narrated that the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w) said: “My intercession is for the people who committed the major sins in my Ummah.”  (Muḥammad Ibn ʻīsá Tirmidhī, 1963)

• InSahih al-Bukhari 6558, Book 81, Hadith 147, Vol. 8, Book 76, Hadith 563, another Hadith documented describes the eschatological event in a very strange way. It was narrated Hammad from `Amr from Jabir: The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “Some people will come out of the Fire through intercession looking like The Thaarir.” I asked `Amr, “What is the Thaarir?” He said, Ad Dagh`Abis, and at that time he was toothless. Hammad added: I said to `Amr bin Dinar, “O Abu Muhammad! Did you hear Jabir bin `Abdullah saying, ‘I heard the Prophet (ﷺ) saying: ‘Some people will come out of the Fire through intercession?” He said, “Yes”. (Muḥammad Ibn Ismāʻīl Bukhārī, 1966)

• The two famous Sahih works, Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 7439, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 183 also narrated that Abu Sa’id al-Khudri reported: The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “By the One in whose hand is my soul, none among you are more fervent to claim a right from Allah on the Day of Resurrection than the believers on behalf of their brothers in the Hellfire. They will say: Our Lord, they fasted, prayed, and performed pilgrimage with us! It will be said to them: Take out those whom you recognize. Thus, the Hellfire is forbidden for their bodies and they will take out many people.” (Muḥammad Ibn Ismāʻīl Bukhārī, 1966) (Muslim, 2016)

• Similarly, in Sunan Abi Dawud 3116, Book 21, Hadith 28, Book 20, Hadith 3110, it is

narrated that Mu’adh bin Jabal relayed: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) as saying: If anyone’s last words are “There is no god but Allah” he will enter Paradise. (Sulayman Ibn Al-Ash`Ath Al-Sijistani Abu Da’ud and Hasan, 2000)

• Likewise, once again in the work Jami` al-Tirmidhi 2593, in Book 39, Hadith 21, Vol. 4, and Book 13, Hadith 2593, it is said that Anas related that the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w) said – Hisham (one of the narrators) narrated it: “Some will exit the Fire,” Shu`bah (another narrator) narrated it: ‘Remove from the Fire whoever said La ilaha illallah and had good in his heart equal to the weight of a grain of barley. Remove from the Fire anyone who said La Ilaha illallah and had good in his heart equal to the weight of a grain of wheat. Remove from the Fire anyone who said La ilaha illallah and had good in his heart equal to the weight of a speck.” And Shubah said: “What is equal to the weight of a light piece of corn.”  (Muḥammad Ibn ʻīsá Tirmidhī, 1963)

• Finally, in Sahih al-Bukhari 22, in Book 2, Hadith 15, Vol. 1, and Book 2, Hadith 22, it is narrated that Abu Said Al-Khudri said: The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “When the people of Paradise will enter Paradise and the people of Hell will go to Hell, Allah will order those who have had faith equal to the weight of a grain of mustard seed to be taken out from Hell. So, they will be taken out but (by then) they will be blackened (charred). Then they will be put in the river of Haya’ (rain) or Hayat (life) (the Narrator is in doubt as to which is the right term), and they will revive like a grain that grows near the bank of a flood channel. Don’t you see that it comes out yellow and twisted?”. (Muḥammad Ibn Ismāʻīl Bukhārī, 1966)

As seen, there are countless reports about the Muslims eventually leaving the hellfire and being entered into paradise due to intercession. These reports will be compared with the statements of the Qur’an regrading salvation, intercession and the duration of the hellfire.

The Qur’an & Intercession

In contrast to this opinion espoused by the Hadith literature, Surah 2:48 of the Qur’an indisputably mentions that no soul will be able to help another, and intercession will not be accepted. The verse reads: Guard yourselves against the Day on which no soul will be of help to another. No intercession will be accepted, no ransom taken, and no help will be given.

The clarity of this verse is self-evident, consequently, the doctrine of salvation via intercession of prophets and or angels is explicitly negated in this particular Qur’anic verse.

The theme of this verse is that Allah, the Creator is the only entity that judges, rewards, punishments, forgives and grants salvation. The key phrase in this verse is “no soul will be able to help another” which means that there is no exception to this for prophets to intercede and help other believers from hellfire because the wording, “no soul” is an unconditional, unrestrictive & absolute phrase which denotes that it cannot be restricted. Therefore, this is an indication that the concept of intercession is misunderstood by mainstream Muslims.

It is important to note that the mainstream conception of intercession is that the Prophet Muhammad intercedes and asks forgiveness for those who are under the judgement of God, deserving of punishment due to being unrepentant major sinners who did not repent.

Can the Prophet Render Divine Judgement?

In response to the belief of intercession, Surah 9:80 states that even if the Prophet asked forgiveness for the disbelievers seventy times, Allah will still not forgive them due to their rebellious disbelief. Despite 65:5 showing the supplication of the Prophet as a blessing, 9:80 proves that supplications, pleas and requests of prophets are also rejected at times. Although, it will be contended that these verses only refer to the disbelievers, it can be seen that the reason behind the rejection of the requests will be due to those criminals deserving of eternal punishment according to the ultimate judgement and justice of God Almighty.

In response to the belief of the Prophet saving Believers from Hellfire, Abul Hasan Al-Khayyath, one of the heads of the Mu’tazilite school, contends that Surah 39:19 substantiates that the Prophet cannot save anyone who is deserving of hell, and the verse doesn’t make any exceptions for Muslims (Arifin, 2019).

In Surah 39:19, the Qur’an harshly and strictly declares, what about those against whom the decree of torment has been justified? Is it you ˹O Prophet˺ who will then save those bound for the Fire? This verse is also unrestricted, which means that its meaning is extended. Hence why it is established that the one deserving of punishment will be punished by God regardless of what the Prophets, Messengers and the righteous demand & request for the damned ones. It is unequivocal from the various Qur’anic verses that no one has the right to intervene with the ultimate just judgement of the Divine because those damned individuals have earned punishments due to the repulsive deeds, they have continuously engaged in. Subsequently, the plea of intercessors will be insufficient because God’s justice will prevail against those who are engaged in evil and rebellion.

Conditions for Salvation

The question then arises, then how does one enter the paradise of God if this type of intercession is null? In relation to this, the Qur’an states: As for those whose scale is heavy ˹with good deeds˺, it is they who will be successful.

But those whose scale is light, they will have doomed themselves, staying in Hell forever. (Surah 23:102-104)

The clear inference of the verse is that God’s justice gives weight to the actions or deeds of the people, hence why grave sinners are not granted intercession and the one who gets punished will not exit it and then enter heaven (Janosik, n.d.). Instead, salvation is reached via good deeds and good actions outweighing sins.

If Allah is pleased with someone based on the believer’s actions, then the individual believer has already earned salvation because he has attained Divine pleasure. The Qur’an states, Indeed, the righteous will have salvation(78:31). The import of this verse is that when the beliefs, and actions of the Believers are right and their good deeds outweigh their bad deeds, then the individual will earn God’s pleasure and then be saved (Janosik, n.d.).

According to the apparent texts of the Qur’an, the matter of salvation is actually very clear, very easy to fathom and thus, in line with the innate intuition of the human being. The Qur’anic theme shows that as long as the individual struggles to sincerely commit good deeds, and refrain from oppression then with repentance and through God’s mercy, salvation is achieved without any intercession because the Creator forgives his servants without any intermediaries.

Regarding Divine judgement in general, the Qur’an relates: And Allah judges with the truth (Surah 40:20), the Divine judgement is based upon what is right.

Difference between Major & Minor Sins

One of the most important Qur’anic verses regarding salvation is seen in Surah 4:31, where it says: if you avoid the major sins forbidden to you, we will absolve you of your ˹lesser˺ misdeeds and admit you into a place of honour. (4:31).

The issue of minor sins is solved by the explanation of this verse, which implies that people will be held accountable for the main issues, such as the grave sins because minor sins will be forgiven if one strives to abstain from major filth and corruption prohibited by God (Sultan, 2011).

To better understand the reasoning or wisdom behind this verse, it is essential to assess Surah 53:32 which gives more detail on the subject: those who avoid major sins and shameful deeds, despite ˹stumbling on˺ minor sins. Surely your Lord is infinite in forgiveness. He knew well what would become of you as He created you from the earth and while you were ˹still˺ fetuses in the wombs of your mothers. So, do not ˹falsely˺ elevate yourselves. He knows best who is ˹truly˺ righteous. (53:32)

The verses teach that the one who strives to abstain from the major issues, such as major evil but instead only commits minor sin due to human negligence, forgetfulness and the natural human disposition to go towards desire and thus commit sin will be forgiven due to Divine grace. An indication of this understanding is seen from the phrase “He knew well what would become of you as He created you from the earth” which implies that the one who is created from earth is a physical, material and animalistic entity that has many shortcomings, desires and limitations which inevitably leads that creation to commit error and wrongdoing. Thus, due to this innate nature of the human being, the Creator who knows what he has created is overseeing of the minor wrong deeds of the creation.

To re-emphasise on the subject of rights and justice, the Qur’an shows that Allah shows justice when necessary, and mercy when it is not injustice to so. In return, Divine mercy and justice do not conflate with one another.

That is why the Qur’an says: As for those whose scale is heavy ˹with good deeds˺, it is they who will be successful. But those whose scale is light, they will have doomed themselves, staying in Hell forever (23:102-104)

Understanding these verses collectively is vital because generally speaking it is assumed by many that Allah is very harsh with minor sins yet allows people to eventually be saved from hellfire due to the Prophet’s intercession for the major sins. This reading seems counter-intuitive, and contradictory and the truth is that according to the texts, Allah oversees minor sins of a servant if he strives to do good and abstains from the major prohibitions and this covenant is the epitome of Divine justice.

Moreover, in contrast to the majority Sunni view, the Mu’tazilites & Zaydis highlight that the righteous do not need intercession for salvation because Divine justices entails that God rewards good, punishes evil and forgives those who deserve forgiveness due to sincere repentance, the avoidance of sin and the objective to become a righteous servant. This is coherent because verse 11:114 shows that good deeds wipe out the bad ones. (Knysh, n.d.)

The Qur’an says: Establish prayer ˹O Prophet˺ at both ends of the day and in the early part of the night. Surely good deeds wipe out bad deeds. That is a reminder for the mindful. (11:114)

This specific verse also further clarifies verseSurah 4:31 which informs the believers that they will be forgiven for their minor sins, if they avoid major sins. In actuality, what this means is that the one who strives to do good, be pious, act righteous, and abstain from filth will have their minor sins and mistakes overlooked by the Creator. The sins mentioned in these verses are referring to minor sins because 4:31 clarifies that minor sins are forgiven if one sincerely abstains from major sins.

Regarding evil, the Qur’an also informs the people: “Those who commit evil and are engrossed in sin will be the residents of the Fire. They will be there forever”. (2:81)

In this verse, major sin is equated with evil, so those sins which are mentioned with a Divine threat of hellfire in the Qur’an are those sins which are major.

Repentance according to the Qur’an

Then, some may ask, if Allah will punish the grave sinner or evildoer, then what is the solution for the major sinner who tries to amend his evil ways? The Qur’an answers this dilemma too. The verses say: Whoever among you commits evil ignorantly ˹or recklessly˺ then repents afterwards and mends their ways, then Allah is truly All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” (Surah 6:54)

It is understood that once a servant of God regrets the major sin he was engaged in, and then turns back from the filth & evil by committing himself to good, righteous deeds, then his repentance will be accepted, and he will earn salvation in the Hereafter.

It may be asked, is every repentance accepted? The answer to this is that the Qur’an demands proper repentance from major sin to fully be forgiven. True repentance is rectified by good actions and feeling remorse in one’s heart.  Thus, sincere intention and correct action have a strong correlation. The verse reads: However, repentance is not accepted from those who knowingly persist in sin until they start dying, and then cry, “Now I repent!” nor those who die as disbelievers. For them We have prepared a painful punishment. (Surah 4:18).

Therefore, repentance is the solution for salvation, not intercession but it is necessary for the repentance of the major sinner to be sincere.

Temporary Hell?

Some may contend that although the evil major sinners are threatened with hellfire, the Hadiths clarify that going to hellfire forever is solely for disbelievers or non-Muslims, and that the major sinners from the Muslims will eventually all go to heaven after they get punished in hell temporarily for their sins and this mercy for Muslims is supposedly due to them testifying to the truthfulness of the religion of God (i.e. Islam).

The truth is that the concept of going into hell temporarily and then being taken out of hellfire due to the intercession of the Prophet is a foreign concept to both the theme of the Qur’an and its clear verses. A key verse which affirms this fact is the ayah which reads: And they say, “Never will the Fire touch us, except for a few days.” Say, “Have you taken a covenant with Allah? For Allah will never break His covenant. Or do you say about Allah that which you do not know?” (2:80).

In this verse, it is seen that some Monotheists who ascribed to the Jewish faith, claimed that even if God punishes them for their crimes or major sins in hell, they will all eventually go to heaven at the end. As a result of this, the Qur’an criticises this worldview, and threatens them by asserting that they will actually be abiding in hell forever. It seems that the cause of this incorrect belief was due to their arrogance and ignorance, yet despite their ignorance they ascribed wrong statements to God which then results in attributing wrongdoing to the Creator. In relation to this mindset, the Qur’an says: And if you obey most of those upon the earth, they will mislead you from the way of Allah. They follow not except assumption/conjecture, and they are not but falsifying. (6:116)

Accordingly, the verse expresses that ascribing things to God based on conjecture is the root cause of misguidance.

Likewise, many Muslims attribute wrongdoing to God based on speculative hadith and it results them in abandoning the explicit verses of the established Divine Book (the Qur’an).

As a result, in response to this group who lie upon God due to conjecture, the following verse of the Qur’an states: But no! Those who commit evil and are engrossed in sin will be the residents of the Fire. They will be there forever. (2:81)

This particular verse emphasises that those evildoers who are actually deserving of hellfire will stay in there forever, so there is no concept of evildoers leaving or exiting the hellfire in the Qur’an. Once someone enters it, they will not leave it to go to paradise. Besides, it is important to note that the verse does not differentiate between Jews, Muslims or other groups. The truth is that the Qur’anic worldview entails that all evildoers whose good deeds are light, and those who are indulged in major sin and who are deserving of punishment will surely be punished in hellfire by God forever.

Another verse which demonstrates the eternality of hellfire is seen in Surah 2:167 which reads: The ˹misled˺ followers will cry, “If only we could have a second chance, we would disown them as they disowned us.” And so, Allah will make them remorseful of their misdeeds. And they will never ˹be able to˺ leave the Fire. (2:167). In this verse, it is unambiguously mentioned that once people enter hellfire, they will not be able to leave it.

In spite of these verses, Mohammed Gamal Abdelnour mentions that there are many hadiths that refer to the salvation-based concept of Shafa’a. Hence why the Sunni schools of theology embraced the doctrine despite the Qur’an not clarifying that the Prophet is the Shafi’i who saves Muslim major sinners from eternal punishment (Abdelnour, n.d.).

Correct Meaning of Shafa’a in the Qur’an

The question then arises, if individuals are judged or saved based on their good & bad actions and the weight of their obedience & disobedience towards God, then what is the meaning of the Shafa’a that is mentioned in the Qur’an? The concept of Shafa’a (intercession) is definitely in the Qur’an, but what purpose does it serve if the Sunni concept of it is invalid.

The collective import of these evidences elucidate that the intercession of the Prophet is a good testimony to the virtue of the believers and not the underlying reason for their salvation. The verses of the Qur’an, such as 4:85 substantiates this view by using the word Shafee’ (intercessor) in both a positive and a negative connotation. The verse mentions: Whoever intercedes for a good cause will have a share in the reward, and whoever intercedes for an evil cause will have a share in the burden. And Allah is Watchful over all things. (4:85)

In this verse, the Arabic word used for Shafa’a is not related to a saviour who intercedes for someone, instead it is used as someone who testifies to something either good or bad as a witness.

Surah 43:86 also highlights this particular argument, the verse reads” ˹But˺ those ˹objects of worship˺ they invoke besides Him have no power to intercede, except those who testify to the truth knowingly. (43:86)

Likewise, this verse clarifies that intercessors who are given permission are those who bears true testimony in the court of God. This idea is further supported in verses 20:109 and 43:86, which explain that the intercessor is the one who’s word God is pleased with due to the intercessor testifying to the truth for the sake of God. The meaning concluded from these verses all point to the concept of a witness instead of a saviour who takes people out of hell.

Thus, testification for the sake of truth is that the intercessor will further stress on the good deeds, the actions and the sincerity of that particular individual for them to earn more blessings by God. As a result of this testification of the intercessor, the servant who is interceded for will have a higher reward than what he is deserving of due to the significance of the intercessor and the value of the testament of the intercessor (the Prophet).  Naturally, this testimony (Shafa’a) of the Prophet will be especially useful for those who lack some virtues or have some major sins that they have repented for in the past.

Another verse which negates the concept of intercessors saving people from the just damnation of God is seen in Surah 74:48 which states: So, the pleas of intercessors will be of no benefit to them. (74:48). The context of this verse is criminals being sentenced to hellfire due to the severity of their sins.

Moreover, Surah 20:109 states: On that Day no intercession will be of any benefit, except by those granted permission by the Most Compassionate and whose words are agreeable to Him. (20:109)

In this verse it is seen that intercession is a testimony that is true, and it is not an intercession for salvation and saving people from hellfire. This is because the verse doesn’t mention the key detail of the judged servant being saved from hellfire or exiting from Divine punishment after a period of time. Instead, what the verse explains is that intercessors (the Prophet) can benefit the servant who is interceded for and it is apparent that earning benefit is different from being saved by the fire due to the aid or testament of an intercessor despite deserving of Divine punishment. Therefore, the negation of intercessors causing benefit in Surah 74:48 is regarding those who are already damned to hell due to the severity of their crimes, but for those believers who already attained the pleasure and reward of God due to their deeds, they will benefit from the intercession of the Prophet because intercession or testimony will be used to further elevate their status in paradise.

It is understood that intercession allows the believing servants to earn a greater reward in the Afterlife due to Shafa’a being a good testament for their sake. Even though intercession is mentioned in the Qur’an, it doesn’t mention that the Prophet is like the Christian Christ being the Intercessor who is a saviour, which is a notion that the Hadith support but is foreign to the Qur’anic paradigm (Miller, n.d.).

Rather, in Surah 2:2222 the Qur’an emphasises on faith, obedience and repentance to attain salvation, hence why believers should solely rely on God for salvation (Bibb and Simon-López, 2015). This concept is verified by 39:38, where the believers are asked if Allah is not sufficient for protection?

Thus, the Hadith-centric, Sunni, Athari or Ash’arite approach causes a methodological dilemma and that is if the intercession of the Prophet is crucial for salvation, then why is it not explicitly mentioned in the Qur’an if it is so important to be saved from the fire?

Is Intercession a Major Tenant?

In response to this argument, Abu Zahra has a relevant commentary on concepts of ‘Aqeeda (doctrines/beliefs) and whether they are derived from definitive texts or speculative texts in regard to both transmission and import.

In his work called ‘Usul al-Fiqh, Abu Zahra says: As far as establishing matters of Aqidah is concerned, the majority of the scholars are of the view that Ahad may not be relied upon as the basis of belief (aqidah), for matters of belief must be founded in certainty. Therefore, issues that revolve between belief (iman) and disbelief (kufr) cannot be proven by Ahad narrations.

However, this refers to beliefs on which the actual Iman is dependent. As for Ahad narrations pertaining to subsidiary matters which are not essential to belief such as intercession (shafa’ah), etc…, these must be accepted and believed. Anyone who denies them is a sinner (fasiq) but not a Kafir, as he denies something which is not decisively proven (Muhammad Abu Zahrah, 2003).

In this statement, we see that Abu Zahra like most theologians acknowledges that creed or doctrine needs to be built upon strong foundations such as definitive texts because beliefs are a matter of salvation according to the Qur’an. Throughout the Qur’an, it is shown that people will be questioned about their beliefs and they will be questioned about what they attributed to their Lord and Creator.

Speculation in Religion

In relation to false doctrines, the Qur’an strongly condemns matters that are built upon conjecture, instead the Qur’an demands people to bring their claims from clear Divine scripture. Two verses refer to the importance of definitive knowledge established by God and that speculation regarding God and the correct doctrines is the root cause of deviation. The two verses read:

although they have no knowledge ˹in support˺ of this. They follow nothing but ˹inherited˺ assumptions. And surely assumptions can in no way replace the truth. (53:28)

Or were you witnesses when Allah enjoined you this? Who, then, is more unjust than he who forges a lie against Allah that he should lead astray men without knowledge? Surely Allah does not guide the unjust people. (6:144)

Essentially, Abu Zahra admits that the Sunni concept of Shafa’a that is derived via the Hadith literature entails speculative knowledge, which renders it as mere conjecture. Yet despite its speculative nature, he argues that one must uphold this belief that is built upon solitary narrations due to it being a ‘subsidiary matter’ of Islam. On the contrary, this doctrine is a crucial matter, Shafa’a is such a pivotal part of salvation, which means that it is a core tenant of faith.

The mainstream notion of Shafa’a impacts the lives and religious practice of Muslims tremendously. The Qur’an shows the culture that is caused by such as doctrine, which is the mindset that “the fire shall not touch us except for numbered days” (2:80) and this worldview leads people to engage in major disobedience to God Almighty. More importantly, this speculative doctrine completely contradicts the explicit verses of the Qur’an, yet it is still accepted as a part of faith.

In response to traditionists, and mainstream Sunni thought, the modernist Muhammed ʿAbduh opposed the belief in Shafa’a as a foundational article of faith due to the Qur’an not clearly mentioning the doctrine.

In fact, Muhammad ‘Abduh argues that this doctrine came later into Islamic theology through the Rabbinic traditions (Isra’iliyaat). So, ʿAbduh contends that the traditionist vision of Shafa’a not only contradicts apparent verses which negate salvation besides God, but they also weaken the true spirit of religion due to people believing that they have a free entry to heaven through their intermediaries despite being grave sinners (Abdelnour, n.d.).

Due to this doctrine, many Muslims believe that they will all eventually have a guaranteed entrance into heaven and exit the hellfire even though they will be deserving of the punishment. Also, they argue that this is due to the grace of God and the love he has for the sake of the Prophet Muhammad. So, what this also indicates is that major sinners who are deserving of hellfire are taken out of hell after doing their due time because of the honour, status and sanctity of the Prophet Muhammad. As a result, this leads to negation or the undermining of the justice of God, and it dismisses the Divine promises & threats of the Almighty in the Hereafter.

Conclusion

Consequently, the Mu’tazilites stressed that this mainstream Sunni doctrine violates Divine justice because intercession means that sinners who are deserving of hell will not be punished due to an intermediary and those who do not have this intermediary will then get punished for the same sins (Netton, 2013). The question is, then where is the justice & grace of God in all of this?

The Qur’an focuses on mercy and justice, which entails good being rewarded and evil being punished unless there is repentance. No one bears the sin of another, nor does God forgive the arrogant grave sinner because both concepts oppose Divine justice.

More importantly, the Qur’an doesn’t put intermediaries with God because God is the sole judge, His mercy and justice encompasses all. Whereas, Christianity and the Sunni thought put intermediaries between God and the people, the only difference is that one group believes that believing in the prophecy of Prophet Muhammad saves you whilst the other believes that believing in Jesus as the Saviour saves you.

• By Abul Hasan al-Gabikani al-Shadi al-Shaddadi al-Hadhabani -al-Kurdi

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