Intercession is a Manifestation of Mercy and Cooperation

The variation that exists among people is one of the approaches of
Allaah The Almighty for His creation. Thus some people are rich while
others are poor, some people are noble while others arenot, some
people are high-ranking and wellborn while others are not, and so on.
People need one another. Some people may commit a mistake that
subjects them to the punishment of those who could punish them, and
such people may need assistance to avoid thispunishment, if it is
within the limits of the Sharee'ah, of course.Hence, Islam encourages
intercession. In a Hadeeth on the authority of Abu Moosa Al-Ash'ari he
said, "Whenever a needy person would come to the Prophet he would turn
to those who were present and say: 'Intercede [for him] so that you
would be rewarded, and Allaah decrees what He wills through the tongue
of His Messenger.'"
Intercession is a Manifestation of Mercy
Intercession is a manifestation ofmercy. Sometimes a person commits a
mistake that results inno prescribed corporal punishment under the
Sharee'ah,but nevertheless it subjects him to the punishment of those
who have authority or who are able totake revenge on him. In such a
case mercy necessitates that those whose intercession can be of value
should intercede on behalf of the person who repentsand hopes to be
forgiven. This happened to Al-Hurr ibn Qays when his uncle 'Uyaynah
ibn Hisn infuriated 'Umar ibn Al-Khattaab by saying, "By Allaah, you
neither give us fairly nor rule justly." When Al-Hurr saw the effect
of these evil words on the Commander of Believers, 'Umar and feared
that he might punish his uncle, he interceded for him with 'Umar
saying, "OCommander of the Believers, Allaah The Almighty Said to His
Messenger (what means): {Take what is given freely, enjoin what is
good, and turn away from the ignorant.} [Quran 7:199],and this [his
uncle] is an ignorantman." Therefore 'Umar pardoned him.
Intercession to Fulfill Needs
When a person needs something lawfully from another person, mercy
means interceding for him to fulfill his need. The Prophet would
intercede with people to fulfill the needs of others. The father of
Jaabir ibn 'Abdullaah died leaving him thirty Awsuq (a measure of
volume) of dates that he owed to a Jew. Jaabir asked the Jew to give
him respite in repaying, but he refused. He asked the Messenger of
Allaah to intercede with the Jew for him. The Messenger of Allaah went
to the Jew andasked him to accept the fruits of his trees in place of
the debt, but the Jew refused. The Messenger of Allaah entered the
date-palm garden, walked among the trees, and then said to Jaabir:
"Pick the fruit and give him his due." Therefore, he picked the fruit
for himself after the Prophet had departed and gave the Jew his thirty
Awsuq, and still had seventeen Awsuq extra for himself.
In another situation the Prophet interceded with a woman to get her to
return to her husband.In a Hadeeth on the authority of Ibn 'Abbaas he
said, "Bareerah's husband was a black slave called Mugheeth, and it is
asif I am seeing him now, followingBareerah and weeping, with his
tears flowing down his beard. The Prophet said to 'Abbaas : 'O
'Abbaas! Are you not astonished at the love of Mugheeth for Bareerah,
and the hatred of Bareerah for Mugheeth?' The Prophet then said to
Bareerah: 'Why do not youreturn to him?' She said, 'O Messenger of
Allaah, do you orderme to do so?' He said: 'No, I am only interceding
for him.' She said, 'I am in no need of him.'" [Al-Bukhaari]
Thus, the Prophet was alwayskeen to intercede for Muslims to fulfill
their needs, offering his time, effort and high status to serve people
out of his mercy towards his Ummah (nation).
Two Types of Intercession
Intercession is divided into two types: good and evil.
These types of intercession are mentioned in the Noble Quran, for
Allaah The Almighty Says (what means): {Whoever intercedes for a good
cause will have a reward therefrom; and whoever intercedes for an evil
cause will have a burden therefrom. And ever is Allaah, over all
things, a Keeper.} [Quran 4:85]
Good intercession is that which ismade to remove injustice, fulfill
people's needs, give people their rights, and to provide
forgivenessand benevolence in situations where the Sharee'ah
recommends them to, reconciling people and the like. The one who
undertakes this type of intercession is rewarded by Allaah The
Almighty.
Evil intercession is that which is made to cancel the execution of
aSharee'ah prescribed corporal punishment, to take another's rights
unjustly or things of the sort.
This type of intercession causes a person to be sinful. Hence the
Prophet was angered when Usaamah ibn Zayd once interceded with him not
to execute the prescribed corporal punishment of theft: In a Hadeeth
on the authority of 'Aa'ishah she said,
The Quraysh were very worried about the case of a woman from Banu
Makhzoom [an esteemed tribe] who had committed theft and wondered who
could intercede for her with the Messenger of Allaah so that she would
not be punished for her crime. They said, 'No one but Usaamah ibn Zayd
his beloved, could dare talk to him about this.' So Usaamah wentand
spoke to him about that matter. The Prophet said to him: 'Are you
attempting to intercede and have a prescribed corporal punishment
ordained byAllaah be waived?' Then he got up and addressed the people,
saying: 'The people before you were ruined because when a noble person
amongst them committed theft they would leave him, but if a weak
person did so they would execute the prescribed punishment on him. By
Allaah, if Faatimah the daughter of Muhammad committed theft I would
cut off her hand.'
Good intercession among Muslims is a manifestation of cooperation,
mercy and sympathy, as clear in the Prophet's advice to his Ummah when
he said: "Intercede to be rewarded, and Allaah decrees what He wills
through the tongue of His Messenger."
Finally, intercession should not be contingent on hoping that it will
be accepted, since the interceder is rewarded regardlessof the results
of his intercession.

The oppressor and the oppressed - I

The position of the oppressed in relation to the oppressor:
Allaah Says (what means): " And those who, when tyranny strikes them,
they defend themselves. And the retribution for an evil actis an evil
one like it, but whoever pardons and makes reconciliation- his reward
is [due] from Allaah. Indeed, He does not like wrongdoers. And whoever
avenges himself after having been wronged - those have not upon them
any cause [for blame].The cause is only against the ones who wrong the
people and tyrannise upon the earth withoutright. Those will have a
painful punishment. And whoever is patient and forgives - indeed, that
is of the matters [requiring] determination [i.e. on the part of those
seeking the reward of Allaah]. " [Quran 42: 39-43]
Theses verses include two matters:
First: Taking revenging from the oppressor.
Second: Forgiveness on the part of the oppressed.
Ibraaheem said: "The believers hated anyone to humiliate them, but
whenever they had the chance to take revenge, they would forgive
instead."
Allaah praises the believers in theabovementioned verses for having
the strength and power to avenge in a just manner, for restoring their
rights, and for notallowing aggressors to take advantage of them. They
are by no means incapable, weak or humiliated, and they are quite
capable of exacting revenge, yet they forgive and forget.
This is how Prophet Yoosuf acted with his brothers despite his ability
to take revenge from them. Likewise, the Prophet forgave the man who
attempted to kill him whilst he slept; theman was suddenly overcome
with fear of the Prophet and therefore dropped the sword from his
hand, and the Prophet took hold of it and forgave him, even though he
could easily have killed him.
There are many Quranic verses and prophetic narrations addressing this
issue and encouraging the oppressed to forgive the oppressor when he
is in a position to exact revenge, as this will boost his record of
rewards on the Day of Resurrection. On the other hand, if the
oppressed insists on revenge then this is his right and it is
perfectly permissible to do so, but the revenge must be strictly
limited to the extent that he was wronged. If the wronged person is
one of two wives, it is permissible for the husband to enable the
wronged one to gain revenge, as the Prophet permitted one of his wives
to getback at another one who had badmouthed her.
The supplication of the oppressed against the oppressor:
It is permissible for the oppressed to supplicate against the one who
transgressed his rights, and this is a form of revenge. The wronged
person has the choice to avenge, to supplicate against the one who
wronged him, to persevere and wait until Allaah returns his right for
him in the Hereafter, or to forgive. The best of all of these is to
forgive and to do so would attain the greatest reward from Allaah in
the Hereafter.
The permissibility of the oppressed taking what was taken from him by
his oppressor if he finds it:
It is permissible for the oppressed to do this, and it is also
permissible for him to take something of the same value of the
oppressor's property, but he may not go beyond that. Similarly, if
someone was badmouthed, then he may badmouth the one who badmouthed
him but may not say more than what was said to him, or else he is a
sinner, as the Prophet said: "Whatever two people say (from ill words)
then both their sins lie with one who initiated, as long as the
wronged does not transgress (i.e. exceed the extent to which he was
wronged)." This means that whatever they say to one anotherwill all go
into the record of the one who initiated, as he was the cause of all
of it, but if the wronged person retaliates with more than what he was
wrongedwith, then this is a sin on his partwhich the other person will
not bear.
Along the same lines, one should not supplicate against the one who
wronged him with that which would neither yield benefitto him nor help
him retrieve his rights that were taken; it is better for him to
simply supplicate to Allaah for his rights being returned. The only
exception to this is when the person being supplicated against is a
disbeliever, in which case he may do so.
Forgivingness versus revenge:
The last two verses [42-43] of Chapter Ash-Shooraa which were
mentioned above and which mean: " The cause is only against the ones
who wrong the people and tyrannise upon the earth without right. Those
will have a painful punishment. And whoever is patient and forgives -
indeed, that is of the matters [requiring] determination [on thepart
of those seeking the reward of Allaah]" [Quran 26: 42-43] These verses
confirm that the blame lies with the one who initiated the oppression
and transgression, while the one whoperseveres through it, is doing
something praiseworthy, and willbe highly rewarded.
Al-Fudhayl Ibn 'Iyaadh said: "If a man comes to you complaining about
another man who wronged him, then advise him to forgive him. If he
says, `I cannot bring myself to forgive him and would rather utilise
the right granted to me by my Lord to avenge` then say to him: `If you
can limit yourself to avengingin a fair manner, without transgressing
the limits to which you were wronged, then proceed; but if you cannot
control yourself, then it is safer to return to the option of
forgiving him as the reward for the one who forgives is great with
Allaah."
The one who forgives can sleep at night in a relaxed manner withno
fear that he may have exceeded the extent to which he was wronged,
because he did notavenge at all. However, the one who sought vengeance
will agonise and think to himself:"Did I transgress? Did I go beyondmy
limit?"
Forgiving is a high rank which thecallers to Islaam should possess as
it is a rank that only those with a high status attain, and they are
the ones whom people take as examples to follow.
Abu Hurayrah narrated that a man once badmouthed Abu Bakr while the
Prophet was sitting with them, and the Prophet expressed wonder and
smiled. The man continued, and after he had said much more,Abu Bakr
retorted with some of the same, which caused the Prophet to get up (to
leave) with an angry expression on his face. Abu Bakr said: 'O
Messenger of Allaah! He badmouthed me while you were sitting there!
Why did you become upset and leave when I answered back to some of
what he had said?' The Prophet said: "You had an angel retorting on
your behalf (when you where silent), but when you began answering him
back (i.e., the man), Satan arrived, and I was not going to sit in the
presence of Satan." Then he said: "O Abu Bakr! Here are three
matters,all of which are true: Whenever a man is oppressed but
forgives forthe sake of Allaah the Most High and the Almighty, then
Allaah willhonour him with victory…"

What is the meaning of Allaah’s name al-Wakeel (the Disposer of Affairs)? Praise be to Allaah. Al-Wakeel is al-Hafeez (the Preserver), al-Muheet (the One who encompasses all things). And it was said that it means al-Shaheed (the Witness). He is the Sustainer Who guarantees provision forHis slaves and Who protects their interests. The reality is that He controls all affairs independently. The powers of creation and command belong entirely to Him and no one else possesses anything of them. And it was said that it means al-Haafiz, Who guarantees to sustain all that He has created. It was said that it meansal-Kafeel (the Guarantor), and He is thebest Guarantor to provide for us. It was said that it meansal-Kaafi (the Sufficient), and He is the most Sufficient. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “and they said: ‘Allaah (Alone) is Sufficient for us, and He is the Best Disposer of affairs (for us).” [Aal ‘Imraan 3:173] -- meaning, He is sufficient for us. Al-Wakeel in Arabic means

Is it permissible to use the Beautiful Names of Allaah as a remedy,
such as saying "Ya Baseer (O All-Seeing)" over the patient's eye and
so on?.
Praise be to Allaah.
Using the names of Allaah as a remedy is a practice that is widespread
among people. Flyers are widelydistributed on which thenames are
written and beside them the diseaseswhich may supposedly be treated by
that name.
The one who claims to have discovered this kind of remedy is Dr
Ibraaheem Kareem, the inventor of the science of "biogeometry". He
claimed that the beautiful names of Allaah have the power toheal a
huge number of diseases, based on his research in which he measured
energy levels in the human body. He claimed to have discovered that
each of the names of Allaah produces an energy that prompts the immune
system to work efficiently in a particularpart of the human body. He
claimed that by applying the "law of resonance" he could, simply by
mentioning one of the names of Allaah, bring about improvements in the
vital energy in the human body. After researching for three years, he
presented his discovery to people in a schedule in which he described
diseases and stated which name of Allaah could be beneficial in
treating it.
For example: al-Samee' (the All Hearing) can restore the balance of
energy; al-Razzaaq (the Provider) can treat the stomach; al-Jabbaar
(the Compeller) can treat the spine; al-Ra'oof (the Most Kind) can
treat the colon; al-Naafi' (the Bringer of benefits) can treat the
bones; al-Hayy (the Ever-Living) can treat the kidneys; al-Badee' (the
Originator) can treat the hair; Jalla Jalaalahu (Glorified be His
Majesty)can treat dandruff; al-Noor (the Light), al-Baseer (the
All-Seeing)and al-Wahhaab (the Bestower) can treat the eyes. …
The way in which the remedy is administered is to repeat the name or a
number of names over the affected part of the body, for ten minutes.
He claims to have discovered that healing energy is multiplied when
reciting the versesof healing after reciting tasbeeh of the beautiful
names of Allaah. These verses are (interpretation of the meaning):
"and heal the hearts of abelieving people"
[al-Tawbah 9:14]
"and a healing for that which is in your hearts"
[Yoonus 10:57]
"wherein is healing for men"
[al-Nahl 16:69]
"And We send down of the Qur'aan that which isa healing and a mercy"
[al-Isra' 17:82]
"And when I am ill, it is He Who cures me"
[al-Shu'ara' 26:80]
"Say: It is for those who believe, a guide and a healing"
[Fussilat 41:44]
Our response to these claims is:
1 – Remedies may be administered either by scientific means or by
religious means (as described in the Qur'aan and Sunnah). With regard
to scientific, physical means, treatment should be based on experience
and expertise. With regard to religious means, reference is to bemade
to the texts of sharee'ah in order to find out what remedies are to be
used and how they are to be administered. Mentioning Allaah by His
beautiful names (dhikr) is something that is prescribed in sharee'ah,
but this researcher does not quote any shar'i source of evidence for
using specific names of Allaah in this manner to treat disease, so it
cannot be a legitimate shar'i means of treating disease. Religious
matters cannot be subjected to experimentation or disrespected in this
manner.
Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen said:
Note that medical treatment is a means of healing but the One
Whocauses it to be effective is Allaah, may He be exalted. There is no
cause except that which Allaah makes a cause. The things that Allaah
makes causes are of two types:
(i) Means that are prescribed in sharee'ah, such as the
Holy Qur'aan and du'aa' (supplication), as the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said concerning Soorat al-Faatihah:
"How did you know that it is a ruqyah (prayer or incantation for
healing)?" And the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
recited ruqyah for the sick by making du'aa' for them, and Allaah
healed those whom He wanted to heal by virtue of his du'aa'.
(ii) Physical means, such as medicines that are known
from sharee'ah, like honey, or from experimentation and experience,
like many kinds of medicine. The effect of this kind of means must be
direct, not by way of imagination and wishfulthinking. If its effect
is known in a direct and measurable manner, then it may rightfully be
used as a remedy by means of which a cure may be effected, by Allaah's
leave. But if it is simply the matter of wishful thinking on the part
of the patient, which brings him some kind of psychological relief,
then it is not permissible to rely on it or affirm that it is a
remedy, lest a person come to depend on wishful thinking. Hence it is
forbidden to wear rings, strings etc to heal disease or ward it off,
because that is not a means that is prescribed in sharee'ah or known
from experience. So longas it is not proven to be a means that is
prescribed in sharee'ah or known from experience, it is not
permissible to regard it as a means of healing. Regarding it as a
means is a kind of trying to compete with Allaah in His dominion and
associating others with Him, in the sense that one is trying to play a
role that belongs only to Allaah, namely deciding the means and the
ends. Shaykh Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Wahhaab explained this matter in
Kitaab al-Tawheed by saying: "CHAPTER: It is shirk to wear rings and
strings etc to ward off evil or relieve it."
Majmoo' Fataawa al-Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen, 1, question no. 49.
2 – This involves mentioning names of Allaah and claiming that He has
called Himself by these names, when that is not the case, such as
Jalla Jalaaluhu (Glorified be His Majesty), al-Rasheed (the Guide),
al-Badee' (the Originator), al-Naafi' (the Bringer of Benefit), etc.
This is indicative of the ignorance of the onewho made this claim, and
that this so-called energy does not exist, because it is derived –
according to his own claims – from names thatare not names of Allaah
as proven in the saheeh evidence.
3 – He describes a specific method of treatment and stipulates a name
for each disease.
Even when a name mentioned is proven in saheeh evidence to be one of
the names of Allaah, this still comes under the heading of speaking
about Allaah without knowledge. Allaah has forbidden us to speak of
Him without knowledge, as He says (interpretation of the meaning):
"Say (O Muhammad): (But) the things that my Lord has indeed forbidden
are Al-Fawaahish (great evil sins and every kind of unlawful sexual
intercourse) whether committed openly or secretly, sins (of all
kinds), unrighteous oppression, joining partners (in worship) with
Allaah for which He has given no authority, and saying things about
Allaah of which you haveno knowledge"
[al-A'raaf 7:33]
Shaykh 'Abd al-Rahmaanal-Sa'di (may Allaah havemercy on him) said in
hiscommentary on this verse:
"and saying things about Allaah of which you have no knowledge" means,
withregard to His names, attributes, actions and laws.
Tafseer al-Sa'di, p. 250.
4 – The scholars of the Standing Committee refuted the claims of
thisman when they were asked about this matter. They said:
After studying the matter, the Standing Committee for Academic
Research and Issuing Fatwas replied as follows:
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"And (all) the Most Beautiful Names belong to Allaah, so call on Him
by them, and leave the company of those who belie or deny (or utter
impious speech against) His Names. They will be requited for what they
used to do"
[al-A'raaf 7:180]
And the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
"Allaah has ninety-nine names; whoever learns them will enter
Paradise." Among them is the greatest name of Allaah which, if He is
called upon by it, He will respond, and if He is asked by it, He will
give.
No one knows how many names Allaah has except Allaah Himself, and all
of them are beautiful. We must believe in them and in the perfection,
majesty and might of Allaah to which they point. It is haraam to
disbelieve in them by rejecting all of them or any of them, or to deny
the perfection ofAllaah or any of the attributes of Allaah indicated
by these names.
An example of denying the names of Allaah is the claim made by this
"Kareem Sayyid" and his student and son in a flyer which they
distributed among people, that the beautiful names of Allaah have the
power toheal a huge number of diseases, based on his research in which
he measured energy levels in the human body. He claimed to have
discovered that each of the names of Allaah produces an energy that
prompts the immune system to work efficiently in a particularpart of
the human body. He claimed that by applying the "law of resonance" he
could, simply by mentioning one of the names of Allaah, bring about
improvements in the vital energy in the human body. He said: it is
well known that the Pharaohs were the first ones to study and measure
the life force in the human body by means of [?] the Pharaonic
pendulum. Then he mentioned a number of the names of Allaah in a
schedule and claimed that each of these names could benefit the body
in someway or treat specific physical diseases. He explained that by
drawing a diagram of the human body and writing one of the names of
Allaah on each part thereof.
This action is false because it is a kind of disbelief concerning the
names of Allaah and it subjects them to degrading treatment. What is
prescribed in Islam with regard to the names of Allaah is to call upon
Him by them, as Hesays (interpretation of the meaning):
"… so call on Him by them …"
[al-A'raaf 7:180]
Similarly we must affirm the attributes of Allaah implied by these
names, because each of these names describes an attribute of Allaah
and it is not permissible to use them for any other purpose than to
call Him by them, unless there is shar'i evidence to that effect.
Whoever claims that they may be used in suchand such a manner, or may
be used to treat such and such a disease with no evidence to
thateffect from sharee'ah, is speaking about Allaah without knowledge,
andAllaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"Say (O Muhammad): (But) the things that my Lord has indeed forbidden
are Al-Fawaahish (great evil sins and every kind of unlawful sexual
intercourse) whether committed openly or secretly, sins (of all
kinds), unrighteous oppression, joining partners (in worship) with
Allaah for which He has given no authority, and saying things about
Allaah of which you haveno knowledge"
[al-A'raaf 7:33]
This flyer must be destroyed, and the people mentioned here and others
have to repent to Allaah from this action and not do any such thing
again that has to do with 'aqeedah and rulings of sharee'ah.
And Allaah is the Source of strength.
And Allaah knows best.Names and Attributes of Allah, - Dought clear -

The meaning of Allaah’s name al-Wakeel.

What is the meaning of Allaah's name al-Wakeel (the Disposer of Affairs)?
Praise be to Allaah.
Al-Wakeel is al-Hafeez (the Preserver), al-Muheet (the One who
encompasses all things). And it was said that it means al-Shaheed (the
Witness).
He is the Sustainer Who guarantees provision forHis slaves and Who
protects their interests. The reality is that He controls all affairs
independently. The powers of creation and command belong entirely to
Him and no one else possesses anything of them. And it was said that
it means al-Haafiz, Who guarantees to sustain all that He has created.
It was said that it meansal-Kafeel (the Guarantor), and He is thebest
Guarantor to provide for us.
It was said that it meansal-Kaafi (the Sufficient), and He is the
most Sufficient.
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"and they said: 'Allaah (Alone) is Sufficient for us, and He is the
Best Disposer of affairs (for us)." [Aal 'Imraan 3:173]
-- meaning, He is sufficient for us. Al-Wakeel in Arabic means the one
who is entrusted to run the affairs of the one who entrusted them to
him. The believers referred toin this aayah had entrusted their
affairs toAllaah and put their trustin Him, so He described Himself as
fulfilling that trust and them as havingput their trust in Him, so He
said, the Best Disposer of affairs for them. When a person puts his
trust in his Lord, he submits to His Lordship and becomes a true slave
of Him. Allaah has complete authority, meaning that al-Wakeel has full
knowledge of that which has been entrusted to Him and He encompasses
all its details; He has full powerto deal with it and protect that
which has been entrusted to Him, by His wisdom and His knowledge of
how to deal with it in the most suitable manner.
Allaah is the One Who is above all shortcomings in any of His
attributes; He is the Disposer of all affairs. This indicates that His
knowledge encompasses all things and that He has perfect power to
control all affairs with perfect wisdom, for He is the Best Disposer
of Affairs.,Names and Attributes of Allah, - Dought clear -