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.