Do Hafiz people who have memorized the Quran have right of intercession (shafaah)?
Submitted by on Wed, 30/09/2009 - 17:02
Dear Brother / Sister,
How many people can huffaz (plural of fafiz) intercede if they live in accordance with the Quran? Do those people need to be their relatives?
Our Prophet displayed his sensitivity towards both preserving and of the Qur’an and conveying its message; he also directed his companions to that matter and encouraged them to learn it by hearth and teach it. He informed us that those reading the Quran and acting accordingly are the ones to be emulated(1), that they will get ten rewards (2) for its each letter, that the verses they recite will be light for them on the Day of Judgment (3), that it is going to augment their ranks (4), that the Quran will intercede for them,(5) that it will be a source of peace for them in the world (6), and that listening to the Quran is a very good habit that gains people rewards (7).
The messenger of Allah said that “the best among you are those who learn the Qur'an and teach it” (8) and prized very much those who learned and acted accordingly, and indicated that they were the selected slaves of Allah (9) and were in the rank to the Angels(10). He also said that Allah , the Exalted, will enter him to Paradise and accept his intercession on behalf of ten such persons of his family upon whom entry into Hell has become incumbent (i.e. Allah will forgive them because of his intercession)."(11).
That our prophet preferred the people who knew the Quran the best to assign for the positions of guidance, prayer-leader and management demonstrates the importance that our Prophet gave to the matter. For instance, he gave the banner of sons of Malik B. Najjar to Zayd b. Thabit and said Zayd knew the Quran very well and the Quran was antecedent. (something having priority over all things) (12).
The main purpose of reciting the Quran is to understand it, contemplate about it, trying to find out the subtleties of it, and acting in accordance with it. A person who memorizes the Quran but does not practice what it teaches is not amongst the people of the Quran even if he recites its letters clearly and correctly. It is because faith is the virtuous of all deeds. And what gains us the fruit of trust is to recite the Quran by fathoming and contemplating it.
Learning the Quran by hearth means not only preserving it but also obtaining pleasure of this world and the hereafter and getting the honor to intercede our parents and relatives.
Hazrat Ali relates that our holy Prophet said “Whoever recites the Qur'an, memorizes it, accepts its halal (lawful things) as halal and haram (forbidden things) as haram (i.e. his beliefs in these matters are correct), Allah, the Exalted, will enter him to Paradise and accept his intercession on behalf of ten such persons of his family upon whom entry into Hell has become incumbent (i.e. Allah will forgive them because of his intercession). (Tirmidhi, Fadailu'l-Quran, 13; Ibn Majah, Muqaddima, 17.)
In another hadith it is said that “whoever recites two hundred verses with deep thought in a day obtains the right to intercede seven dead people around his grave”. (al-Burhan (Zarkashi), v.1, p.462; Kanz-ul Ummal, v.1, p.477.).
Thus, if Allah ordains, he can give the people the right to intercede not only their relatives but also other believers. What is important is to recite the Quran, listen to it, memorize it and lead a life compatible to it.
1. Bukhari, Fadailu'l-Quran, 17,20; Muslim, Salatu'l-Musafirin, 243, 266-268.
2. Tirmidhi, Fadailu'l-Quran, 16; Darimi, Fadailu'l-Quran, 1.
3. Ahmad b. Hanbal, al-Musnad, II, 341.
4. Abu Dawud, Witr, 20; Tirmidhi, Fadailu'l-Quran, 18; Ibn Majah, Adab, 52; Ahmad b. Hanbal, ibid, II, 192, 471 ve III, 40.
5. Muslim, Salatu'l-Musafirin, 252.
6. Abu Dawud, Witr, 20; Tirmidhi, Qiraat, 12; Ibn Majah, Muqaddima, 17.
7. Bukhari, Fadailu'l-Quran, 31; Muslim, Salatu'l-Musafirin, 247-248.
8. Bukhari, Fadailu'l-Quran, 21; Abu Dawud, Vitr, 14; Tirmidhi, Fadailu'l-Quran, 15; Ibn Majah, Muqaddima, 16.
9. Ibn Majah, Muqaddima, 16; Ahmad b. Hanbal, ibid, III, 127.
10. Muslim, Salatu'l-Musafirin, 244; Abu Dawud, Witr, 14; Tirmidhi, Fadailu'l-Quran, 13.
11. Tirmidhi, Fadailu'l-Quran, 13; Ibn Majah, Muqaddima, 17.
12. Bukhari, Adhan, 54; Muslim, Masajid, 289-291.
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