Reports on intercession

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) relates: In the year of the Battle of Tabuk, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) stood at night to pray. Some men from among his Companions gathered behind him and began guarding him. When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had finished praying, after completing the prayer he turned towards them and said to them: "Tonight I have been given five things which were not given to anyone before me. As for myself, I have been sent to all of mankind in general, whereas the Prophets before me used to be sent to their own particular people. I have been helped against the enemy through awe, even if there is a month's journey between me and him (that is, the enemy), he would be filled with awe of me. It has been made lawful for me to eat the spoils of war, whereas the people before me considered eating them a grave (sin); they used to burn them. The whole earth has been made for me a place of prayer and a means of purification; wherever the time of prayer comes upon me, I can perform tayammum (dry ablution) and pray, whereas the people before me considered that a grave (matter); they could only pray in their places of worship. And the fifth thing, how great it is! It was said to me: 'Ask! For every Prophet has asked.' (The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:) So I have deferred my request until the Day of Resurrection, and it (the request, in the form of intercession) will be for you and for everyone who testifies that there is no god but Allah."
Ahmad recorded it, and its narrators are thiqat (trustworthy).

Sayyiduna Ubadah bin al-Samit (may Allah be pleased with him) relates: "Once the Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) found the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) missing. Whenever they made camp, they would keep the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in their midst. They became alarmed and assumed that perhaps Allah Almighty had chosen other companions for the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) instead of them. Meanwhile, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) appeared in front of them. When those people saw the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), they said the takbir (Allahu Akbar) and said: 'O Messenger of Allah, we were worried that Allah Almighty might have chosen other companions for you instead of us.' The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: 'No! Rather, you are my companions in this world and the Hereafter. Allah Almighty woke me and said: "O Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), every Prophet and Messenger whom I sent asked Me one particular request, and I granted it to him. O Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), you too ask, and you will be given." I said: "My request is for intercession for my Ummah on the Day of Resurrection."'" Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "O Messenger of Allah, what is the intercession?" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "I said: 'O my Lord, my intercession is that which I am keeping safe with You.' The Lord said: 'Very well.' Then the Lord will bring the rest of my Ummah out of Hell and admit them into Paradise."
Ahmad and al-Tabarani recorded it; the narrators of Ahmad are thiqat (trustworthy), although there is weakness in some of the narrators.

Sayyiduna Mu'adh bin Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him) and Sayyiduna Abu Musa al-Ash'ari (may Allah be pleased with him) relate: "When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) made camp (during a journey), the Muhajirun would stay close to him. The narrator relates: Once we made camp; the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) slept and we also slept. At some point in the night, Mu'adh and I woke up. We looked, but we did not see the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). The narrator says: We set out in search of him. Meanwhile we heard a sound like the sound of a millstone turning, and then he appeared in front of us. As he was coming, he looked and asked: 'What is the matter with you?' They said: 'When we woke up, we did not see you in the place where you were, and we feared that some harm might have befallen you, so we came looking for you.' The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: 'In my dream someone (an angel, or a message) came to me and gave me the choice that either He (that is, the Lord) would admit half of my Ummah into Paradise, or there would be intercession; so I chose intercession for them.' (The narrator relates:) We said: 'We ask you, by the right of Islam and the right of companionship, to include us too in your intercession.' So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) prayed for the two of them. The narrator relates: Some people gathered around the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and made a request like ours. When the number of people grew large, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: 'I will intercede for everyone who dies in a state in which he does not associate anyone as a partner with Allah.'"
Ahmad recorded it, and al-Tabarani recorded something similar.

In a narration recorded by Ahmad the words are: "The two of them said: 'O Messenger of Allah, include us too in your intercession.' The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: 'You, and whoever dies in a state in which he does not associate anyone as a partner with Allah, will be in my intercession (that is, will be deserving of it).'" The narrators of this narration are the narrators of the Sahih, except Asim bin Abi al-Najud, who has been declared trustworthy, although there is weakness in him.
Al-Bazzar recorded it in abridged form, but Abu al-Malih and Abu Burdah, neither of them met the time of Sayyiduna Mu'adh bin Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him).

Sayyiduna Abu Musa al-Ash'ari (may Allah be pleased with him) relates: We took part in a campaign with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). During the journey we made camp at night. At some point in the night I got up and came to the Prophet's (peace and blessings be upon him) particular resting place. I looked for him but did not find him. I went out to the open ground in search of him, and there was one of the Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) who was also searching for what I was searching for. The narrator says: While we were in this state, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) came towards us. We said: "O Messenger of Allah, you are in a land where war is going on, and we were anxious about you. Why did you not, if some need arose for you, tell one of your Companions so that he could have gone with you?" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "I heard a sound like the sound of a millstone turning, and I heard a humming like the humming of bees. A messenger from my Lord came to me and gave me the choice that either the Lord would admit one third of my Ummah into Paradise, or there would be intercession; so I chose my intercession for them, because I know that it will be more encompassing for them." The narrator says: The two of them said: "O Messenger of Allah, pray to Allah Almighty to include us among those who will benefit from your intercession." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) prayed for the two of them. When these two reached the Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and told them about the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), the narrator relates, people began coming to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and saying: "O Messenger of Allah, pray to Allah Almighty to include us among those who will benefit from your intercession," and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would pray for them. When people began coming one after another and they came in great numbers, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "(That intercession) will be for everyone who dies in a state in which he testifies that there is no god but Allah."
Ahmad and al-Tabarani recorded it.

In a narration recorded by him the words are: "We set out, until near dawn the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) made camp, and we gathered around him, as we used to do. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) tied up his she-camel, then placed his cheek on its tether and slept, and we too scattered here and there. I raised my head and did not find the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in his particular place, and this alarmed me. I got up and heard a sound like a millstone turning from the direction of the valley. Meanwhile the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) arrived, with signs of joy evident on his face. The narrator says: I said: 'O Messenger of Allah, where were you?' The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: 'It seems that when you did not see me in my place, you became worried.' I said: 'Yes, by Allah, I was worried!' The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: 'Jibril came to me just now and gave me the choice that either there would be intercession, or (the Lord) would forgive half of my Ummah; so I chose intercession.'" Meanwhile the people also got up and came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and said: "O Messenger of Allah, intercede for us too." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "My intercession will be granted to you too." When people began coming in great numbers, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever presents himself before Allah Almighty in a state in which he does not associate anyone as a partner with Him will enter Paradise." The narrators of one of al-Tabarani's various chains are thiqat (trustworthy).
He also recorded something similar in al-Mu'jam al-Saghir.

Sayyiduna Mus'ab al-Aslami (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: A boy from among us went and came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). He said: "I want to ask you something." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asked: "What is it?" He said: "I request that you include me among those for whom you will intercede on the Day of Resurrection." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asked: "Who told you to do this?" or "Who taught you this?" or "Who guided you to this?" (that is, the narrator was unsure). He said: "No one told me about it; it is my own idea." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Then you are one of those for whom I will intercede on the Day of Resurrection." Then the boy went off to tell his family about it. When he had turned and gone, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Bring that boy back to me!" The people brought him back, and he was worried, fearing that some new ruling might have come concerning him. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Help me in your own case through abundant prostration (that is, abundant voluntary prayers)."
At-Tabarani recorded it, and its narrators are the narrators of the Sahih.

Sayyiduna Awf bin Malik al-Ashja'i (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: "We were on a journey with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and we made camp. When night came, sleep was far from my eyes; I could not sleep, so I got up. Every animal in the army had laid its cheek on the ground, and everything I saw seemed to me no higher than the back of a camel saddle. I thought: I will go to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and keep watch over him all night until morning. I went out, passing between the people, until I came to the saddle of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), but the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was not at his saddle. I went out from there, passing between the people's saddles, until I came out of the army. I saw a dark figure ahead of me. I went towards it, and it was Sayyiduna Abu Ubaydah bin al-Jarrah (may Allah be pleased with him) and Sayyiduna Mu'adh bin Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him). They asked me: 'Why have you come out?' I said: 'For the same reason for which you two have come out.' Ahead of us was an open stretch of low ground, not far away. We walked towards that ground, and meanwhile we heard a sound from there like the humming of bees, as if the wind were blowing. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asked: 'Is Abu Ubaydah bin al-Jarrah here?' We said: 'Yes!' The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asked: 'And Mu'adh bin Jabal?' We said: 'Yes!' The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asked: 'And Awf bin Malik?' We said: 'Yes!' The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) came out to us. We did not ask him anything, nor did he ask us anything, until he returned to his saddle. Then he said: 'Shall I not tell you of what my Lord gave me a choice between a little while ago?' We said: 'Yes indeed, O Messenger of Allah!' The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: 'He gave me the choice that He would admit two-thirds of my Ummah into Paradise without any reckoning or punishment; He gave me a choice between that and intercession.' We asked: 'O Messenger of Allah! Then what did you choose?' The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: 'I chose intercession.' All of us said: 'O Messenger of Allah! Include us among those who will benefit from your intercession.' The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: 'My intercession will be for every Muslim.'"

In one narration the wording is: Sayyiduna Awf (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: "We camped at a place with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). I woke up during the night, and I could not see anything in the whole army taller than the back of a camel saddle; every person and camel was lying flat against the ground. I got up and, passing between the people, came to the resting place of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), but he was not there. I put my hand on his bedding and it was cold. I got up and, passing between the people, began to recite: 'Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'un (We belong to Allah and to Him we return).'" After this the narrator mentioned the hadith as before, except that in it the wording is: "He gave me the choice that He would admit half of my Ummah into Paradise."

In one narration, Sayyiduna Abu Musa al-Ash'ari (may Allah be pleased with him) is named in place of Sayyiduna Abu Ubaydah (may Allah be pleased with him). (Allamah al-Haythami says:) I say: At-Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah recorded part of this narration.
At-Tabarani recorded it with various chains, and the narrators of some of them are thiqat (trustworthy).

Abu Ka'b narrates: I said to Nadr, the son of Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him): "Narrate to me a hadith through which Allah Almighty will benefit me." He said: "Very well, I will narrate to you a hadith which they wrote and sent to us from Madinah." Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Preserve this, for it is one of the treasures of hadith." He related: "Once the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) went out on a military expedition. He travelled all day until night came. When night came, he made camp and the people camped around him. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and Sayyiduna Abu Talhah (may Allah be pleased with him), the husband of Sayyidah Umm Sulaym (may Allah be pleased with her), and so-and-so and so-and-so, these four people, went to sleep. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) made a pillow of his mount's foreleg and slept, and the other four also slept beside him. When part of the night had passed and they raised their heads, they did not see the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) (so they set out searching for him), until they met the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) coming towards them. They said: 'May Allah make us your ransom! Where were you? When we did not see you, we became alarmed for you.' The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: 'I was asleep, as you saw. In my sleep I heard a sound like the humming of a millstone (the narrator is unsure, or perhaps the words are:) like the sound of a turning millstone. I was startled awake from my sleep; I got up and set off, and Jibril came before me and said: "O Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him)! Allah Almighty has just sent me to you to give you a choice, so choose (one of two options): either half of your Ummah enters Paradise, or intercession on the Day of Resurrection." (The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:) So I chose intercession for my Ummah.'" Those four people said: "O Prophet of Allah! Include us too among those for whom you will intercede." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "It has become guaranteed for you." Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and those four people came back, and they met ten people, who asked: "Where was our Prophet, the Prophet of mercy?" The narrator says: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) told those people too what he had already told the others, and they too said: "May Allah make us your ransom! Include us too among those for whom you will intercede on the Day of Resurrection." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "It has become guaranteed for you." Then all of them came to the rest of the people and announced among them: "This is our Prophet, the Prophet of mercy." After that they told the rest of the people too about the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and all of them called out loudly: "May Allah make us your ransom! Include us too among those for whom you will intercede on the Day of Resurrection." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) called out loudly three times: "I call Allah Almighty to witness, and I call whoever is listening to witness, and I say: my intercession will reach every person who dies in such a state that he does not associate anyone with Allah Almighty."
At-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Awsat. Its chain contains a narrator, Ali bin Qurrah bin Habib, whom I do not know; the rest of its narrators are thiqat (trustworthy).

Sayyiduna Abd al-Rahman bin Abi Uqayl (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: I came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) with a delegation. We came to him and tethered our mounts at his door. At that time, as I was about to go in to him, he was the most disliked person to me; but when we rose to leave him, he was the most beloved person to us. One of us said: "O Messenger of Allah! Why do you not ask your Lord for a kingdom like the kingdom of Sayyiduna Sulayman (peace be upon him)?" The narrator says: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) laughed, then said: "Perhaps your companion has with Allah Almighty something more excellent than the kingdom of Sayyiduna Sulayman (peace be upon him). Allah Almighty did not send any prophet without granting him one special supplication. Among those prophets, one sought some worldly result through that special supplication and it was granted to him; another used that special supplication against his people when they disobeyed him, and because of that supplication they were destroyed. Allah Almighty granted me too one special supplication, and I have kept it stored with my Lord for the intercession for my Ummah on the Day of Resurrection."
At-Tabarani and al-Bazzar recorded it, and the narrators of both are thiqat (trustworthy).

Sayyiduna Abu Sa'id al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Every prophet was given one special gift (in the form of a special supplication), and every prophet claimed the result of that supplication; but I have kept my special gift stored for the intercession for my Ummah."
Al-Bazzar, Abu Ya'la and Ahmad recorded it, and its chain is hasan (good) because of its many routes.

Sayyiduna Abu Dharr al-Ghifari (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "I have been given five things which were not given to anyone before me: the whole earth has been made for me a means of purification and a place for offering prayer; spoils of war have been made lawful for me, which were not lawful for any prophet before me; I have been helped against my enemy through awe from a distance of a month's journey; I have been sent to every red and black person (that is, to all mankind); and I have been given intercession, and it will reach every member of my Ummah who dies in such a state that he does not associate anyone with Allah Almighty." (Allamah al-Haythami says:) I say: Abu Dawud recorded this part of the narration: "The whole earth has been made for me a means of purification and a place for offering prayer."
Al-Bazzar recorded it, and its narrators are the narrators of the Sahih, except that the narrator Mujahid did not hear from Sayyiduna Abu Dharr al-Ghifari (may Allah be pleased with him). And Allah knows best.

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "I have been given five things which were not given to any prophet before me: I have been sent to the red and the black (that is, to all mankind), while those (prophets) before me were sent to their own particular people; the whole earth has been made for me a place for offering prayer and a means of purification; I have been helped through awe going before me at a distance of a month's journey; spoils of war have been made lawful for me, which were not lawful for anyone before me; and I have been given intercession, which I have deferred for my Ummah, so it will reach every person who does not associate anyone with Allah Almighty."
Al-Bazzar recorded it with two hasan (good) chains. (Allamah al-Haythami says:) I say: Various routes of this hadith have already passed in the chapter on dry ablution (tayammum), and some routes have passed in the Book of the Signs of Prophethood, in the chapter on the universality of the mission of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).

Sayyidah Umm Salamah (may Allah be pleased with her) narrates that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "I saw what my Ummah would do after me (or: what deeds my Ummah would do), so I chose intercession for them on the Day of Resurrection."
Abu Ya'la and at-Tabarani recorded it. Its chain contains a narrator, Musa bin Ubaydah al-Rabadhi, who is da'if (weak). Various routes of this narration have already passed in the Book of Trials (al-Fitan).