الفرع الثالث: من فضائل شهادة لا إله إلا الله: أنها العهد الذي يتخذه الموحد عند الله
Third Branch:
One of the virtues of the Kalimah "لا إله إلا اللہ" is that it is the covenant that a monotheistic servant makes with Allah Almighty for himself.
Allah Almighty's Command:
[لَا یَمۡلِکُوۡنَ الشَّفَاعَۃَ اِلَّا مَنِ اتَّخَذَ عِنۡدَ الرَّحۡمٰنِ عَہۡدًا] They will have no intercession except for those who have taken a covenant with the Most Merciful.
Reference: Surah Maryam:87
Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them):
عن ابن عباس رضي الله عنهما في قوله: [اِلَّا مَنِ اتَّخَذَ عِنۡدَ الرَّحۡمٰنِ عَہۡدًا]
Reference: Surah Maryam:87
قال: العهد؛ شهادة أن لا إله إلا الله، ويتبرأ إلى الله من الحول والقوة، ولا يرجو إلا الله۔From Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) regarding Allah Almighty's command:
[اِلَّا مَنِ اتَّخَذَ عِنۡدَ الرَّحۡمٰنِ عَہۡدًا] "Except for those who have taken a covenant with the Most Merciful." It is narrated that he said:
This covenant means to testify that there is no true deity except Allah, and the servant, expressing disavowal with all his strength and power, surrenders himself to Allah alone, and places hope in none other than Allah.
Reference: Tafsir al-Tabari, Jami' al-Bayan:15/633
Imam Sam'ani (may Allah have mercy on him):
وقال السمعاني: (قوله: [اِلَّا مَنِ اتَّخَذَ عِنۡدَ الرَّحۡمٰنِ عَہۡدًا]
Reference: Surah Maryam:87
يعني: لا يشفعون إلا لمن اتخذ عند الرحمن عهدا، فالعهد هو "لا إله إلا الله". ويقال: لا يشفع إلا من اتخذ عند الرحمن عهدا يعني: لا يشفع إلا مؤمن.Imam Sam'ani, may Allah have mercy on him, says: The meaning of Allah Almighty's command: [اِلَّا مَنِ اتَّخَذَ عِنۡدَ الرَّحۡمٰنِ عَہۡدًا] "Except for those who have taken a covenant with the Most Merciful." is that He will only intercede for the person who has taken a covenant with the Most Merciful, and this covenant means ”لا إله إلا الله“.
It is also said that: Only the person who has taken a covenant with the Most Merciful will intercede, meaning the one who intercedes will only be a believer.
Reference: Tafsir al-Sam'ani:3/315
Hafiz Ibn Kathir, may Allah have mercy on him:
وقال ابن كثير في تفسير العهد: (هو شهادة أن لا إله إلا الله، والقيام بحقها)
And Hafiz Ibn Kathir, may Allah have mercy on him, explained the covenant as: It means to bear witness that there is no true deity except Allah, and to fulfill the requirements of this testimony.
Reference: Tafsir Ibn Kathir:5/261 under the verse: Surah Maryam 87
Allama Shanqeeti, may Allah have mercy on him:
وقال الشِّنقيطيُّ: أي: لا يملك من جميعهم أحد الشفاعة إلا من اتخذ عند الرحمن عهدا وهم المؤمنون، والعهد: العمل الصالح والقول بأنه لا إله إلا الله، وغيره من الأقوال يدخل في ذلك، أي: إلا المؤمنون فإنهم يشفع بعضهم في بعض، كما قال تعالى: [يَوْمَئِذٍ لَا تَنْفَعُ الشَّفَاعَةُ إِلَّا مَنْ أَذِنَ لَهُ الرَّحْمَنُ وَرَضِيَ لَهُ قَوْلًا]
Reference: Ta Ha:109
, وقد بين تعالى في مواضع أخر: أن المعبودات التي يعبدونها من دون الله لا تملك الشفاعة، وأن من شهد بالحق يملكها بإذن الله له في ذلك، وهو قوله تعالى: [وَلَا يَمْلِكُ الَّذِينَ يَدْعُونَ مِنْ دُونِهِ الشَّفَاعَةَ إِلَّا مَنْ شَهِدَ بِالْحَقِّ الْآيَةَ]
Reference: Az-Zukhruf:86
, أي: لكن من شهد بالحق يشفع بإذن الله له في ذلك۔And Allama Shanqeeti, may Allah have mercy on him, says: That is, none of them has the authority of intercession except the one who has taken a covenant with the Most Merciful, and by this is meant the people of faith. The covenant means righteous deeds and this acknowledgment that there is no true deity except Allah, and other truthful statements are included in this meaning. That is, only the people of faith will intercede, and some of them will intercede on behalf of others. As Allah Almighty has said: [يَوْمَئِذٍ لَا تَنْفَعُ الشَّفَاعَةُ إِلَّا مَنْ أَذِنَ لَهُ الرَّحْمَنُ وَرَضِيَ لَهُ قَوْلًا] On that Day, intercession will not benefit except for the one whom the Most Merciful permits and approves of. And Allah Almighty has also clearly stated in other places that those deities whom people call besides Allah have no authority of intercession, but the one who bears witness to the truth has the authority of intercession by Allah’s permission.
Thus, Allah Almighty says: [وَلَا يَمْلِكُ الَّذِينَ يَدْعُونَ مِنْ دُونِهِ الشَّفَاعَةَ إِلَّا مَنْ شَهِدَ بِالْحَقِّ الْآيَةَ] And those whom they invoke besides Him have no power of intercession except he who bears witness to the truth. (That is) the one who will give testimony to the truth, he will intercede by Allah's permission.
Reference: Adwaa al-Bayan fi Idhah al-Quran bil-Quran:3/516
Our Master Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him):
عن أبي هريرة رضي الله عنه: أنه قال: قلت: يا رسول الله، من أسعد الناس بشفاعتك يوم القيامة؟ فقال: لقد ظننت يا أبا هريرة أن لا يسألني عن هذا الحديث أحد أول منك، لما رأيت من حرصك على الحديث، أسعد الناس بشفاعتي يوم القيامة: من قال: لا إله إلا الله خالصا من قبل نفسه۔
It is narrated from Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him): I asked the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him): O Messenger of Allah! Who will be the most fortunate to receive your intercession on the Day of Resurrection? The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: O Abu Hurairah! I thought that no one would ask me this hadith before you, because I have seen your great eagerness in seeking hadith. On the Day of Resurrection, the one who will be most fortunate to receive my intercession is the one who sincerely says the Kalimah "لا إله إلا الله".
Reference: Sahih al-Bukhari:6570
Ibn Battal (may Allah have mercy on him):
قال ابن بطال: أن الشفاعة إنما تكون فى أهل الإخلاص خاصة، وهم أهل التصديق بوحدانية الله، ورسله، لقوله صلى الله عليه وسلم: خالصا من قلبه، أو نفسه۔
Imam Ibn Battal, may Allah have mercy on him, says: Intercession will be specifically for the sincere ones, and the sincere ones are those who affirm the Oneness of Allah and His messengers; because the Noble Prophet, peace be upon him, said: "Whoever says [لا إله إلا الله] with sincerity of heart or sincerity of soul."
Reference: Sharh Sahih al-Bukhari - Ibn Battal: 1/176
Allama Ibn al-Qayyim, may Allah have mercy on him:
وقال ابن القيم: وفي قوله في حديث أبي هريرة: «أسعد الناس بشفاعتي من قال: لا إله إلا الله» سر من أسرار التوحيد، وهو أن الشفاعة إنما تنال بتجريد التوحيد، فمن كان أكمل توحيدا كان أحرى بالشفاعة۔
And in the hadith of Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, the statement of the Noble Prophet, peace be upon him: [أسعد الناس بشفاعتي من قال: لا إله إلا الله] "The one who will have the greatest right to my intercession is the one who said ،،لا إله إلا الله،،."
In this is one of the great secrets of the mysteries of Tawheed, and that is that intercession is attained through pure monotheism. Therefore, the more perfect a person's Tawheed is, the more deserving he will be of intercession.
Reference: Tahdhib Sunan Abi Dawood: 3/314, Number: 4578
Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him:
عن أبي هريرة رضي الله عنه: قال: قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: لكل نبي دعوة مستجابة، فتعجل كل نبي دعوته، وإني اختبأت دعوتي شفاعة لأمتي يوم القيامة، فهي نائلة إن شاء الله، من مات من أمتي لا يشرك بالله شيئا۔
It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah رضي الله عنه that he said: The Messenger of Allah صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم said: Every prophet has a special accepted supplication, and I have kept my supplication hidden for the Day of Judgment for the intercession of my Ummah, while every prophet hastened to supplicate during his lifetime. My intercession will be granted to every person who dies from my Ummah without associating anyone with Allah ان شاء اللہ!.
Reference: Sahih Muslim:199
Imam Ibn Taymiyyah رحمه الله:
قال ابن تيمية: ما يحصل للعبد بالتوحيد والإخلاص من شفاعة الرسول وغيرها لا يحصل بغيره من الأعمال وإن كان صالحا كسؤاله الوسيلة للرسول فكيف بما لم يأمر به من الأعمال بل نهى عنه؟ فذاك لا ينال به خيرا لا في الدنيا ولا في الآخرة مثل غلو النصارى في المسيح عليه السلام فإنه يضرهم ولا ينفعهم. ونظير هذا ما في الصحيحين عنه صلى الله عليه وسلم أنه قال: {إن لكل نبي دعوة مستجابة وإني اختبأت دعوتي شفاعة لأمتي يوم القيامة فهي نائلة إن شاء الله من مات لا يشرك بالله شيئا}. وكذلك في أحاديث الشفاعة كلها إنما يشفع في أهل التوحيد فبحسب توحيد العبد لله وإخلاصه دينه لله يستحق كرامة الشفاعة وغيرها. وهو سبحانه علق الوعد والوعيد والثواب والعقاب والحمد والذم بالإيمان به وتوحيده وطاعته فمن كان أكمل في ذلك كان أحق بتولي الله له بخير الدنيا والآخرة.
Sheikh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allah have mercy on him, says: "A servant attains the intercession of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, and other virtues through monotheism and sincerity, which cannot be attained through other deeds, no matter how good those deeds may be, such as asking Allah Almighty for the position of intercession for the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him. Then what will be the state of those deeds which the Shariah has neither prescribed nor allowed, but has rather forbidden? Through such deeds, no good is attained in this world or the Hereafter. It is like the exaggeration of the Christians regarding Jesus, peace be upon him; this exaggeration harms them and does not benefit them. Similarly, there is the hadith narrated in Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim from the Noble Prophet, peace be upon him, in which he said: 'Every prophet has a supplication that is accepted, and I have reserved my supplication for the Day of Resurrection for the intercession of my Ummah. So, if Allah wills, this intercession will be granted to every person who dies in a state of not associating anything with Allah.' Likewise, all the hadiths related to intercession are for the people of monotheism only. Therefore, the more a servant purifies his monotheism for Allah and keeps his religion pure for Him, the more he will deserve intercession and other honors and respect. And Allah, Glorified and Exalted, has linked promises and warnings, rewards and punishments, praise and blame to faith in Him, His monotheism, and obedience to Him. So, whoever is more perfect in these matters will be more deserving of Allah’s guardianship and help in the goodness of this world and the Hereafter."
Reference: Majmoo' al-Fatawa: 27/440-441
