Indeed the Day of Judgment is a day when there will be intercession because many verses in the Qura’n about it say so.

But can there be intercession in this world or in purgatory and before the accounting of the deeds in the hereafter? These issues need to be discussed.

Allama Tabatabai has discussed this issue at length and has concluded that intercession will be done in the last stage of the Day of Judgment. It will be done at a point to save the sinners from going into Hell and thus some even in Hell will be pardoned and come out.

He has pointed it towards purgatory and has discussed the hadith which says that the Holy Messenger will come in the grave to help the believers and then said that this is not one of the kinds of intercession but is a part of the authority that has invested in the Holy Messenger. (1)

The strange thing is that he includes everything in the universe when he discusses the creative and manifest intercession but he does not consider it correct that the saints and chosen ones of God can help the believer overcome the hardships in the grave or in purgatory.

What we learn overall is that intercession in the wide sense will include all the three the world, the purgatory and the hereafter. Though its real place will be on the Day of Judgment and its great sin is the freedom from the torments of Hell.

Verse 64 of Surah Nisaa says:

“Since they were being unjust to themselves they came to you and sought forgiveness of God and the Messenger pleaded for them to be pardoned. Surely the would have found God oft-returning, most merciful.”

Can the Messenger ask for anything but forgiveness for the believers?

The meaning has come in the incidence of Jacob and his sons in verse 97 of Surah Yusuf:

“They said, “Father ask forgiveness from God for our sins. Indeed we have been sinners.”

It has been seen in this world that many people and nation have been saved by the prayers of their apostles or saints. This is nothing but intercession.

There are umpteen hadiths that say that the good deeds, like prayers, fasting, succession etc or the apostles of God have been the cause in the decrease of punishment. It has often been seen that the burial of a very righteous person in any graveyard has been the cause of the easing of punishments of the sinners buried there.

These things point to the intercession in purgatory.

Our pleas for forgiveness in the daily prayers for the dead are not without affects. This too is a form of intercession.

This is why intercession is not limited to any particular world but takes place in all the three worlds but its most important place is in the Judgment Day and that is time when mankind will face the divine punishment.

Question:

We read in various hadiths that the Imams have said that they are worried about us in purgatory. Imam Sadiq has said: “By God I fear for you about purgatory. But when the affairs are entrusted to us then we will be the authority for you” (1) the narrator says he asked him, “What is purgatory?” the Imam answered, “Purgatory is the grave or the time in it from death to the Judgment Day.” (2)

It is possible that these hadiths may be about a particular phase in purgatory or those that are forgiven are limited in numbers and it is not for all those who deserve forgiveness.

1. Tafsir Al Mizan vol.1 pager 74 for verse 48 of Surah Baqarah.

2. Behar-ol-Anwar vol.6 page 214 hadith 2

3. Behar-ol-Anwar vol.6 page 267 hadith 116