al-Shafaa
- Author died
- 1422 AH
- Editions
- Dār al-Āthār lil-Nashr wa-al-Tawzīʿ
al-Shafaa (al-Shafāʿah, "The Intercession") is a hadith and theological treatise authored by the Yemeni scholar Muqbil bin Hadi al-Wadii (d. 1422 AH / 2001 CE), dedicated to establishing the Sunni creed regarding intercession in the afterlife and refuting opposing theological doctrines.
Background and Purpose
The treatise was composed to clarify the Islamic concept of intercession by reconciling relevant Quranic verses and distinguishing between valid, accepted intercession and invalid, rejected forms. It serves as a polemical work addressing groups that deny intercession for grave sinners—such as the Khawarij and the Mu'tazila, who hold that Muslims who commit major sins are permanently consigned to Hellfire—as well as the Murji'ah. The work also refutes practices of seeking intercession directly from created beings who do not possess it, specifically criticizing Sufis and extremist Shi'i factions. Al-Wadi'i noted that during his studies in Sa'dah, he encountered fabricated reports utilized to deny intercession, such as a narrational variant found in the Hadawi Zaydi text al-ʿIqd al-Thamīn fī Maʿrifat Rabb al-ʿĀlamīn falsely claiming that intercession is denied to perpetrators of major sins.
Contents and Methodology
Al-Wadi'i compiled prophetic narrations pertaining to all aspects of intercession, quoting each report with its chain of transmission (isnād). The book encompasses:
- The Great Intercession (al-Shafāʿah al-ʿUẓmā) on the Day of Judgment.
- Intercession specifically granted for perpetrators of major sins (ahl al-kabāʾir).
- The mutual intercession of believers for one another.
- The boundaries between permissible and forbidden forms of intercession.
In evaluating the narrations, al-Wadi'i applied hadith criticism to distinguish authentic reports from weak ones, explicitly detailing the causes of defect (ʿilal) in defective chains. The text was also studied and read collectively at the Dar al-Hadith center in Dammaj, where scholarly feedback and additions—notably from Yahya bin Ali al-Hajuri—were integrated into the work.
Publication History
al-Shafaa was first published in 1402 AH / 1982 CE by Maktabat Dar al-Arqam in Kuwait, followed by a second edition from the same publisher in 1403 AH. An introductory foreword to one of its editions was provided by Abu Abd Allah Ahmad bin Ibrahim bin Abi al-'Aynayn. In preparing the third edition, the author permitted the reordering of certain hadiths to more appropriate thematic placements, with typesetting contributions from Sa'id bin 'Umar Hubayshan, Husayn bin Muhammad Manna', and Muhammad bin 'Abd Allah al-Siyaghi.
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