A Comparative Analysis of Intercession from the Perspective of Fakhr razi and Abdul-Jabbar

Intercession is one of the beliefs of all religions, especially Islam, which is implied in the verses of the Holy Quran. Besides, there are frequently narrated hadiths by the infallible imams about it. Muslim theologians agree that intercession is among the accepted Islamic beliefs, although they disagree on its interpretation. Some groups like Mutazilis, due to their prejudgments about the issue of threat of punishment, had to regard intercession as specific for obedient and righteous people. As a result, because of the intercession of the Prophet, the righteous people are risen to a higher rank, not the sinners. The Asharites, however, believe that intercession is used for the perpetrators of major sins, who have somehow failed to repent before death. Using a descriptive - analytical approach, this paper attempts to investigate the views of two important Muslim scholars, Fakhr razi and Ghazi Abdul Jabbar, one representative of Ashari school and the other representative of Mutazili school. The results suggest that the intercession of the saints of God depends on the will of God and fulfillment of certain conditions. In addition to improving one’s position, it can decrease chastisement.