It is narrated in Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī from our master Abū Hurayra, may Allāh be pleased with him, that he asked the Prophet ﷺ: “O Messenger of God, who are the happiest people through your intercession on the Day of Resurrection?” The Messenger of God ﷺ said: “I expected, O Abū Hurayra, that no one would ask me about this before you, because of what I have seen of your eagerness for ḥadīth. The happiest people through my intercession on the Day of Resurrection are those who say lā ilāha illā Allāh sincerely from their hearts (qalb) or their souls (nafs).”

The Prophet’s ﷺ intercession (shafāʿa) is for the entire Muslim community (umma), not just for the sinners among them. Even the righteous need the Chosen One’s ﷺ intercession because his intercession is, in truth, a light. The Chosen One ﷺ said: “God created creation in darkness, then He sprinkled them with His light.” (Tirmidhī) This sprinkling is, in essence, the intercession of the Chosen One ﷺ. Whoever receives intercession from the Prophet ﷺ will be saved, and whoever misses it will remain in darkness. It is for this reason that he is called Abū al-Qāsim (the Divider). He distributes this intercession as he wills, to whomever he wills.

The Messenger of God ﷺ said in the ḥadīth of the intercession: “ [...] Then I will arrive under the Throne, and I will prostrate to my Lord, the Exalted and Majestic. Then Allāh will inspire me with glorifications and praises that He has not inspired anyone before me. It will be said, ‘O Muḥammad, raise your head, ask and you will be given, intercede and your intercession will be accepted.’” (Bukhārī)

Achieving felicity (saʿāda) through the Prophet’s intercession has levels. A believer’s felicity through the Prophet’s ﷺ intercession is according to the spiritual share they receive from the Prophet and his family ﷺ.  While it is true that the Prophet ﷺ said, “My intercession is for the people of major sins from my umma,” (Tirmidhī) the greatest intercession is not merely the one that saves sinners from the Fire. Rather, the highest form of intercession, known as the intercession of the elite (khāṣṣa), is the one that includes a person on the Day of Resurrection among the close circle of the Prophet and his family ﷺ. This is the intercession of love (ḥubb).

A man came to the Messenger of God ﷺ and said: “O Messenger of God, when will the Hour (i.e., the Day of Resurrection, qiyāma) happen?” The Prophet ﷺ stood up for prayer, and when he finished his prayer, he said: “Where is the one who asked about the qiyāma?” The man said: “I am here, O Messenger of God.” He said: “What have you prepared for it?” He replied: “O Messenger of God, I have not prepared much prayer or fasting, but I love Allāh and His Messenger.” The Prophet ﷺ said: “A person will be with those whom they love, and you will be with those whom you love.” (Bukhārī)

This ḥadīth indicates that reaching the station of this companion places one among the happiest of people through the intercession, as it bestows upon them the withness (maʿiyya) of the Prophet ﷺ. To attain this noble goal, a believer requires the light of intercession to be qualified for the withness of the elite of Allāh’s creation (i.e., the Prophet and his family ﷺ). Without this light, one cannot draw near to them, as the Lord, Glory be to Him, says: “Indeed, Allāh desires to repel all impurity from you, O People of the Household, and to purify you with [extensive] purification.” (Qurʾān 33:33). Impurity is darkness, and the Chosen One and his family ﷺ cannot be approached by those who have no share in the light. O Allāh, make us worthy of their witness and withness, O Most Generous of the generous.

The Prophet ﷺ also mentioned in the ḥadīth we started with, “whoever says lā ilāha illā Allāh,” which is the affirmation of the Oneness of Allāh, Glory be to Him. One cannot realize these words unless providence (ḥusnā) has already preceded. The essence of this ḥusnā is the intercession of the Chosen One ﷺ. Those touched by this providence in pre-eternity will find themselves, during their lives in the lower realm (dunyā), embarking on the spiritual path of self-purification under the guidance of a realized (wāṣil mūṣil) Shaykh from the elite of the progeny of the Chosen One ﷺ. This master guides them until they are led to utter these words and taste their meaning from the highest spiritual stations, beginning with the soul (nafs) and the heart (qalb), and culminating with the spirit (rūḥ) and the secret (sirr).

Thus, one tastes this intercession in this world before the next, and both gardens (jinān) will be granted to them. “But for he who fears the station of his Lord is [granted] two gardens.” (Qurʾān 55:46) In this way, they will be granted the withness (maʿiyya) of the grandson in this world. And based on Allāh Almighty’s saying: “And know that among you is the Messenger of Allāh…” (Qurʾān 49:7), they will be granted the garden of knowledge (jannat al-maʿrifa) as well.

As for his mention in the ḥadīth we are discussing of the heart (qalb) and the soul (nafs), this is an indication from the Chosen One ﷺ that a Muslim should endure in patience until they become a “heart.” He mentioned the heart and the soul in juxtaposition to clarify that the heart referred to is not merely the physical organ. Instead, it signifies the spiritual station of the heart or the station of the soul, through which the seeker progresses on their spiritual path, moving from the station of the soul to the heart, then to the spirit, and finally to the secret. This is a reference to the process of self-purification that is intrinsically embedded in the core (ḥaqīqa) of the blessed saying lā ilāha illā Allāh.

Shaykh Sidi Mohamed Faouzi al-Karkarī, may Allāh sanctify his secret, says in his book The Luminous Ascents in the Karkarī Remembrances:

O Allāh, establish us in the stations of those whom You have been pleased with, whom You have chosen for Yourself, and whom You have selected for Yourself. Cast us upon the falsehood of others (aghyār) until You reveal to us the origin of lights, so that the darkness of our souls may be shattered under the force of the address. “But Allāh purifies whom He wills, and Allāh is All-Embracing and Knowing.” (Qurʾān 24:21)

Then he, may Allāh sanctify his secret, said: “Thus, we internalize the etiquette (nata’addaba) of the Divine Presence (al-ḥaḍra) over the carpets of ‘My Lord has taught me good manners, and He has made my teaching excellent.’”

The aim of this entire educational process is for the believer to realize, through spiritual transformation, the true essence of good manners (adab) with the Messenger of God ﷺ. The path to this realization goes beyond character development; it touches the very being of the wayfarer, and its pre-eternal prerequisite is rooted in the essence of the withness (maʿiyya) of the Messenger ﷺ. Those who have a share in this withness will experience it throughout their lives by being in a state of withness with the inheritors of the Prophet ﷺ from among the elite of his progeny. Finally, whoever embodies the station (maqām) of good manners with the Messenger of God ﷺ and his family also embodies the station of good manners with Allāh Almighty.