The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Allah will gather the believers on the Day of Resurrection in the same way (as they are gathered in this life), and they will say, 'Let us ask someone to intercede for us with our Lord that He may relieve us from this place of ours.' Then they will go to Adam and say, 'O Adam! Don't you see the people (people's condition)? Allah created you with His Own Hands and ordered His angels to prostrate before you, and taught you the names of all the things. Please intercede for us with our Lord so that He may relieve us from this place of ours.' Adam will say, 'I am not fit for this undertaking' and mention to them the mistakes he had committed, and add, "But you d better go to Noah as he was the first Apostle sent by Allah to the people of the Earth.' They will go to Noah who will reply, 'I am not fit for this undertaking,' and mention the mistake which he made, and add, 'But you'd better go to Abraham, Khalil Ar-Rahman.' They will go to Abraham who will reply, 'I am not fit for this undertaking,' and mention to them the mistakes he made, and add, 'But you'd better go to Moses, a slave whom Allah gave the Torah and to whom He spoke directly' They will go to Moses who will reply, 'I am not fit for this undertaking,' and mention to them the mistakes he made, and add, 'You'd better go to Jesus, Allah's slave and His Apostle and His Word (Be: And it was) and a soul created by Him.' They will go to Jesus who will say, 'I am not fit for this undertaking, but you'd better go to Muhammad whose sins of the past and the future had been forgiven (by Allah).' So they will come to me and I will ask the permission of my Lord, and I will be permitted (to present myself) before Him. When I see my Lord, I will fall down in (prostration) before Him and He will leave me (in prostration) as long as He wishes, and then it will be said to me, 'O Muhammad! Raise your head and speak, for you will be listened to; and ask, for you will be granted (your request); and intercede, for your intercession will be accepted.' I will then raise my head and praise my Lord with certain praises which He has taught me, and then I will intercede. Allah will allow me to intercede (for a certain kind of people) and will fix a limit whom I will admit into Paradise. I will come back again, and when I see my Lord (again), I will fall down in prostration before Him, and He will leave me (in prostration) as long as He wishes, and then He will say, 'O Muhammad! Raise your head and speak, for you will be listened to; and ask, for you will be granted (your request); and intercede, for your intercession will be accepted.' I will then praise my Lord with certain praises which He has taught me, and then I will intercede. Allah will allow me to intercede (for a certain kind of people) and will fix a limit to whom I will admit into Paradise, I will return again, and when I see my Lord, I will fall down (in prostration) and He will leave me (in prostration) as long as He wishes, and then He will say, 'O Muhammad! Raise your head and speak, for you will be listened to, and ask, for you will be granted (your request); and intercede, for your intercession will be accepted.' I will then praise my Lord with certain praises which He has taught me, and then I will intercede. Allah will allow me to intercede (for a certain kind of people) and will fix a limit to whom I will admit into Paradise. I will come back and say, 'O my Lord! None remains in Hell (Fire) but those whom Qur'an has imprisoned therein and for whom eternity in Hell (Fire) has become inevitable.' " The Prophet (ﷺ) added, "There will come out of Hell (Fire) everyone who says: 'La ilaha illal-lah,' and has in his heart good equal to the weight of a barley grain. Then there will come out of Hell (Fire) everyone who says: ' La ilaha illal-lah,' and has in his heart good equal to the weight of a wheat grain. Then there will come out of Hell (Fire) everyone who says: 'La ilaha illal-lah,' and has in his heart good equal to the weight of an atom (or a smallest ant).
Oneness, Uniqueness of Allah (Tawheed)
Sahih al-Bukhari | Hadith 7410
The Great Intercession (Ash-Shafa'ah al-Kubra)
This profound hadith establishes the ultimate reality of divine intercession on Judgment Day, demonstrating Allah's infinite mercy while affirming His absolute Oneness. The believers' sequential approach to various prophets reveals fundamental theological principles: even the most honored creation cannot claim inherent right to intercede without divine permission.
Each prophet's acknowledgment of their own shortcomings—Adam mentioning his error, Noah his mistake, Abraham his faults, Moses his sin, and Jesus his created nature—reinforces the Islamic doctrine that all prophets were human beings protected from major sins but capable of minor errors, thus distinguishing them from divine attributes.
The Uniqueness of Prophet Muhammad's Intercession
The exclusive honor granted to Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) stems from Allah's specific favor, not from any inherent superiority he claimed for himself. His unique status as the intercessor is preceded by three essential conditions: divine permission, specific praises taught by Allah Himself, and the prostration of utter humility before the Divine Presence.
The repetition of the intercession process demonstrates Allah's abundant mercy and the graduated nature of salvation. The final extraction of believers from Hellfire—based on even the smallest atom of faith—reveals that Allah does not waste any good deed, no matter how minute, while maintaining justice.
Tawhidic Implications
This narration powerfully affirms Tawheed al-Uluhiyyah (Oneness of Worship) by showing that even on the Day of Judgment, creation turns to creation only as a means to reach the Creator. The ultimate reliance remains on Allah alone, as evidenced by the Prophet's need to seek permission and receive specific praises from his Lord.
The testimony of faith ("La ilaha illallah") emerges as the fundamental criterion for salvation, demonstrating that correct belief in Allah's Oneness outweighs all other considerations. This establishes the primacy of Tawheed in Islamic theology and the ultimate triumph of divine mercy over strict justice.