The Role of Intercession (Shafāʿah) in the Perfection of the Soul from the Perspective of Sayyed Ḥaydar Āmulī

Document Type : Scholary

Authors

1 Department of Philosophy, Faculty of Theology, College of Farabi, University of Tehran, Qom, Iran

2 Department of Islamic Mysticism, Faculty of Sufism and Islamic Mysticism, University of Religions and Denominations, Qom, Iran

Abstract

Muslim scholars have presented various responses to the question of the soul's perfection in the Hereafter. Among them, the mystics, drawing on metaphysical principles, such as the doctrine of perpetual renewal (tajaddud al-amthāl), do not limit the perfection of human beings and other entities to this worldly domain. One of the elements indicating the soul's posthumous perfection is intercession, which leads to the salvation of sinners and the elevation of the faithful. The present study, using a descriptive-analytical method, explores the relationship between intercession and the soul's perfection in the Hereafter. Sayyed Ḥaydar Āmulī, as a Shiʿi mystic, believes that intercession emanates from the all-encompassing divine mercy and is actualized through the perfect human. According to him, the perfect human's relationship with both God and the divine names on the one hand, and with creation on the other hand, is the basis for the salvation of sinners in the Hereafter. Other attributes of the perfect human, such as vicegerency (khilāfah), ontological governance, and existential comprehensiveness, also play a fundamental role in the realization of intercession. Āmulī further addresses the eligibility of the sinners as a necessary condition for receiving intercession.

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References

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Classical and Contemporary Islamic Studies
Volume 8, Issue 2
July 2026
Pages 157-169

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