Surah Al-Baqarah 2:48

وَٱتَّقُوا۟ يَوْمًۭا لَّا تَجْزِى نَفْسٌ عَن نَّفْسٍۢ شَيْـًۭٔا وَلَا يُقْبَلُ مِنْهَا شَفَـٰعَةٌۭ وَلَا يُؤْخَذُ مِنْهَا عَدْلٌۭ وَلَا هُمْ يُنصَرُونَ

2:48 Shafâ‘atشَفَـٰعَةٌۭ is derived from shafa‘aشفَعَ , meaning to make even that which was odd, to protect, mediate, intercede, to be an intercessor, or to pray in support of another person. It also means to pair or to join a thing to its like; such that the two that are joined have a likeness and similarity to each other (Râghib; Lane; Sihâh; Abû Ubaid). Man yafsh‘a shafâ‘atan من يشفعُ شَفَـٰعَةٌۭ4:85) means He who joins with others and assists in doing good or evil, and thus aids, strengthens and partakes of the benefits or the harms of their actions. Shafâ‘ahشَفَـٰعَةٌۭis a Prayer to increase and give in surplus or in excess (Mubarrad), Thal‘ab). Al-Qur’ân Shâfi‘unالقرآن شافعٌ means the Holy Qur’ân is the intercessor for he who acts according to its teachings. Shafâ‘at has a twofold significance: firstly it enables a person to walk on the ways of righteousness by imitating a model; secondly, it provides him a shelter from the evil consequences of certain weaknesses that he is unable to overcome by himself, and that require the Prayer and support of an innocent person. The person for whom favour, or shafâ‘at is sought must generally be virtuous, and one who has made an honest effort to win the pleasure of Allâh (21:28). It is another form of repentance (- taubahتوبة ), a way of reforming a broken connection or tightening up a loose one. Whereas the door of repentance becomes closed with death, the door of shafâ‘at remains open. Moreover valid shafâ‘at can only be made with Allâh’s express permission to the one who is interceding (2:255; 10:3). Shafâ‘at is also the manifestation of Allâh’s Mercy as He is not a judge but a Master, with the freedom to extend His Mercy to whomsoever He pleases (cf. 2:255). The Holy Prophet (pbuh) said, “The angels have interceded; the believers have interceded; now the Most Merciful will intercede. He will draw out from the fire even persons who never offered acts of goodness and whose hardened hearts have been melted. He will then immerse them in the river that flows before entrance of Paradise called the River of Life” (narrated by Jâbir Ibn ‘Abdullah).