If judged for themselves and their deeds, few people would receive salvation. For, man is too selfish, too imperfect. At best, he is swamped in sin; he transgresses at every step, sometimes unintentionally, sometimes not. That is why man needs shafa‘at; someone who can absolve him of imperfection, seek pardon for his sins and make him complete. Such is the person of the Imam, the sultan, without whom it is virtually impossible to penetrate the skies. The Imam promises shafa‘at for his followers; Imam Mohammed ul BaqirSA said, “Wallahe lanashfa‘anna”, repeating this three times. Imam Jafar us SadiqSA raised his sleeve and swore that if a mumin were thrown into jahannam due to sin, the Imam would pull him out with his own hand. Today, Syedna Mohammed BurhanuddinTUS promises us shafa‘at, assuring us that he will hold us by the hand and lead us into jannat.
