Praise be to Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah. To proceed:
First: The Greatest Intercession to Begin the Judgment
It is established in the authentic hadith that on the Day of Judgment, people will be afflicted by such distress that they will be unable to bear it. They will seek someone to intercede for them with Allah so that judgment may begin among them. They will go to Adam, then Noah, then Abraham, then Moses, then Jesus, peace be upon them, until they come to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, who will intercede for them.
This is the greatest intercession, which is the Prophet’s ﷺ intercession that Allah تعالى begin the judgment among His creation. It will only occur with Allah’s permission and approval.
This is why the people go to the prophets one after another, until the intercession ultimately reaches the Prophet ﷺ.
Second: The Prophet’s ﷺ Other Intercessions
Intercession is not limited to the greatest intercession. Rather, the Prophet ﷺ has been granted other forms of intercession, including:
· Intercession for the people of the gathering so that judgment may begin; this is the greatest intercession.
· Intercession for some people to enter Paradise without reckoning.
· Intercession for some people of Paradise to have their ranks elevated.
· Intercession for some sinful monotheists, among those for whom Allah permits him to intercede.
· Intercession for some sinful monotheists to be brought out of Hellfire.
All of these forms of intercession do not occur independently through the Prophet ﷺ. Rather, they occur by the permission and approval of Allah تعالى. He سبحانه says:
﴿WHO IS IT THAT CAN INTERCEDE WITH HIM EXCEPT BY HIS PERMISSION?﴾ [Al-Baqarah: 255].
Third: Why Do They Not Go to Him Directly?
The answer is that the hadith itself tells us what will happen on the Day of Judgment: the people will begin with Adam عليه السلام, then move to the prophets after him, until they reach the Prophet ﷺ.
There is no need to assume that the people already knew the outcome in advance and nevertheless left the Prophet ﷺ. What has been established is that Allah تعالى will cause this situation to unfold in this particular order, until the greatest intercession ultimately reaches Muhammad ﷺ.
Furthermore, the details of this situation are matters of the unseen, so it is not correct to add reasons for which there is no established evidence.
Conclusion:
On the Day of Judgment, people will seek intercession for the judgment to begin. They will go through the prophets until they reach the Prophet ﷺ, who will intercede for them by Allah’s permission. This is the greatest intercession. The Prophet ﷺ also has other established forms of intercession, all of which are connected to Allah’s permission and approval. Thus, intercession does not occur independently of the will of Allah تعالى.
And Allah knows best.