Ponder This Hadith

The Quran and Sunnah are replete with unequivocal proof that the Prophet ﷺ never sought — nor wanted the believers to seek — forgiveness from anyone other than Allah. Only Allah possesses the power to forgive sins, and forgiveness for sins committed against Him must be sought from Him alone.

What makes this hadith especially striking is that it is narrated by Ali ibn Abi Talib himself — the very figure Ismailis claim to follow. Ali did not teach people to seek forgiveness from him. He transmitted the words of the Prophet ﷺ affirming that Allah is delighted when His servant turns to Him alone and says, “O Lord, forgive my sins, for none forgives sins besides You.”

Yet in the Du’a Karavi recited in Jamatkhana, Ismailis are made to say: “Ya Shah, tu gunaa bakshe, bakshanhar” — “Oh Shah, forgive me, for you are the forgiver.” They take an attribute that belongs to Allah alone — Al-Ghaafir, the Forgiver of sins — and assign it to a man. This contradicts the Prophet ﷺ, it contradicts the Quran, and it contradicts the very man they claim as their first Imam.