Ismailis have a ceremony called the CHHANTA ceremony in which the representative of their present Imam forgives sins of the Murids by sprinking linking Aab-e-Zam Zam on them.
Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,
As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa
Barakatuh. (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)
One of our brothers/sisters has asked
this question:
You
are doing a great job, and I hope misguided people take guidance from your
site. Ismailis have a ceremony called the CHHANTA ceremony in which the
representative of their present Imam forgives sins of the Murids by sprinking
linking Aab-e-Zam Zam on them. According to the Ismaili`s, Prophet Mohammad
(PBUH) and Hazrat Ali (A.S) also used to forgive sins of Muslims. I know this
is not true, but I dont have any proof. Please reply in the light of references
from Quran.Please reply soon, its very urgent.
(There may be some grammatical and spelling
errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from
questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in
confidentiality.)
Answer:
Forgive sins by zam zam
In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask
for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever
He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that
there is none worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that
Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.
If an individual has harmed or usurped the rights or
oppressed another individual, and the oppressor beseeches the oppressed to
forgive him, the oppressed is well within his rights to forgive his brother, if
he wishes to do so.
But none in creation has the power or the right to go
about forgiving all the sins of others….this is the Right of Allah Subhanah
Alone!!!
Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 42 Surah
Ash-Shura verse 25:
25 He (Allah) is the One that accepts repentance from His Servants and
forgives sins: and He knows all that ye do.
Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 39 Surah
Zumah verses 53-54:
53 Say: "O my Servants who have transgressed against their souls!
Despair not of the Mercy of Allah: for Allah (Alone) forgives all sins: for He
is Oft-Forgiving Most Merciful.”
54 Turn ye to your Lord (in repentance) and bow to His (Will) before
the Penalty comes on you: after that ye shall not be helped.
Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 22 Surah
Hajj verse 60 (part):
…. for Allah (Alone)
is One that blots out (sins) and forgives (again and again).
Allah says in the Holy
Quran Chapter 3 Surah Ale Imraan verse 135-136:
Allah likes such good
people very much, who, if ever they
commit a base deed or wrong their own soul by the commission of a sin, remember Allah instantly, and ask for forgiveness from Him for their
shortcomings. For who but Allah can
forgive sins? (And Allah loves
those) who do not knowingly persist in the wrongs they did. These will be rewarded with forgiveness from
Allah, and with Gardens beneath which
canals flow, and they will reside
therein forever! How excellent is the
reward of those who do good deeds!
Your Statement:
Ismailis have a ceremony called the CHHANTA ceremony in which the representative
of their present Imam forgives sins of the Murids by sprinking linking
Aab-e-Zam Zam on them. According to the Ismaili`s, Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) and
Hazrat Ali (A.S) also used to forgive sins of Muslims.
The literal meaning of the Urdu language term ‘Chaanta’ is
to sprinkle.
It is absolutely absurd to believe that one has the power
or the authority to forgive the sins of others by simply sprinkling some water
on them! And it is even more absurd and
a manifest blasphemy to attribute such absurdity to the noble self of the
Messenger of Allah (saws) or even his noble companion of the like and stature
of Hadrat Ali (r.a.)!!!
Allah is our witness sister, there is absolutely nothing
in the Quran or the authentic and established Sunnah whereby the Lord Most
All-Mighty or His Noble Messenger (saws) ever endorsed such a ritual, whereby
any human being has the authority or the power or the right to forgive the sins
of others by simply sprinkling some water on them!
If one wishes to get one’s sins forgiven, the Quran and
the Sunnah have established and endorsed the system of ‘Taubah’ or sincere
repentance:
The conditions or ways to seek
sincere Taubah or Repentance from the Merciful Lord are:
- One is aware that he has sinned, and feels sorry and ashamed at his sin.
- Makes a solemn covenant and promise with Allah
that he will not repeat his sin again.
- Turns to Allah and seeks forgiveness, before
he has met with his appointment of death.
- Is a believer and does righteous good deeds
thereafter.
Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 4 Surah
Nisaa verses 17-18:
17 Allah accepts the repentance of those who do evil in ignorance and
repent soon afterwards; to them will Allah turn in mercy; for Allah is full of
knowledge and wisdom.
18 Of no effect is the repentance of those who continue to do evil
until death faces one of them and he says "Now have I repented
indeed"; nor of those who die rejecting faith: for them have We prepared a
punishment most grievous.
Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 6 Surah
Anaam verse 54:
When those come to you who believe in Our
Signs, say: "Peace be on you! Your Lord had inscribed for Himself (the rule
of) Mercy. Verily if any of you did evil
in ignorance, and thereafter repented
and amended (his conduct), Lo! He is
Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful."
Your Question:
According to the Ismaili`s, Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) and Hazrat Ali (A.S) also
used to forgive sins of Muslims. I know this is not true, but I dont have any
proof. Please reply in the light of references from Quran.
Dear and beloved Sister in Islam, the onus of providing
the proof for something is always on the one who makes or initiates a
claim! If some sect priests claim that
the sprinkling of ‘zam-zam’ water has the power or ability to forgives all
sins, it is they who should be asked to provide the proof for their ritual from
one of the two sources of Truth: the Quran and/or the Sunnah!!!
We assure you in the Blessed Name of Allah Subhanah that
there is absolutely no evidence in the Quran and the Sunnah even remotely
associated with the self-invented ritual of ‘chaanta’ or the sprinkling of
‘zam-zam’ water to purify oneself from one’s sins!
Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to
Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only
Source of Strength.
Your brother and
well wisher in Islam,
Burhan
Wister