ʿAbdur-Razzaq said. Someone who saw ʿAli when he rode told me: When he put his foot in the stirrup, he said: Bismillah (in the Name of Allah). When he got on it, he said: Al-Hamdu Lillah (praise be to Allah). Then he said: ʿGlory be to the One Who has placed this (transport) at our service and we ourselves would not have been capable of that, and to our Lord is our final destiny [az-Zukhruf 43:13-14]ʿ. Then he said Al-hamdu Lillah three times and Allahu Akbar three times, then he said: O Allah, there is no god but You. I have wronged myself, so forgive me; no one forgives sins but You. Then he smiled, and it was said: What made you smile, O Ameer al-Muʿmineen? He said: I saw the Messenger of Allah ﷺ do what I have done and say what I have said, then he smiled and we said: What made you smile, O Messenger of Allah ﷺ? He said: ʿI was amazed at the slave when he said there is no god but You. I have wronged myself, so forgive me; no one forgives sins but You,” and he knows that no one forgives sins but He.” (Using translation from Aḥmad 930)   

رَأَيْتُ عَلِيًّا أُتِيَ بِدَابَّةٍ فَلَمَّا وَضَعَ رِجْلَهُ فِي الرِّكَابِ قَالَ «بِسْمِ اللهِ فَلَمَّا اسْتَوَى عَلَيْهَا» قَالَ {سُبْحَانَ الَّذِي سَخَّرَ لَنَا هَذَا وَمَا كُنَّا لَهُ مُقْرِنِينَ وَإِنَّا إِلَى رَبِّنَا لَمُنْقَلِبُونَ} [الزخرف 14] ثُمَّ كَبَّرَ ثَلَاثًا وَحَمِدَ اللهَ ثَلَاثًا ثُمَّ قَالَ «لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ سُبْحَانَكَ إِنِّي ظَلَمْتُ نَفْسِي فَاغْفِرْ لِي ذَنْبِي إِنَّهُ لَا يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ» فَقَالَ إِنَّ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ قَالَ «يَوْمًا مِثْلَ مَا قُلْتُ ثُمَّ اسْتَضْحَكَ» فَقُلْتُ مِمَّا اسْتَضْحَكْتَ يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ قَالَ «يَعْجَبُ رَبِّنَا مِنْ قَوْلِ عَبْدِهِ سُبْحَانَكَ إِنِّي قَدْ ظَلَمْتُ نَفْسِي فَاغْفِرْ لِي ذُنُوبِي إِنَّهُ لَا يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ» قَالَ «عَلِمَ عَبْدِي أَنَّ لَهُ رَبًّا يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ»