Do Hajj & Umrah expiate major sins?
With regard to this question, Dr. Salah Sultan, President of Islamic American University, Detroit, US, and former professor of fiqh (Islamic Jurisprudence) at Cairo University, Egypt, answers: “Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reports that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) says: “The performance of `Umrah is expiation for the sins committed between it and the previous ones. And the reward for Hajj Mabrur (pilgrimage accepted by Allah) is nothing but Paradise.” (Sahih Al-Bukhari, Vol. 3, Book 27, Hadith no. 1) It is also reported that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him says: “Alternate between Hajj and `Umrah, because both rid one of poverty and sins just as the blacksmith’s bellows removes all impurities from metals like iron, gold and silver. The reward for Hajj Mabrur is nothing short of Paradise.” (Sunan At-Tirmidhi, Vol. 2, chapter on the Reward of Hajj and `Umrah; the Hadith is graded as Hasan Sahih (good and authentic) by Sheikh Al-Albaani, may A
