What do We Mean by Expiate?
An expiatory act or propitiatory act is one performed to profess your regrets and apologize for previous wrongdoing by doing something (or accepting punishment) to atone for a sin whether it was a shortcoming or a bigger sin such as a willful transgression against the laws of religion.
Hajj is one of the best deeds one can perform. Therefore, if done according to legal procedures and solely for the purpose of pleasing or obeying Allah then will serve as a means of atonement for all the sins committed by the person.
The main and clear aspect of pilgrimage is that we hasten to respond to God’s call, wearing nothing of the ornaments, which are part of our custom. If we practice a strong sense of devotion and sincere submission during our pilgrimage, God will generously compensate us for our efforts. In other words, the more we devote ourselves to the pilgrimage and submit to God during the process, the greater our rewards will be.
Upon completing our pilgrimage, Allah forgives our sins and grants us a clean slate. We understand that our transgressions were a violation of our own souls and a neglect of our obligation to submit to Allah’s commandments.
When we respond to His call with dedication and submission, as we do during the pilgrimage, He accepts our submission and erases our past sins.

First, let us answer a question everyone should know before moving on to the topic of the article.
What are the 7 Major Sins in Islam?
- Shirk
- Witchcraft
- Killing a soul whom Allah has forbidden us to kill
- Consuming orphans’ wealth
- Consuming Riba
- Fleeing from the battlefield
- Slandering chaste, innocent women.
To help you avoid committing these sins, we will provide a brief description of each one for your awareness.
- Shirk
The worship of others along with Allah. It also implies attributing divine attributes to anyone or anything other than Allah.
It is the belief that power, harm, or blessings come from others besides or with Allah.
- Witchcraft
Committing witchcraft is also a kind of shirk because it involves seeking help and power from sources other than Allah such as worshipping the jinn and seeking their help to misguide people. Black magic harms people and creates illusions by using jinn.
Allah says in the Quran (interpretation of the meaning by Clear Quran):
“They ˹instead˺ followed the magic promoted by the devils during the reign of Solomon. Never did Solomon disbelieve, rather the devils disbelieved. They taught magic to the people…” (Qur’an 2:102)
This verse emphasizes the prohibition of magic in Islam and warns against its harms. On this basis, it is not permissible to use witchcraft for any purpose whatsoever. Witchcraft or magic is falsehood, and all kinds of falsehood are kufr and evildoing.
- Killing a soul whom Allah has forbidden us to kill
The greatest sin in Islam is taking the life of another person or depriving them of their right to live. The Prophet of Islam (PBUH) said: “Seeing the destruction of the world is easier for God than seeing a believer being murdered.”
This means that harming or killing someone is considered a very serious offense and is strictly prohibited in Islam
Furthermore, under Islamic law, the punishment for killing someone without a legal permit in this world is execution.
- Consuming orphans’ wealth
Anyone who defrauds an orphan of his property will be presented on the Day of Judgment with flames protruding from his mouth, nose, and ears. People will remember him as the man who usurped orphans’ property. This implies that anyone who takes away an orphan’s rightful property will be condemned to Hellfire, even though he has committed no other sin.

- Consuming Riba
Riba is a concept in Islamic banking that refers to charging interest. It has also been called usury, or the charging of unreasonably high-interest rates. There is also another form of riba, according to most Islamic jurists, which refers to the simultaneous exchange of goods of unequal quantities or qualities.
Islam aims to promote charity and help others through kindness.
To remove selfishness and self-centeredness, which create social antipathy, distrust, and resentment. By making riba illegal, Sharia law creates opportunities and contexts in which people are encouraged to act charitably, lending money without interest.
- Fleeing from the battlefield
This is a sin as this act may affect the troops of believers and they may end up losing the battle and it is a form of treachery.
In the Quran, it is mentioned (interpretation of the meaning by Clear Quran):
“O you who believe! When you meet those who disbelieve on the march, never turn your backs on them.
Anyone who turns his back on them on that Day, except while maneuvering for battle, or to join another group, has incurred wrath from God, and his abode is Hell—what a miserable destination!” (Qur’an 8:15-16)
- Slandering chaste, innocent women.
People who accuse pure women unjustly of committing adultery and illegal intercourse are cursed in this world and the hereafter and deserve serious punishment.
In the Quran, it is mentioned (interpretation of the meaning by Clear Quran):
“Those who accuse chaste women, then cannot bring four witnesses, whip them eighty lashes, and do not ever accept their testimony. For these are the immoral.
Except for those who repent afterwards, and reform; for God is Forgiving and Merciful.” (Qur’an 24: 4-5)

Pilgrimage is a significant act of worship in Islam that demonstrates our submission to God. It involves expressing remorse for our past sins and making a firm commitment to do better in the future. However, many Muslims often have the same question regarding Hajj, which is:
Do all Sins Get Forgiven in Hajj?
If a person performs his Hajj correctly, all his sins are forgiven. There is a difference of opinion among scholars as to whether this includes the major sins.
Some say that the major sins are also forgiven.
Others say that the major sins are only forgiven by Tawbah, i.e., sincerely repenting from those sins.
The way to reconcile these two views is that it is only befitting of a true pilgrim that he will, during his Hajj, make sincere Tawbah from all sins.
Thus, in this way, a person who performs his Hajj correctly, including Tawbah, will have his major sins forgiven as well.

Generally speaking, Hajj is not solely meant for seeking forgiveness of sins.
Instead, Muslims are encouraged to turn to Allah and seek His forgiveness at all times and in all places, as seeking forgiveness is a continuous process and not limited to a specific act of worship such as Hajj.
Allah Almighty says:
“And when My servants ask you about Me, I Am near; I answer the call of the caller when he calls on Me. So let them answer Me, and have faith in Me, that they may be rightly guided.” (Qur’an 2:186).
If you are interested in visiting Makkah and Madinah, you are welcome to join us on our next Umrah trip. Jerusalem will also be part of our trip.
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