Forgiveness of Major Sins Without Repentance

Question:
Another brother asks and says: Your Eminence the Shaykh, does Allah the Exalted forgive major sins by doing something other than repentance, such as Hajj, for example?

Answer:
The well-known view is that major sins are not forgiven except by repentance. Ibn al-Mundhir and others have reported this from the majority of scholars, that they are not forgiven except by repentance. Ibn al-Mundhir and others have also said that they may be forgiven by some great deeds, such as Hajj, fasting on the Day of 'Arafah, and the like. However, scholars have considered this view carefully, and the well-known position among scholars is that they are not forgiven except by repentance. This is based on the saying of the Exalted: "If you avoid these major sins, We will remit from you your lesser sins and admit you to a noble destination." The Exalted informed that they are not forgiven except by avoiding them; a lesser sin is not forgiven except by avoiding major sins. This indicates that it is necessary to avoid them and repent to Allah from them. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: unless major sins are forgiven. Generally, avoiding major sins is not sufficient without repenting from them, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) made righteous deeds expiate minor sins alongside the avoidance of major sins, and indicated that deeds do not expiate major sins; rather, only sincere repentance expiates them. It is not precluded that some deeds, of which Allah knows best, may be expiatory, such as jihad, as it came in the texts that the mujahid is forgiven for everything, even his sins, except his debt. This appears to be general in its wording, so it is necessary that some great deeds, such as jihad, or some great deeds, such as Hajj, may forgive a collection of sins for one who dies upon this great worship. It is not far-fetched, but the apparent meaning of the texts is that they are not forgiven except by avoiding them and repenting to Allah.