Do major sins nullify the Hajj?

The questioner : Do major sins nullify the Hajj?

The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and his Companions, and upon those who follow them with excellence until the Day of Judgment.
The apparent meaning of the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): and his saying (peace and blessings be upon him): is that the accepted Hajj expiates major sins. This is supported by the fact that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said: However, the question remains: can a person be certain that his Hajj was accepted? This is a difficult matter, for the accepted Hajj is one that is accepted in both intention and action. As for intention: it must be that his purpose in performing Hajj is to draw near to Allah the Exalted and to worship Him by performing the rites with a pure intention, free from showing off, seeking reputation, or any worldly need, except for what is permitted in the saying of Allah the Exalted: Likewise, the accepted Hajj in action is one where the actions follow the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) in performing the rites, avoiding what is forbidden specifically for the one in the state of ihram, and what is forbidden for people in general. This is a difficult matter, especially in our time, for it is rare for a Hajj to be free from negligence, carelessness, excess, transgression, bad deeds, or a lack of sincerity. Therefore, a person should not rely on the Hajj and then go and commit major sins, saying: "Major sins are expiated by the Hajj." Rather, he must repent to Allah the Exalted and Sublime from committing major sins, abandon them, and not return to them. The Hajj should be a voluntary addition of good to his righteous deeds. Among the major sins that some people, indeed many people, commit today is backbiting, which is mentioning one's brother in his absence with what he dislikes. Backbiting is among the major sins, as Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him) explicitly stated. Allah the Mighty and Majestic depicted it in the ugliest form, saying: It is known that a person does not like to eat the flesh of his brother, whether alive or dead, and his dislike of eating his flesh when dead is even stronger. So how can he be pleased to eat the flesh of his brother through backbiting while he is absent? Backbiting is among the major sins absolutely, and its sin and punishment increase as more harm results from it. Backbiting a close relative is not like backbiting a distant one, for backbiting a close relative is backbiting and severing family ties. Backbiting a neighbor is not like backbiting someone who lives far away, for backbiting a neighbor contradicts the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): and falls under the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): , for backbiting a neighbor is among the things that cause harm. Backbiting scholars is not like backbiting the general public, for scholars have a status of honor, esteem, and respect befitting their position. Also, backbiting scholars leads to their being belittled and falling in the eyes of people, and consequently to the belittling of what they say regarding the Shari'ah of Allah and its being disregarded. At that point, the Shari'ah is lost due to the backbiting of scholars, and people turn to ignorant people who issue rulings without knowledge. Likewise, backbiting rulers and those in authority, whom Allah has given authority over creation, is multiplied in sin, for their backbiting leads to their being belittled in the eyes of people and the loss of their awe. If the awe of the ruler is lost, the lands are corrupted, and chaos, fitnah, evil, and corruption prevail. Even if the one who backbites those in authority does so with the intention of reform, what he corrupts is more than what he reforms, and the consequences of his backbiting of those in authority are greater than the sin they committed. For whenever the status of the ruler is belittled in the hearts of people, they rebel against him and do not care about opposing him or resisting him. This is undoubtedly not reform, but rather corruption, shaking of security, and spreading of chaos. The obligatory course is to advise those in authority, from scholars and rulers, in a manner that removes the harm and brings about the benefit, by doing so in secret, with good manners and respect, for this is more likely to be accepted and closer to turning away from persisting in falsehood. It is possible that the truth lies with the one who criticized the ruler, for through discussion the matter becomes clear. How many a scholar has been backbitten and mentioned with what he dislikes, but when this scholar was questioned, it became clear that he did not say what was attributed to him, and that what was attributed to him was a false lie intended to smear, confuse, and out of envy. It is also possible that what was attributed to him was true, but he had a perspective hidden from many people, so when he was questioned and his perspective was explained, the prohibition was lifted. As for a person who, merely because his ruler, whether a prince or a scholar, is mentioned to him, goes and spreads the evil and hides the good, this is not justice and not wisdom, and it is clear injustice. Allah the Exalted said: meaning that your hatred of them should not lead you to abandon justice So we ask Allah the Exalted and Sublime to keep us all away from the causes of evil and corruption, to unite our hearts, and to make us among those who love each other for His sake and cooperate in righteousness and piety. Indeed, He is capable of all things.

The questioner : O Allah, amen. May Allah bless you, O honorable Shaykh.