Is it true that prayer expiates both minor and major sins? And what is the description of this prayer?

The questioner : We, as Salafis, for example, what is our position regarding these statements? You find ten opinions in a single issue...?

The Shaykh : ... We are not like the Salafis, we are the Salafis.

The questioner : I mean, what is our position regarding these different opinions that may exist regarding the meaning of a verse or the meaning of a hadith in a legal ruling? Several opinions, especially among the Salafis, in a single issue?

The Shaykh : What Allah willed.

The questioner : The meaning of...

The Shaykh : It seems you have a new study.

The questioner : I mean, when an issue passes by one, opinions pass by him. Believe me, in an issue a few days ago regarding the forgiveness of sins, there are opinions that are almost not less than thirty opinions... What is our position regarding these different opinions?

The Shaykh : Our position was not... and it was not possible, so we preferred what we have, and we excused the others. What do you think?

The questioner : By Allah, I see a positive aspect in the matter.
The Shaykh: From the opinions, even the Imams themselves refuted these opinions as invalid, saying "this opinion is invalid," but when you read the evidence and see the opinions of the other Imams, you find that this opinion is sound and not invalid as they claim. This actually happened in more than one case and more than one issue.

The Shaykh : Yes, when you are serious in research, you must give an example of an issue where some Imams said that the opinion opposing us is invalid, yet you find soundness and evidence for that opinion.

The questioner : The example we are in.

The Shaykh : What is it?

The questioner : The topic that prayer expiates sins.

The Shaykh : Prayer?

The questioner : It expiates sins, both small and large.

The Shaykh : Yes, indeed.

The questioner : So indeed, we found among the Imams, like Ibn So-and-so the Hanbali and others among the Imams, saying that this opinion is invalid, and he persists in saying that this opinion is invalid.

The Shaykh : Okay, continue the answer.

The questioner : Where is the soundness?

The Shaykh : Yes, you see Abu Yahya is on the lookout.

The questioner : The soundness is thatThe Shaykh : It says that it expiates sins.

The Shaykh : What do you want withThe Shaykh : You.

The questioner : I am convinced by the opinion.

The Shaykh : No, take his evidence. What do you want withThe Shaykh : , there is no difference for you betweenThe Shaykh : and the young one, if the evidence is with both of them.

The questioner : Okay, they remain the same evidence that we use; they talk about it and know it.

The Shaykh : This contradicts the statement you introduced, we want a statement where some Imams say it is invalid, and the evidence actually stands for its invalidity.

The questioner : Here, regarding its invalidity, there is none.

The Shaykh : So what?

The questioner : I am saying the opinion of the Imams. I am still in the opinions of the scholars, regardless of the evidence now, I mean, in the opinions of the scholars you find all the issues...

The Shaykh : Do you want to hear your apparent statement that you forgot? He heard it, ohAbu Layla : , he heard it, listen to your statement, you said that they say it is invalid.

The questioner : And I am still saying this opinion, they say about it that it is an invalid opinion.

The Shaykh : We are telling you, what is the evidence for the invalidity? If there is evidence, we are with them, and if there is no evidence, then it is invalid. We answered you with a concise answer, and you said your word: if the issue has evidence, we take what the evidence says and we reject what contradicts it, and if there is no evidence for it, then we prefer and we excuse the others...

The questioner : I mean, all the evidence that you are mentioning, do they know it?

The Shaykh : No, your problem is that you repeat the past and do not add the new to it. What is their answer to: ?

The questioner : Their answer is like your answer in reality...

The Shaykh : If so, why do you tire yourself?

The questioner : I, because they are focused on this specific topic, the topic of prayer and the expiation of sins is the issue, but by Allah, they say what you are saying, the truth, and I said this statement yesterday to Abu 'Abdullah, I said to him: O Abu 'Abdullah, the hadith of Hajj shocks them, it is against their school in the matter, so he said to me: Subhan Allah, I do not understand why they affirm with this hadith one time and contradict this hadith another time, and this is clear in this issue.

The Shaykh : I am afraid, O Shaykh, that you will catch it from me.

The questioner : By Allah, there are contagious diseases and there are non-contagious diseases.

The Shaykh : Yes, indeed.

The questioner : I must be next to them with antibiotics from contagious diseases.

The Shaykh : This is good.

The questioner : I say, regarding my brother Abu Yahya, that we studied the issue that prayer expiates sins, and of course there are many opinions...

The questioner : I must, what he saidThe Shaykh : said it to me, so the repetition of the dialogue is from my benefit.
The student: So we are the ones who made us retract from our correct statement, that before I heard fromThe Shaykh : , we read from the book of Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali in his explanation of fifty hadiths, where he says: "Whoever says that prayer expiates the small and large sins without repentance from the large sins, his opinion is closer to the Jahmiyyah and it is invalid." I said, this issue is strange, it is long and broad, and why did he claim this opinion? So he said to me, your Shaykh says this opinion, Abu 'Abdullah Ahmad 'Atiyyah. I said, where is this? We looked at the book Sharh Mishkat al-Masabih by the Shaykh, and ifThe Shaykh : he says this indeed, I read it.

The Shaykh : Do not say this.

The questioner : Yes.

The Shaykh : Do not say this.

The questioner : How?

The Shaykh : ... Were you present in the session or not?

The questioner : Yes, I was present in the session.

The Shaykh : Is it permissible to attribute this opinion to me?

The questioner : Prayer expiates the small and the large.

Another questioner : In its absolute sense, you said it is in the context of...

The questioner : It is known that it is in the context that this prayer is like this, you want to say...

The Shaykh : It is not me who wants, you want to transmit...

The questioner : That the prayer is in accordance with the Sunnah and not any prayer, it is known implicitly that when we mean prayer, it is one hundred percent, that is what we mean, as for the prayer that contradicts the Sunnah, may Allah help its doer.

The Shaykh : It is the original, and we mentioned to you the hadith and so on, so from where do you write for him a complete prayer?

The questioner : They, taking into consideration that if this prayer was like the prayer of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), they do not say that it expiates the large sins.

The Shaykh : This is the invalid opinion, it refutes the clear statements of the Messenger, and also, if one performs Hajj as he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: he comes out carrying the large sins and clean from the small ones, this is the invalid one specifically.

The questioner : By Allah, O my professor, the correct understanding of their hadith is contrary to their understanding of the other hadith.
Another questioner: The issue is that Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, if Allah wants to expiate for one prayer, He forgives the sins, so Allah forgives what He wills, so the matter...

The Shaykh : Then: so avoiding the major sins is an expiation for the small ones, what remains of the virtue of prayer and Hajj... and so on, if it is what? It only erases the small ones.

The questioner : The doubt comes from a set of evidences that say: or: this hadith: all of them did not avoid the major sins, so they made this condition a condition and judged all the other evidences which are in the topic of prayer, fasting, and righteous deeds.

The Shaykh : Therefore, we answered you and you repeat the objections and do not repeat the answer to them, and therefore I am afraid for you that the infection will spread, neither this nor that, what do they say about the peacock and the crow, what is their story...
The Shaykh: If there were only the issue of prayer, the answer is as you heard, but you are generalizing, we left prayer and said like this, it does not expiate except the small ones, okay, and the other things? The other expiations about which al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar al-'Asqalani wrote a book, what do we say about these? We mix Sha'ban with Ramadan, no, we do not leave prayer, its virtue is with that, we told you, it did not avoid the major sins, it was a condition like the condition of then when it was said to the Messenger: "Why do we shorten [the prayer] when we are safe?" he said: so if this condition was then Allah lifted it as a mercy for the believers, as He lifted: so these are like those who held onto this verse: but look at the complete verse, look at the reason for the revelation of the verse he said: Yes. The problem is over, there is no blame for what passes through the heart.

The questioner : Based on what we read, following your advice, the matters of declaring someone a disbeliever that you mentioned, my teacher, which you actually read, you cited a large number of hadiths related to this topic specifically regarding the expiation of sins, and of course they need to be cited and examined, and in their totality and in every respect. What I recall is that he leans toward this opinion, but in the matter of prayer, the issue is different, and I don't know why? The opinions of the imams differ, and then Abu 'Abdullah was watching me two days ago, he came and stayed up at my place, he brought the fourth volume of the authentic hadiths, there is a title that is absolutely explicit on the topic that prayer expiates all sins, as you said today, prayer expiates all sins, meaning this is written.

The Shaykh : Yes, exactly, so the issue does not mean that we waste time debating whether it expiates all sins, major and minor, or not, but the issue revolves around the quality of this prayer that expiates all sins, because that is what concerns us from a practical standpoint.

The questioner : Yes, and here lies the benefit.

Another questioner : Ah, otherwise we waste our time researching the issue where there are two opinions.

The questioner : The follower in this case, is the quality of his prayer a valid quality?

The Shaykh : How would it be valid?

The questioner : I mean, is his prayer accepted?

The Shaykh : I did not understand.

The questioner : The follower, not the imam, is his prayer in this case correct...

The Shaykh : What state, my brother?

The questioner : The one in which he was a follower.

The Shaykh : My brother, I understood the follower, but I did not understand the state.

Another questioner : I mean, if he did not have khushu', if he did not...

The Shaykh : No, on the contrary.

The questioner : I mean, if the imam is not in a state of khushu' and the prayer is not as it should be, is the follower's prayer like the imam's or is it deficient?

Another questioner : Is the prayer for the follower not understood? ... I mean, in this case, his prayer would expiate sins even if he thought about other things or doubted in it.

The Shaykh : Which sins, major and minor, or what?

Another questioner : Major and minor, yes.

The Shaykh : We need to see what his question is, major and minor, why did you link it to the follower, do you have an imam or a follower or someone praying alone, can you say he prays a prayer that deserves the expiation of major sins? If so, why did you ask this question...
The student : I am saying that since the follower's prayer is guaranteed, his prayer must be valid.

The Shaykh : What are you rambling about, you are an engineer, the research is now whether the prayer is valid or not valid, the research is whether it expiates major sins or not? May Allah guide you, say "Ameen."

The questioner : Amen.

The Shaykh : The prayer is valid, there is no problem, the prayer is valid if he performed the obligatory acts and pillars and the matter is finished, but if he did not have khushu' in the prayer, well, this one who did not have khushu' in the prayer, his prayer is valid but he does not deserve that it expiates all his sins, and this is ten percent, ninety percent, one-eighth, at most, at most half of it, the good of Allah is abundant if half of it is accepted from him.

The questioner : I mean, does it erase the bad deeds?

The Shaykh : Yes, that is why I said earlier that it is a waste of research to ask whether it expiates major or minor sins, that knowledge is with Allah, but we, what is the quality of our prayer that we are praying, do we deserve a certain percentage of expiation, or all the expiation, I mean I am saying now that it expiates minor sins, well, which prayer expiates minor sins?

The questioner : ...

The Shaykh : Do you see how, in order to make it easy for you, which prayer expiates all minor sins, our prayer today, Allah knows best, it may be for some people, but for most people, no, for most people, it can be said that the obligation was dropped from them, because they came with the conditions and pillars, it is said legally that they prayed, but for some people, it is said, "Go back and pray, for you have not prayed," so for many people, we can say today that the obligation was dropped from them, but that their prayer expiated all their sins, even the minor ones, we cannot say that, because without doubt there is no disagreement between those who say it expiates minor sins or major sins, there is no disagreement between them that they mean the complete prayer, so where is this complete prayer?
The Shaykh : Therefore, I see them wasting time, and you and Abu 'Abdullah and Ahmad and others, work on something related to yourselves, in rectifying your worship, but as for major or minor sins, leave them to Allah the Mighty and Majestic, if you cannot study the issue and understand it well scientifically.
The student : Can we say we summarize that this was at the beginning of the matter?

The Shaykh : Yes, Yes.

The questioner : Abu al-Yasir, of course, is this the first time this issue is raised before you?
Abu al-Yasir : No, it is not the first time.

The questioner : No, as a research.
Abu al-Yasir : This thing is known, the first time I heard that it was the first, so I wanted to confirm it, meaning this addition.

The Shaykh : First, there is without doubt, meaning my forgetfulness is not hidden from everyone, that the prayer's form matching exactly what the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) was upon, and I do not mean of course only the conditions and pillars and obligatory acts, but also the sunnahs and recommended practices, secondly and finally comes the very important thing in the matter, which is that his turning to Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) with his heart from the beginning of the prayer to the end, here is the difficulty, and the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) pointed to this reality when he said: .

The questioner : ...

The Shaykh : I cannot say that I am able to fulfill this condition, and I congratulate the one who is able to fulfill this condition, he does not let his self talk to him in the prayer he prayed, here is the test and here is the trial, and here the proportions are distributed, this is the important thing in the matter.

The questioner : Is there a report from our master 'Ali like this hadith, meaning: .

The Shaykh : This is a story of a common person that they tell.