The Greatest Action That Removes Sins

As for the question of what is the greatest matter that wipes away sins, then the scholars mention that the greatest deed which erases sins is At-Tawḥīd. They use as evidence the well-known ḥadīth of the man who will come on the Day of Judgment with ninety-nine scrolls of sins, each scroll stretching as far as the eye can see, yet one card bearing Lā ilāha illā Allāh will outweigh all of those scrolls. «فَيُخْرَجُ لَهُ بِطَاقَةٌ فِيهَا: أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللهُ، وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ… فَتَطِيشُ السِّجِلَّاتُ وَتَثْقُلُ الْبِطَاقَةُ، فَلَا يَثْقُلُ مَعَ اسْمِ اللَّهِ شَيْءٌ» [Sunan At-Tirmidhī (no. 2639), Ibn Mājah (no. 4300); authenticated by Al-Albānī] Based on this ḥadīth, the scholars conclude that Tawḥīd—sincerely singling out Allāh in worship—is the greatest means of wiping away sins. A servant’s ikhlāṣ in his acts of worship is the essence and reality of Tawḥīd. Major Sins vs. Minor Sins They also explain that major sins require specific tawbah, while minor sins may be forgiven through righteous deeds, such as: * From one obligatory ṣalāh to the next * From one Jumuʿah to the next * From one Ramaḍān to the next These are expiations for what occurs between them—as long as major sins are avoided. «الصَّلَوَاتُ الخَمْسُ، وَالجُمُعَةُ إِلَى الجُمُعَةِ، وَرَمَضَانُ إِلَى رَمَضَانَ، مُكَفِّرَاتٌ لِمَا بَيْنَهُنَّ إِذَا اجْتُنِبَتِ الكَبَائِرُ» [Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim (no. 233)] However, Ibn Al-Qayyim mentioned that if a person performs an act with true sincerity, it may be a cause for even major sins to be forgiven, by Allāh’s mercy. They give as an example the ḥadīth of the woman who was a prostitute yet had her sins forgiven because she sincerely gave water to a thirsty dog. «فَسَقَتْهُ، فَغُفِرَ لَهَا بِذَلِكَ» [Ṣaḥīḥ Al-Bukhārī (no. 3321), Muslim (no. 2245)] Her sincerity in this act of kindness led to the forgiveness of her major sin. And sincerity is nothing but Tawḥīd, for it is drawing near to Allāh alone and worshipping Him alone without seeking the praise of anyone else. Thus, worshipping Allāh with sincerity is the greatest means of erasing sins, whether through reciting Lā ilāha illā Allāh, performing righteous actions sincerely, or repenting truthfully. [See: https://t.me/madrasatuna/1129] The Importance of Tawbah This does not mean a person should neglect tawbah. Tawbah is the safest and most complete means of seeking forgiveness—from the sins we know and the sins we are unaware of. The Prophet ﷺ himself used to seek forgiveness and repent more than a hundred times daily. «يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ تُوبُوا إِلَى اللَّهِ، فَإِنِّي أَتُوبُ فِي الْيَوْمِ إِلَيْهِ مِائَةَ مَرَّةٍ» [Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim (no. 2702)] If this is the case of the Prophet ﷺ—whose past and future sins were forgiven—then we are even more in need of constant tawbah and renewed sincerity.