al-Khisal al-Mukaffira lil-Dhunub
- Author died
- 977 AH
- Editions
- Unknown
al-Khisal al-Mukaffira lil-Dhunub (The Qualities that Expiate Sins) is a concise legal treatise by the Egyptian Shafi'i jurist al-Khatib al-Shirbini (d. 977 AH / 1570 CE) examining whether the pilgrimage of Hajj expiates both major and minor sins and relieves the obligation of making up unperformed religious duties.
Content and Legal Arguments
The core of the work consists of a formal legal query submitted to al-Khatib al-Shirbini and his authoritative response regarding the scope of forgiveness granted to a pilgrim. The question specifically asks whether performing Hajj expiates both minor sins (al-sagha'ir) and major sins (al-kaba'ir) pertaining both to the rights of God and the rights of other humans—such as unlawful intercourse, theft, murder, and the abandonment of ritual prayer—and whether it dispenses with the requirement to perform the makeup (qada') of prayers missed prior to the pilgrimage.
In his response, al-Shirbini clarifies that prophetic traditions promising complete expiation are general texts that are legally qualified and restricted ('amm makhsus). He notes that major offenses involving established legal penalties, such as adultery or sodomy when proven before a judge through testimony, are not expiated merely by performing the pilgrimage without the execution of the prescribed punishment.
Edition
The treatise was edited from manuscript and published alongside a broader legal study on the classification of sins, repentance, and expiatory deeds by Husam al-Din ibn Musa 'Afana in Jerusalem in 1423 AH / 2002 CE.
Answer updated