Is a person who circumambulates the Kaaba fifty times purified of his sins?

- The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said: If a person circumambulates the Kaaba 50 times, he will be purified of his sins and will be as if he had just been born. Is this hadith sound?
- If it is sound, is he purified of all his sins, major and minor?
- Is it 50 tawafs all at once? Can a person attain this glad tiding if he completes 50 circumambulations, say in 10 days?

Dear Brother / Sister,

Ibn Abbas (ra) narrates:

“The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said:

“If a person circumambulates the Kaaba fifty times, he will be purified of his sins and will be as if he had just been born.” (Tirmidhi, Hajj 41, h. no: 866)

What is meant by tawaf (circumambulation) in the hadiths is fifty complete tawafs, not shawts.

Tirmidhi said, “The hadith of Ibn Abbas is gharib”, pointing out the weakness of this hadith. He said, “I asked Muhammad about this hadith and he said: ‘Indeed, this hadith was narrated as Ibn Abbas’ own statement.” (Tirmidhi, ibid)

According to an explanation in Tabarani’s al-Mujamul-Awsat, the fifty tawafs mentioned in the hadith does not mean fifty tawafs at a time, but fifty tawafs, each of which contains seven shawts, to be recorded in the book of deeds. It does not matter if one completes it in a lifetime.

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