Does dhikr erase major sins?
Dhikr and small acts of worship erase minor sins. Major sins (kaba'ir) require sincere tawbah: stopping the sin, regret, and firm intention not to return, plus restitution to the wronged if a person was harmed. Dhikr strengthens the heart towards that repentance.
Detail
The Prophet said, "The five daily prayers, one Friday to the next, and one Ramadan to the next expiate what is between them, so long as major sins are avoided" (Sahih Muslim 233).
Ibn Taymiyyah and al-Nawawi both explain that expiation reports about dhikr (like the sins the size of sea foam) apply to minor sins by default. Major sins need explicit repentance.
That does not lessen dhikr. The person doing constant dhikr is the person most likely to turn back to Allah in full tawbah.
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