Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), he (peace be upon him) said: "The month of Ramadan is an expiation for the sins committed until the next Ramadan, Friday is an expiation for the sins committed until the next Friday, and the obligatory prayer is an expiation for the sins committed until the next obligatory prayer." Then after that he said: Except for three persons: the one who associates partners with Allah, «نكث صفقه» and the narrator of «تارك السنه» stated: So we realized that this is a new matter, we said: O Messenger of Allah! As for associating partners with Allah, we have understood that, what is meant by «نكث صفقة» and «ترك السنه»? He (peace be upon him) said: "By «نكث صفقه» it is meant that you pledge allegiance to a person, giving him your right hand, then you break that pledge and fight him with the sword, and as for «ترك السنه», it is to separate from the congregation of Muslims."
Hadith Referenceمسند اسحاق بن راهويه / كتاب الايمان / 59
Hadith Takhrij«مسند احمد : 229/2 . شعيب الارناؤوط : صحيح دون قوله ”الا من ثلاث “»
Explanation & Benefits
Hafiz Abdush Shakoor Tirmidhi
Benefits: From the aforementioned hadith, the virtue of observing the fasts of the blessed month of Ramadan is established, in that Allah, the Possessor of Majesty, forgives sins because of it. In another hadith it is stated:
((Whoever fasts in Ramadan with faith and seeking reward (i.e., for the sake of Allah’s pleasure), his previous sins are forgiven.)) (Bukhari, No. 190)
In the aforementioned hadith, the forgiveness of sins that is mentioned refers to minor sins (saghirah).