Sunan Ibn Majah

Sunan Ibn Majah 4249

Arabic hadith text

حَدَّثَنَا سُفْيَانُ بْنُ وَكِيعٍ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبِي، عَنْ فُضَيْلِ بْنِ مَرْزُوقٍ، عَنْ عَطِيَّةَ، عَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ ‏: ‏ ‏"‏ لَلَّهُ أَفْرَحُ بِتَوْبَةِ عَبْدِهِ مِنْ رَجُلٍ أَضَلَّ رَاحِلَتَهُ بِفَلاَةٍ مِنَ الأَرْضِ فَالْتَمَسَهَا حَتَّى إِذَا أَعْيَى تَسَجَّى بِثَوْبِهِ فَبَيْنَا هُوَ كَذَلِكَ إِذْ سَمِعَ وَجْبَةَ الرَّاحِلَةِ حَيْثُ فَقَدَهَا فَكَشَفَ الثَّوْبَ عَنْ وَجْهِهِ فَإِذَا هُوَ بِرَاحِلَتِهِ ‏"‏ ‏.‏

Translation

Abu Sa‘id reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: ‘Allah rejoices more at the repentance of His servant than a man who loses his mount in a barren land, searches for it until exhausted, then lies down wrapped in his garment. While he is like that, he hears the thud of his mount where he lost it. He uncovers his face, and there it is—his mount.’