Caution: Translations of Quran and Ḥadīth may lead to possible misapplications and misinterpretations. This site is intended for students of sacred knowledge that are proficient in comprehending classical Arabic and have a strong foundation in Islamic sciences. Also note that religious injunctions rely on several aspects beyond what one may glean through reading individual aḥādīth.

ذِكْرُ الْإِخْبَارِ عَنْ وَصْفِ الْبَعِيرِ الضَّالِّ الَّذِي تُمَثَّلُ هَذِهِ الْقِصَّةُ بِهِ

ibnhibban:618Muḥammad b. ʿUmar b. Yūsuf > Aḥmad b. Sinān al-Qaṭṭān > Abū Muʿāwiyah > al-Aʿmash > Ibrāhīm al-Taymī > al-Ḥārith b. Sūwayd > ʿAbdullāh b. Masʿūd

"Allah is more pleased with the repentance of one of you that a man in a desolate, barren, destructive wasteland, who has his mount carrying his provisions, his food, and his drink and what he needs with him. Then it wanders away. So he goes to find it until he is on the brink of death. He says: 'I will return to the place where I lost it, to die.' So he returns to his place and his eyes become heavy (falling asleep). Then he awakens to find his mount at his head carrying his food, drink and what he needs." Other chains report similar narrations. (Using translation from Tirmidhī 2498)   

ابن حبّان:٦١٨أَخْبَرَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عُمَرَ بْنِ يُوسُفَ قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ سِنَانٍ الْقَطَّانُ قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو مُعَاوِيَةَ قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا الْأَعْمَشُ عَنْ إِبْرَاهِيمَ التَّيْمِيِّ عَنِ الْحَارِثِ بْنِ سُوَيْدٍ عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ مَسْعُودٍ قَالَ

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ «اللَّهُ أَفْرَحُ بِتَوْبَةِ أَحَدِكُمْ مِنْ رَجُلٍ بِأَرْضٍ دَوِّيَّةٍ مَهْلَكَةٍ وَمَعَهُ رَاحِلَتُهُ عَلَيْهَا زَادُهُ وَطَعَامُهُ وَمَا يُصْلِحُهُ فَأَضَلَّهَا فَخَرَجَ فِي طَلَبِهَا حَتَّى إِذَا أَدْرَكَهُ الْمَوْتُ قَالَ أَرْجِعُ إِلَى مَكَانِي فَأَمُوتُ فِيهِ فَرَجَعَ إِلَى مَكَانِهِ الَّذِي أَضَلَّهَا فِيهِ فَبَيْنَمَا هُوَ كَذَلِكَ إِذْ غَلَبَتْهُ عَيْنُهُ فَاسْتَيْقَظَ فَإِذَا رَاحِلَتُهُ عِنْدَ رَأْسِهِ عَلَيْهَا زَادُهُ وَمَا يُصْلِحُهُ فَاللَّهُ أَفْرَحُ بِتَوْبَةِ أَحَدِكُمْ مِنْ هَذَا الرَّجُلِ»  


See similar narrations below:

Collected by Tirmidhī, Aḥmad, Nasāʾī's Kubrá
tirmidhi:2498Qāl

"Allah is more pleased with the repentance of one of you that a man in a desolate, barren, destructive wasteland, who has his mount carrying his provisions, his food, and his drink and what he needs with him. Then it wanders away. So he goes to find it until he is on the brink of death. He says: 'I will return to the place where I lost it, to die.' So he returns to his place and his eyes become heavy (falling asleep). Then he awakens to find his mount at his head carrying his food, drink and what he needs." Other chains report similar narrations.  

الترمذي:٢٤٩٨

وَقَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ لَلَّهُ أَفْرَحُ بِتَوْبَةِ أَحَدِكُمْ مِنْ رَجُلٍ بِأَرْضٍ دَوِيَّةٍ مُهْلِكَةٍ مَعَهُ رَاحِلَتُهُ عَلَيْهَا زَادُهُ وَطَعَامُهُ وَشَرَابُهُ وَمَا يُصْلِحُهُ فَأَضَلَّهَا فَخَرَجَ فِي طَلَبِهَا حَتَّى إِذَا أَدْرَكَهُ الْمَوْتُ قَالَ أَرْجِعُ إِلَى مَكَانِي الَّذِي أَضْلَلْتُهَا فِيهِ فَأَمُوتُ فِيهِ فَرَجَعَ إِلَى مَكَانِهِ فَغَلَبَتْهُ عَيْنُهُ فَاسْتَيْقَظَ فَإِذَا رَاحِلَتُهُ عِنْدَ رَأْسِهِ عَلَيْهَا طَعَامُهُ وَشَرَابُهُ وَمَا يُصْلِحُهُ  

قَالَ أَبُو عِيسَى هَذَا حَدِيثٌ حَسَنٌ صَحِيحٌ وَفِيهِ عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ وَالنُّعْمَانِ بْنِ بَشِيرٍ وَأَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ
ahmad:3627Abū Muʿāwiyah > al-Aʿmash > Ibrāhīm al-Taymī > al-Ḥārith b. Sūwayd > ʿAbdullāh Ḥadīthayn Aḥadahumā > Nafsih And al-Ākhar

"Allah is more pleased with the repentance of one of you that a man in a desolate, barren, destructive wasteland, who has his mount carrying his provisions, his food, and his drink and what he needs with him. Then it wanders away. So he goes to find it until he is on the brink of death. He says: 'I will return to the place where I lost it, to die.' So he returns to his place and his eyes become heavy (falling asleep). Then he awakens to find his mount at his head carrying his food, drink and what he needs." Other chains report similar narrations. (Using translation from Tirmidhī 2498)   

أحمد:٣٦٢٧حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو مُعَاوِيَةَ حَدَّثَنَا الْأَعْمَشُ عَنْ إِبْرَاهِيمَ التَّيْمِيِّ عَنْ الْحَارِثِ بْنِ سُوَيْدٍ حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللهِ حَدِيثَيْنِ أَحَدَهُمَا عَنْ نَفْسِهِ وَالْآخَرَ

عَنْ رَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ قَالَ قَالَ عَبْدُ اللهِ إِنَّ الْمُؤْمِنَ يَرَى ذُنُوبَهُ كَأَنَّهُ فِي أَصْلِ جَبَلٍ يَخَافُ أَنْ يَقَعَ عَلَيْهِ وَإِنَّ الْفَاجِرَ يَرَى ذُنُوبَهُ كَذُبَابٍ وَقَعَ عَلَى أَنْفِهِ فَقَالَ لَهُ هَكَذَا فَطَارَ قَالَ وَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ لَلَّهُ أَفْرَحُ بِتَوْبَةِ أَحَدِكُمْ مِنْ رَجُلٍ خَرَجَ بِأَرْضٍ دَوِّيَّةٍ مَهْلَكَةٍ مَعَهُ رَاحِلَتُهُ عَلَيْهَا طَعَامُهُ وَشَرَابُهُ وَزَادُهُ وَمَا يُصْلِحُهُ فَأَضَلَّهَا فَخَرَجَ فِي طَلَبِهَا حَتَّى إِذَا أَدْرَكَهُ الْمَوْتُ فَلَمْيَجِدْهَا قَالَ أَرْجِعُ إِلَى مَكَانِي الَّذِي أَضْلَلْتُهَا فِيهِ فَأَمُوتُ فِيهِ قَالَ فَأَتَى مَكَانَهُ فَغَلَبَتْهُ عَيْنُهُ فَاسْتَيْقَظَ فَإِذَا رَاحِلَتُهُ عِنْدَ رَأْسِهِ عَلَيْهَا طَعَامُهُ وَشَرَابُهُ وَزَادُهُ وَمَا يُصْلِحُهُ  

ahmad:3629Abū Muʿāwiyah > al-Aʿmash > Ibrāhīm al-Taymī > al-Ḥārith b. Sūwayd And al-Aʿmash > ʿUmārah > al-Aswad > ʿAbdullāh In al-Muʾmin Yará Dhunūbah

[Machine] Abdullah, verily a believer sees his sins as if they were a mountain about to fall upon him, fearing it would crush him. And indeed, a transgressor sees his sins as tiny flies that landed on his nose, and he says: "Is this how it is?" So he waved them off. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "Indeed, Allah is more pleased with the repentance of one of you who goes out to a barren land and says: 'O Allah, I am returning to my place of deception in it, so let me die there.' He said, "Abu Mu'awiyah said, 'Abdullah narrated two narrations, one from himself and the other from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ . It is about a person who takes his means of destruction with him on his camel, such as his provision, food, drink, and whatever he may need. But it misleads him, so he goes out in search of it until death overtakes him. Then he says, 'Let me return to the place where I went astray in it and die there.' So, he returns, and his eyes grow sleepy, but he wakes up to find his means of destruction beside him, along with his provision, food, drink, and whatever he may need."  

أحمد:٣٦٢٩حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو مُعَاوِيَةَ حَدَّثَنَا الْأَعْمَشُ عَنْ إِبْرَاهِيمَ التَّيْمِيِّ عَنْ الْحَارِثِ بْنِ سُوَيْدٍ وَالْأَعْمَشُ عَنْ عُمَارَةَ عَنْ الْأَسْوَدِ قَالَا قَالَ

عَبْدُ اللهِ إِنَّ الْمُؤْمِنَ يَرَى ذُنُوبَهُ كَأَنَّهُ فِي أَصْلِ جَبَلٍ يَخَافُ أَنْ يَقَعَ عَلَيْهِ وَإِنَّ الْفَاجِرَ يَرَى ذُنُوبَهُ كَذُبَابٍ وَقَعَ عَلَى أَنْفِهِ فَقَالَ بِهِ هَكَذَا فَطَارَ قَالَ وَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ لَلَّهُ أَفْرَحُ بِتَوْبَةِ أَحَدِكُمْ مِنْ رَجُلٍ خَرَجَ بِأَرْضٍ دَوِّيَّةٍ ثُمَّ قَالَ أَبُو مُعَاوِيَةَ قَالَا حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللهِ حَدِيثَيْنِ أَحَدَهُمَا عَنْ نَفْسِهِ وَالْآخَرَ عَنْ رَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ مَهْلَكَةٍ مَعَهُ رَاحِلَتُهُ عَلَيْهَا زَادُهُ وَطَعَامُهُ وَشَرَابُهُ وَمَا يُصْلِحُهُ فَأَضَلَّهَا فَخَرَجَ فِي طَلَبِهَا حَتَّى إِذَا أَدْرَكَهُ الْمَوْتُ قَالَ أَرْجِعُ إِلَى مَكَانِي الَّذِي أَضْلَلْتُهَا فِيهِ فَأَمُوتُ فِيهِ قَالَ فَرَجَعَ فَغَلَبَتْهُ عَيْنُهُ فَاسْتَيْقَظَ فَإِذَا رَاحِلَتُهُ عِنْدَ رَأْسِهِ عَلَيْهَا زَادُهُ وَطَعَامُهُ وَشَرَابُهُ وَمَا يُصْلِحُهُ  

nasai-kubra:7695Aḥmad b. Ḥarb > Abū Muʿāwiyah > al-Aʿmash > ʿUmārah > al-Ḥārith b. Sūwayd And al-Aswad > ʿAbdullāh

"Allah is more pleased with the repentance of one of you that a man in a desolate, barren, destructive wasteland, who has his mount carrying his provisions, his food, and his drink and what he needs with him. Then it wanders away. So he goes to find it until he is on the brink of death. He says: 'I will return to the place where I lost it, to die.' So he returns to his place and his eyes become heavy (falling asleep). Then he awakens to find his mount at his head carrying his food, drink and what he needs." Other chains report similar narrations. (Using translation from Tirmidhī 2498)  

الكبرى للنسائي:٧٦٩٥أَخْبَرَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ حَرْبٍ قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو مُعَاوِيَةَ عَنِ الْأَعْمَشِ عَنْ عُمَارَةَ عَنِ الْحَارِثِ بْنِ سُوَيْدٍ وَالْأَسْوَدِ قَالَا حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللهِ قَالَ

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ لَلَّهُ أَفْرَحُ بِتَوْبَةِ أَحَدِكُمْ مِنْ رَجُلٍ خَرَجَ بِأَرْضٍ دَوِّيَّةٍ مُهْلِكَةٍ وَمَعَهُ رَاحِلَتُهُ عَلَيْهَا طَعَامُهُ وَزَادُهُ وَمَا يُصْلِحُهُ فَأَضَلَّهَا فَخَرَجَ فِي طَلَبِهَا حَتَّى أَدْرَكَهُ الْمَوْتُ قَالَ أَرْجِعُ إِلَى مَكَانِي الَّذِي أَضْلَلْتُهَا فِيهِ فَأَمُوتُ فَرَجَعَ إِلَى مَكَانِهِ فَغَلَبَتْهُ عَيْنَاهُ فَاسْتَيْقَظَ وَإِذَا رَاحِلَتُهُ عِنْدَ رَأْسِهِ عَلَيْهَا طَعَامُهُ وَشَرَابُهُ وَزَادُهُ وَمَا يُصْلِحُهُ