The heedless person trivializes his sins while a watchful person acknowledges their enormity

ʿAbdullah bin Masʿud related to us two narrations: One from the Prophet ﷺ and the other from himself, saying: A believer sees his sins as if he were sitting under a mountain which, he is afraid, may fall on him; whereas the wicked person considers his sins as flies passing over his nose and he just drives them away like this." Abu Shihab (the sub-narrator) moved his hand over his nose in illustration.

(Ibn Masʿud added): Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "Allah is more pleased with the repentance of His slave than a man who encamps at a place where his life is jeopardized, but he has his riding beast carrying his food and water. He then rests his head and sleeps for a short while and wakes to find his riding beast gone. (He starts looking for it) and suffers from severe heat and thirst or what Allah wished (him to suffer from). He then says, 'I will go back to my place.' He returns and sleeps again, and then (getting up), he raises his head to find his riding beast standing beside him."  

عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ وَالآخَرُ عَنْ نَفْسِهِ قَالَ إِنَّ الْمُؤْمِنَ يَرَى ذُنُوبَهُ كَأَنَّهُ قَاعِدٌ تَحْتَ جَبَلٍ يَخَافُ أَنْ يَقَعَ عَلَيْهِ وَإِنَّ الْفَاجِرَ يَرَى ذُنُوبَهُ كَذُبَابٍ مَرَّ عَلَى أَنْفِهِ فَقَالَ بِهِ هَكَذَا قَالَ أَبُو شِهَابٍ بِيَدِهِ فَوْقَ أَنْفِهِ

ثُمَّ قَالَ لَلَّهُ أَفْرَحُ بِتَوْبَةِ عَبْدِهِ مِنْ رَجُلٍ نَزَلَ مَنْزِلاً وَبِهِ مَهْلَكَةٌ وَمَعَهُ رَاحِلَتُهُ عَلَيْهَا طَعَامُهُ وَشَرَابُهُ فَوَضَعَ رَأْسَهُ فَنَامَ نَوْمَةً فَاسْتَيْقَظَ وَقَدْ ذَهَبَتْ رَاحِلَتُهُ حَتَّى اشْتَدَّ عَلَيْهِ الْحَرُّ وَالْعَطَشُ أَوْ مَا شَاءَ اللَّهُ قَالَ أَرْجِعُ إِلَى مَكَانِي فَرَجَعَ فَنَامَ نَوْمَةً ثُمَّ رَفَعَ رَأْسَهُ فَإِذَا رَاحِلَتُهُ عِنْدَهُ  

I went to see 'Abdullah to inquire about his health as he was sick and he narrated to us a hadith of Allahs Messenger ﷺ. He heard Messenger of Allah ﷺ as saying: Allah is more pleased with the repentance of His believing servant than a person who loses his riding beast carrying food and drink. He sleeps (being disappointed of its recovery) and then gets up and goes in search for that, until he is stricken with thirst. then comes back to the place where he had been before and goes to sleep completely exhausted placing his head upon his hands waiting for death. And when he gets up, lot there is before him his riding beast and his provisions of food and drink. Allah is more pleased with the repentance of His servant than the recovery of this riding beast along with the provisions (of food and drink).  

دَخَلْتُ عَلَى عَبْدِ اللَّهِ أَعُودُهُ وَهُوَ مَرِيضٌ فَحَدَّثَنَا بِحَدِيثَيْنِ حَدِيثًا عَنْ نَفْسِهِ وَحَدِيثًا عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَقُولُ لَلَّهُ أَشَدُّ فَرَحًا بِتَوْبَةِ عَبْدِهِ الْمُؤْمِنِ مِنْ رَجُلٍ فِي أَرْضٍ دَوِيَّةٍ مَهْلَكَةٍ مَعَهُ رَاحِلَتُهُ عَلَيْهَا طَعَامُهُ وَشَرَابُهُ فَنَامَ فَاسْتَيْقَظَ وَقَدْ ذَهَبَتْ فَطَلَبَهَا حَتَّى أَدْرَكَهُ الْعَطَشُ ثُمَّ قَالَ أَرْجِعُ إِلَى مَكَانِي الَّذِي كُنْتُ فِيهِ فَأَنَامُ حَتَّى أَمُوتَ فَوَضَعَ رَأْسَهُ عَلَى سَاعِدِهِ لِيَمُوتَ فَاسْتَيْقَظَ وَعِنْدَهُ رَاحِلَتُهُ وَعَلَيْهَا زَادُهُ وَطَعَامُهُ وَشَرَابُهُ فَاللَّهُ أَشَدُّ فَرَحًا بِتَوْبَةِ الْعَبْدِ الْمُؤْمِنِ مِنْ هَذَا بِرَاحِلَتِهِ وَزَادِهِ  

"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.  

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  

[Machine] I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ saying, "Allah is more pleased with the repentance of His slave than a person who lost his camel in a waterless desert and then found it unexpectedly, carrying his food and drink. He caught its reins and said to himself, 'I will go back to the place where I lost it and will die there.' Then he went back to that place, just as he thought, and died." And then the camel was found with all its provisions.  

سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ يَقُولُ لَلَّهُ أَفْرَحُ بِتَوْبَةِ عَبْدِهِ مِنِ رَجُلٍ ضَلَّتْ لَهُ رَاحِلَتُهُ بَدَوِّيَّةٍ مُهْلِكَةٍ عَلَيْهَا طَعَامُهُ وَشَرَابُهُ فَطَلَبَهَا حَتَّى إِذَا بَلَغَ الْجَهْدَ قَالَ أَرْجِعُ مَوْضِعَ رَحْلِي فَأَمُوتُ فِيهِ فَرَجَعَ فَقَامَ فَإِذَا رَاحِلَتُهُ عِنْدَ رَأْسِهِ عَلَيْهَا طَعَامُهُ وَشَرَابُهُ