Muslim

Hadith Commentary: Benefits and Issues: If a person is traveling mounted through such a wilderness that is completely desolate and barren, where nothing is available to eat or drink, and there his mount is lost—without which he cannot traverse the wilderness—and all his food and drink provisions are also on that mount, and after searching for it he becomes exhausted and his hope of finding the mount turns into despair, then he sees his death as certain. And then, suddenly, if he finds his mount along with all his provisions for life, he experiences such immense joy as if he has been granted a new life. To such an extent that, in the excess of happiness, he cannot even control his words and, losing himself, he addresses his Lord as his servant and himself as the Lord. It is as if there is no limit to his happiness. And when a servant of Allah returns to His servitude and obedience, and resolves to abstain from a life of sin and disobedience, then Allah is even more pleased than that servant who has attained boundless joy.

It is evident that the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) has, on different occasions, taken into account the joy and delight of Allah at His servant’s repentance. That is why, according to the context and situation, there is some variation in its description. The real objective is to encourage the human being towards repentance and to urge him to it.