In short: A man in a waterless desert lost his camel, carrying all his food and drink. He lay down in despair, and when he woke the camel was standing by him. In his joy he said, “O Allah, You are my servant and I am Your Lord”, mistaken from sheer happiness. The Prophet ﷺ said Allah is more pleased with the repentance of His servant than this man (Sahih Muslim 2747).
The story
The Prophet ﷺ described a man travelling alone through a waterless desert, his camel carrying his food and water. The camel ran off. He searched until he lost hope, then lay down in the shade of a tree, waiting to die.
Then he looked up, and there was his camel, standing in front of him. He grabbed its rope and, overwhelmed with joy, said: “O Allah, You are my servant and I am Your Lord.” He got the words backwards from happiness (Muslim 2747).
Allah, the Prophet ﷺ said, is more pleased with the repentance of His servant when he turns to Him than that man was.
What we can take from it
- Allah wants you back. Your return is not tolerated; it is welcomed with joy.
- Tawbah is always open. Say Astaghfirullah, or the best dua for forgiveness, Sayyidul Istighfar.
- The mistaken words were forgiven. He meant praise; Allah knows what is in the heart.