Hadith 4249

It was narrated from Abu Sa’eed that the Messenger of Allah (saw) said: “Allah rejoices more over the repentance of His slave, than a man who loses his mount in a barren land, and he searches for it until he gets tired and covers his face with his garment, and while he is like that, he heard the footsteps of his mount where he lost it, so he lifts the garment from his face and there is his mount.”

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 ‏"‏ ‏.‏

Reference: 1343890
In-book reference: Book 37, Hadith 4249
Hadith 4249 - Tribulations - Sunan Ibn Majah - Sunnah.com