A Fly or a Mountain

‘Abdullah b. Mas’ûd – Allah be pleased with him – said:

The believer sees his sins as if he is sitting at the foot of a mountain fearing that it might fall on him, while the sinner (fâjir) sees his sins as a fly that lands on his nose, he just waves it away.

Al-Bukhârî, Al-Sahîh, The Book of Supplications, Chapter on Tawbah.

Ibn Hajr quotes in his commentary, Fath Al-Bârî:

Ibn Abî Jumrah said, “The reason for this [fear] is that the heart of a believer is illuminated; so when he sees from himself something that goes against what he illuminates his heart with, it is very distressing to him. The wisdom behind giving the example of a mountain is that a person might find some way to escape from other dangers, but if a mountain falls on a person he does not survive. In short, the believer is dominated by fear (of Allah) due to the strength of îmân he has; he does not therefore feel falsely secure about being punished because of his sins. This is the way of the Muslim: he always fears and checks on himself, his good deeds are little to him and he fears even the small bad deeds he has done.”

More:

1. Until the Heart is sealed
2. Righteous Fear vs. Sinful Delusion
3. Intelligence in Action
4. Relying on some deeds, forgetting others
5. Hardship and prosperity, obedience and sin
6. Planting Nifâq
7. The trials of a Believer and the Trials of a Sinner