At the time when Musa (alayhis 'salam) accompanied Bani Israeel in the desert, a grizzly drought befell them. Together, they all raised their hands towards the heavens praying to Allah for rain.
Then, to the astonishment of Musa (alayhis'salam) and all those watching, the few scattered clouds that were in the sky vanished, the heat poured down, and the drought intensified.
It was then revealed to Musa (alayhis 'salam) that there was a sinner amongst the Bani Israeel, who had disobeyed Allah for more than fourty years of his life.
“Let him separate himself from the congregation,” Allah told Musa (alayhis 'salam). "Only then shall I bless you with rain.”
Musa (alayhis 'salam) called out to the people and said, “There is a person amongst us who has disobeyed Allah for fourty years. Let him separate himself from the congregation. Only then shall we be rescued from the drought.”
The man (sinner) waited amongst the crowd, looking left and right, hoping that someone else would step forward, but no one did.
Sweat poured from his brow because he knew he was the one.
Now he had a tough decision to make. If he stayed amongst the congregation, all would die of thirst; yet if he stepped forward he would be humiliated for all eternity.
It was then the man raised his hands with such sincerity he'd never felt before, and with tears pouring down both cheeks, he cried “O Allah, have mercy on me! O Allah, hide my sins! O Allah, forgive me!”
As Musa (alayhis 'salam) and Bani Israeel were still waiting for the sinner to step forward, at that moment the clouds hugged the sky and rain started to pour.
In shock and amazement, Musa (alayhis 'salam) asked Allah, “O Allah, you blessed us with rain even though that sinner did not come forward.”
Allah replied, “O Musa, it is for the repentance of that very person that I blessed all of Bani Israeel with water.”
Musa (alayhis 'salam) wanted to know who the man was and so he asked, “Show him to me, O Allah!” But Allah replied, “O Musa, I hid his sins for fourty years. Do you think that after his repentance I shall expose him?”
The Mercy of our Creator has no bounds or limits. He is the Most Merciful, Most Kind, the One who conceals faults and exposes goodness. His Mercy cannot be explained fully, as it is so vast and beyond words.
This story is nothing but a heartwarming example of how great and intense the mercy of our creator really is.
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