Hadhrat Ibnul Hasan, may Allah have mercy on Him, once remarked: " I am grieving for forty years over a sin committed by me." Someone inquired: “What sin is that which has caused such great concern and grief in you?” He replied: “once I was visited by a friend and in order to entertain Him, I bought a fish which we later ate. After the meal, I used some sand from my neighbor’s wall without his permission to wash my Hands. I am still crying over that sin.”
The questioner expressed surprise over the fact that such a small fault has created so much anguish and concern. So Ibnul Hasan explained that according to the prophet peace be upon Him, the biggest sin before Allah Ta’ala is that little slip/error which man regards as trivial and unimportant and therefore thinks it unnecessary to seek forgiveness.
On the other hand, if He acknowledges His wrongs, considering them quite serious, he would certainly feel guilty and ashamed of His actions and this would lead him to repent, seek Allah Ta’ala’s forgiveness through which he receives pardon and in this way obliterates all trace of the sin.
and a technical fault... the error or mistake ( it is not even a sin) should fall in the category of Haqoor-ul-Ibaad. He should have informed the neighbour asked for pardon. simple.
It is like you accidently broke something in the shop and got away with it and then you are crying for 40 years for that 'sin'but never bothered to go to shop keeper and apologise.
Allah wont grant you pardon unless you first seek it from grieved party.
I am sorry but the incident sounds bit silly to me, and portreys an incorrect message , islamically
Father of Shaikh Abdul Qadir Jeelaani once ate an apple from an oasis while travelling in a desert out of extreme hunger. He realized the mistake and searched for the owner of that garden; explained him what he did without asking and asked for the punishment. The owner was so impressed that he offered him a job of a care-taker of the very garden. Father of Shaikh took it as punishment and started working there…
After 10 years, one day the owner came and asked him to bring the best apple from the trees. The apple Shaikh’s father gave turned out to be very tasteless… Owner got angry that for ten years, Shaikh’s father could not figure out which tree had the best apples… Shaikh’s reply was that he was a care-taker, he was not given a permission to eat anything… Owner was so impressed yet again that he married his daughter to him… His daughter was also very pious woman. From these two great people, Shaikh Abdul Qadir Jeelaani was born…
being self accountable may prevent one to feel all tha guilt and a sense of hopeless failing, becuase it is always the individual's own self realization which can guide him or her to be cognizat of where they comitted a mistake.
faith admonishes these simple acts of kindness and care because that is what makes humans, humane.
once ate an apple from an oasis while travelling in a desert out of extreme hunger. He realized the mistake and searched for the owner of that garden; explained him what he did without asking and asked for the punishment. The owner was so impressed that he offered him a job of a care-taker of the very garden. Father of Shaikh took it as punishment and started working there…