FEAR OF ALLAH TURNS A THIEF INTO A MANBETTER THAN WORSHIPER

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It is narrated in ‘Usool e Kaafee’ from Imam Zainul Aabideen (AS)
that… (summary). In olden days a merchant took his merchandise and
began his sea voyage. A store smashed his chip into pieces in mid sea
suddenly and all occupants of the vessel drowned except a woman who
clung to a wood shaft. Waves dragged her to the shore of an island.
She was wandering alone in that no man’s land and was satisfying her
hunger by eating fruits of trees. There was no cloth on her body. A thief
saw that a beautiful woman was walking without any clothes. First he
was shocked by a thought that she might be a gnie (jinn woman).
However, he approached her and asked : Do you belong to mankind or
are a jinn? She replied: our ship has drowned along with all of my family members. I clung to a piece of wood and God saved me. Hearing
this the thief started to molest her. At that moment the woman began to
shiver severely in such a way that the thief was also moved. He asked
her: What has happened to you. What calamity has fallen on you that
you are so much fear fear stricken ? Indeed that lady’s trembling was so
nervous that, as it was for fear of Lord Almighty that the thief was also
obliged to ponder over it heartily. Such a condition of mind and heart
and body can result from only true fear of GOD. The woman replied: I
am trembling from fear of God. At no time of my life. I have ever indulged in such a heinous misdeed. This real fear of the woman influenced the thief in a very construction was and he said: In fact it was I
who should have feared like this as I am at the fault and he went away.
He saved himself from the sin of adultry . His past sins were also wiped
out because of this.
He was on his way to some city or village when, per chance an aabid
(oft worshipper) also joined that thief. The weather was hot and sun
fierce. So the worshipper raahib (monk) told the young thief: You see
how hot it is. Let us pray to God so that HE may provide a shade for
us.
The youth bowed his head saying: I am sinner. Our prayer will not be
answered. The worshipper said: Let us pray jointly together. The youth
said I have no prestige or honour. At last the worshipper asked: I am
praying, you may say ‘AAMEEN”. A hope was created in his heart
now. So very ashamedly he uttered Aameen” at the end of the prayer
said by the devotee monk. At once, a cloud appeared in the sky which
shaded both of them. After some time they arrived at a crossroad. Both
had to proceed in different directions. When they departed, the devotee
saw that the cloud was moving with the youth which was strange.
When the devotee realised that the divine help was due to that youth he
ran after him and said: You were telling that you were a sinner ? The
youth replied: I have not done any worship, and indeed I am a sinner.
The monk said: Its now confirmed that the cloud is for you so tell your
story. When the youth narrated what had happened it was understood
clearly that it was the giving up of a sin, being ashamed of it and the
heartful repenting (Taubah) which was very valuable in the might of Allah. So HE and HIS mercy on him