“Allah is more delighted with the repentance of His servant than one of you who suddenly finds his lost camel in the desert.”

Anas ibn Mālik (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Allah is happier with the repentance of His slave than one of you is with finding his riding camel after having lost it in a desert." Another narration reads: "Verily, Allah is happier with the repentance of His slave when he turns in repentance to Him than one of you who was on his camel in a desert and it got lost and was carrying his provision of food and drink. He, having lost all hope (of finding it), lies down in the shade of a tree feeling hopeless; when all of a sudden he finds it (his camel) standing before him. He takes hold of its reins and then out of boundless joy blurts out: 'O Allah, You are my slave and I am Your Lord!' He makes this mistake out of extreme joy."

Narrated by Anas ibn Malik and agreed upon. The longer wording gives the image in full: a man alone in a wasteland, his camel gone with his food and water on its back, who lies down under a tree to wait for death — and then looks up and it is standing there. The joy being described is the joy of someone who had already given up, and the hadith is saying that Allah’s is greater.