‘Abdullāh ibn Mas’ūd on Taking Account of Sins

قَالَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْن مَسْعُودٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ: إِنَّ الْمُؤْمِنَ يَرَى ذُنُوبَهُ كَأَنَّهُ قَاعِدٌ تَحْتَ جَبَلٍ يَخَافُ أَنْ يَقَعَ عَلَيْهِ وَإِنَّ الْفَاجِرَ يَرَى ذُنُوبَهُ كَذُبَابٍ مَرَّ عَلَى أَنْفِهِ

‘Abdullāh ibn Mas’ūd (may Allāh be pleased with him) said:

“A believer sees his sins as if he were sitting under a mountain which, he is afraid, may fall on him; whereas the wicked person considers his sins as flies passing over his nose and he just drives them away like this.”