Al-Fuḍayl ibn ʻIyāḍ used to be a highwayman, between Abyurd and Sarkhas. He was in love with a girl, and the cause of his repentance was that he was once climbing a wall to meet her when he heard someone reciting the following verses:
Has not the time come for those who believe,
that their hearts should be humbled and submitted (to Allah)…?
[Al-Hadîd: 16]
When he heard this, Al-Fudayl said, “Indeed my Lord, it is time.” So he left, and seeking a night’s shelter he found himself at some ruins, and there he saw some travelers. Some of them said, “We should move on.” Others said, “Wait until morning, Al-Fudayl operates in this area, he will rob us.” Al-Fudayl said, “So I thought and said to myself: I spend the night in sin and there are some Muslims here who fear me; I think that Allah only led me to them so that I might take lesson and stop what I am doing. O Allah! I have repented, and as part of my tawbah I will live next to Al-Bayt Al-Harâm (in Makkah).”
Al-Dhahabî, Siyar A’lâm Al-Nubalâ` in his biography of Al-Fuḍayl ibn ʻIyāḍ.