Chapter VII: Intention, Sincerity and Truth
Lawful actions. In lawful act, rewards can be increased according to the number of intentions. He suffers much who is unmindful of this fact. The Prophet .said : There is account for what is lawful and there is punishment for what unlawful. He also said : People will be asked on the resurrection day for everything, even why he applied antimony to his eyes, why he muddled the earth with his fingers, why he touched the things of his brother. He said : He applies scent for the sake when Allah will come on the Resurrection Day with such a fragrance which will be more scented than musk. He who applies it for other than Allah will come on the Resurrection Day with the stench more than that of a dead animal. So application of scent is lawful, but intention therefor is necessary. Lawful things are innumerable and it is not possible to count these intentions. A pious man said : I think it good to have intentions in everything eating, drinking sleeping, etc. To intend to attain nearness to God in these matters is possible, as these things are necessary for the upkeep of the body. If a man takes food with the intention of bringing fear of God in mind in God-worship, intercourses with his wife to preserve his religion and to give pleasure to the mind of his wife and also to have a pious son, he does true worship of Allah by his food and marriage.
He whose sole object is the next world does not need with obstruction from his food and marriage. Allah sees his mind and intention. He says : He does not utter a word but near which there is not a warner-50:18. A pious man said : 1 wrote a letter and intended to have the ink soaked on placing it on the wall of my neighbour and actually had it thus soaked. Thereafter some one from above said : You will know tomorrow what wrong action you have done by doing this act. The great saint Hazrat Hassan Basari said : A man will come on the Resurrection Day conjoined with another person and say : There is God between you and me. He will say : By God, I don't know you. He will say : You have taken a piece of thread of my cloth. These things pierce the hearts of God fearing men.
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