In the two Sahīhs (1), Sa'd ibn Abī Waqqās relates that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to him, “You will never spend anything seeking thereby the Face of Allah without thereby rising in degree and rank—even the morsel you place in your wife’s mouth (2).”
The texts (3) concerning this are numerous. When a believer has a sincere intention, he is rewarded for his actions in general (4), and his permissible acts become part of his righteous deeds because of the soundness of his heart and intention. By contrast, because of the corruption of his heart and intention, the hypocrite is punished for the outward forms of worship that he displays out of ostentation (5). For in (6) the two Sahīhs (7), the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is reported to have said, “Indeed, there is a piece of flesh in the body: if it is sound, the rest of the body is sound, and if it is corrupt, the rest of the body is corrupt. Indeed, it is the heart.”
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Just as punishments were prescribed to impel people to fulfill obligatory duties (8) and refrain from prohibited acts, everything that assists in this was also prescribed. One should therefore facilitate the path of goodness