Imam Khomeini through his famous theological work of "an exposition on Forty Hadith" explains as following:
Grant us a share of the light of Your knowledge with which You filled the hearts of Your urafa and awliya’ Grant us the comprehension of the realm of Thy power and Thy kingdom, and guide us to discover our weaknesses and faults.
Unfold the mystery of the meaning of All praise belongs to Allah, the Lord of the worlds— to us, wretched beings, who ascribe all the praiseworthy attributes to the creatures. Make it known to us that none of the praiseworthy attributes belongs to any created being. Reveal to us the truth of:
Whatever of good befalleth thee (O man), it is from Allah, and whatever or ill befalleth thee it is from thyself.
God Almighty, grant us the capacity to realize our responsibilities. Grant us a share of the light of Your knowledge with which You filled the hearts of Your urafa and awliya’ Grant us the comprehension of the realm of Thy power and Thy kingdom, and guide us to discover our weaknesses and faults.
Unfold the mystery of the meaning of All praise belongs to Allah, the Lord of the worlds— to us, wretched beings, who ascribe all the praiseworthy attributes to the creatures.
Make it known to us that none of the praiseworthy attributes belongs to any created being. Reveal to us the truth of:
Whatever of good befalleth thee (O man), it is from Allah, and whatever or ill befalleth thee it is from thyself.
It is better if today we reflect upon our good deeds, and rationally evaluate our worships.
We should try to judge them justly, and see whether we deserve to be rewarded and praised on their basis, or if we should be reproached, punished, and condemned because of them, Imam further explains.
And if God Almighty were to deliver us into the flames of His wrath on account of these deeds, which are good and virtuous in our own view, is He justified or not in doing so?
Now I make you arbiter to judge with justice the following matter after deliberation and profound thinking.
My question is that if the Holy Prophet (S), whose truthfulness is confirmed, were to say to you, ‘It makes no difference in afterlife whether you worship God throughout your life, obey His commands, and resist lusts and carnal desires, or if you lead a life violating His commands and following your wishes and sensual desires.
This behavior of yours will not affect your station in the Hereafter. In both cases you will attain salvation and will be sent to Paradise and saved from His chastisement.
It will not make any difference whether you offer prayers or whether you indulge in fornication and sin.
However, the good pleasure of God Almighty lies in this that you should worship Him, praise Him and thank Him, and resist your sensual desires in this world, although you will not be rewarded for it.’ Were you offered this option, would you choose to be His worshipper or a sinner?
Would you resist your carnal desires and forbid yourself from indulging in lusts for the sake of His good pleasure, or not?
And would you still adhere to the mustahabbat, the Friday and the congregational prayer, or would you become immersed in luxuries, play, amusements, and lusts? I request you to answer justly, without any self-assumption and hypocrisy.
As to myself and others like me, let me tell you, we would have been among the sinners, neglecting our duties towards Him and hankering after our sensual appetites.
Read more:
Imam Khomeini warned against the desire of the self