Kashf al-Maḥjūb (Persian Critical Edition)

...misappropriate the book, and the author's purpose is not achieved. The aim of collecting, compiling, and writing is nothing other than that the name of the author should live on through that book, and that the readers and students should speak a prayer of blessing for him. This incident happened to me twice. Once, someone asked for my collection of poetry and took it, and there was no other copy. He altered the whole thing, removed my name from the beginning, and wasted my effort—may God forgive him. And another time, I wrote a book on the path of taṣawwuf Sufism called Minhāj al-Dīn Path of Religion. One of the arrogant claimants who does not deserve to be spoken of removed my name from the beginning of it and showed it to the common people as if he had written it. Although the elite laughed at him for that claim, God Almighty caused the lack of blessing to reach him, and He wiped his name from the registry of the students of His court.

However, as for the private portion, it is because when they see a book and know that its author was a scholar in that art and science, they fulfill its rights with greater care, and they are more diligent in reading it and learning from it. Thus, the purpose of the reader and the owner of the book is better achieved. And God knows best what is correct.

Section: As for what I said, that I undertook the path of istikhārah seeking divine guidance, the purpose of that was to preserve the etiquette of the Lord—mighty and majestic is He—who commanded His prophet—peace be upon him—and his followers in this, saying: "So when you read the Quran, seek refuge with God from Satan the outcast." Seeking refuge original: "استعاذت", seeking guidance, and seeking help are all in the meaning of requesting and surrendering affairs to God—glorified and exalted is He—and seeking salvation from various harms. The companions of the Prophet—peace be upon him and may God be pleased with them—have narrated that the Prophet used to teach us istikhārah just as he taught us the Quran. So when the servant knows that the goodness of affairs is not bound up in his own acquisition and planning, but that the benefit of the servants is better known to God...