Leaving a sin for the sake of Allah the Exalted, with evidence.

The Shaykh : Be careful: if a person intends to commit a sin but leaves it off for the sake of Allah, then Allah the Exalted records it for him as a good deed, because he left it off for the sake of Allah. Among the examples of this is the story of the man who was with the two men who were trapped in the cave. He had a cousin whom he loved intensely, and he used to press her and try to get her to yield to him, but she would refuse him. Then a year of hardship came upon her, meaning a severe strait from among the straits. She came to him, and he wanted her to yield to him. Because of this hardship, she allowed him to have his way with her. When he sat with her in the position of a husband with his wife, she said to him, "Fear Allah and do not break the seal except with its right." He got up out of fear of Allah, even though she was the most beloved of people to him. He left it off for the sake of Allah. So he is rewarded for leaving off the sin, because he left it off for the sake of Allah, Mighty and Majestic.