Page 36 - The Importance of Following the Good Word

of his lower-self, which can lead only to great loss. In a verse
of the Qur'an, Allah explains the tendency of the lower-self to
command evil as follows:
[Yusuf said,] "I do not say my self was free from
blame. The self indeed commands to evil acts–except
for those my Lord has mercy on. My Lord, He is
Forgiving, Merciful." (Surah Yusuf, 53)
Conscience is one of the greatest blessings granted by
Allah to man, that he may avoid the evil of his lower-self, for
Allah puts man to various tests throughout his life. When
confronted with certain events in his life, or instances when
he is admonished or given certain reminders, he must be able
to distinguish between right and wrong. It is his responses to
these situations that will determine his state in the Hereafter.
No matter what a man is doing, or whereever he may be, his
conscience commands him to act in the most honourable
way. Whether one wishes it or not, or even if he were to strive
to supress the voice of his conscience, he could never silence
it; it persistently insists on what is just. What is incumbent
upon him is to follow this voice, and submit to Allah, and an-
swer the call of those who summon to the truth, enjoin what
is right and forbid what is wrong.
Every person, through his conscience, recognizes the sin-
cerity of the advice he receives when he is called to Allah's
guidance, moral excellence, compliance with the true reli-
gion, worship, to prepare himself for the next life and purify
himself of mundane ambitions. Yet, the disbelievers ignore
the voice of their conscience, being led astray by the evil of
their lower-selves.
Let us consider the example of an atheist who denies

34 THE IMPORTANCE OF FOLLOWING THE GOOD WORD