Page 44 - The importance of conscience in the Qur'an

42 The Importance of Conscience in the Qur'an

in a traditional and habitual way as they have seen from their
ancestors. They perform certain rituals of worship that they
have memorised and with this they are satisfied. They have
chosen a lifestyle which pays lip service to Islam. The reason for
doing this may be to avoid conflict with their associates or
simply because they were raised that way. Rather than thinking
what to do to please Allah most, they think, 'What is the
minimum I should do to make people believe that I am
religious?'
It is, however, impossible to live Islam without employing
the conscience fully. A truly conscientious person thinks about
how he can practise every act of worship in the best manner.
He strives to ensure that neither his actions nor his speech will
pose a risk on the Day of Account. He knows that he will be
repaid in the hereafter for what he has done. Allah warns
people with respect to this:
Establish regular prayers and regular charity.
Any good you send ahead for yourselves, you
will find with Allah. Certainly Allah sees what
you do. (Surat al-Baqara: 110)

An example from the Qur'an to someone seeking to do
something to the best of his ability, and in the most beautiful
way is the command given to the believers about 'saying the
best'.
Say to My slaves that they should only say the
best. The shaytan wants to stir up trouble
between them. The shaytan is an outright
enemy to man. (Surat al-Isra': 53)
He who knows this command of Allah will find the best
speech by referring to his conscience. He will not just say
whatever comes into his mind. On the contrary, he makes the