Page 45 - The importance of conscience in the Qur'an

Living the Qur'an by Following the Conscience at All Times 43

most beautiful and impressive speeches, and he takes great care
not to hurt or dishearten the people he talks to. He chooses
the speech which will please Allah most, and while doing it, he
employs his conscience as a key reference.
In another verse, Allah categorises mankind in three
groups in terms of their attachment to Islam:
Then We made Our chosen slaves inherit the
Book. But some of them wrong themselves;
some are ambivalent; and some outdo each
other in good by Allah's permission. That is
the great favour. (Surah Fatir: 32)
As stated in the verse, some people do not live by Islam at
all. Others only follow a part of what their conscience bids
them, and spend only some of their time and means for Islam,
though not when it conflicts with their interests. They do not
make a serious effort for Islam and good manners to be spread
among the people. Thinking that they already pay attention to
what is forbidden and permitted, they take it for granted that
the acts of worship they practise make them morally competent.
In actual fact, what suits conscience most is to choose and
practise the most morally correct and beautiful deeds of those
which are permissible and acceptable. With relation to this, in
the Qur'an, Allah refers with high regard to those who follow
the best of what is said:
Those who listen well to what is said and
follow the best of it, they are the ones whom
Allah has guided, they are the people of
intelligence. (Surat az-Zumar: 18)
The third group, who outdo each other in good, are those
who act in full accordance with their conscience. They outdo
each other to gain the highest reward from their Lord, and step