Page 89 - The importance of conscience in the Qur'an

The Abode of Those Who Do Not Follow Their Conscience 87

thrown up on the naked shore, for he was at
fault. (Surat al-Qalam: 48-49)
It should be stated that both of the examples above are
about believers who repented because of the twinge of their
conscience, and were saved. These examples show us that in
order for a man to find peace, it is imperative that he follow his
conscience and turn to Allah in repentance when he makes a
mistake. Those who do the opposite will be full of grief and
anxiety throughout their lives.
Nevertheless, there are many who, despite the twinge of
conscience they feel, carry on their resistance against
righteousness. They try to silence the voice inside them by
deferring, putting forward excuses or 'talking themselves round'.
In the Qur'an, Allah describes the inner distress and spiritual
void felt by those who do not follow their conscience, and
whose hearts are insensitive to Islam:
…As for anyone who associates others with
Allah, it is as though he had fallen from the sky
and the birds had seized him and carried him
away or the wind had dropped him in a distant
place. (Surat al-Hajj: 31)
When Allah desires to guide someone, He
expands his breast to Islam. When He desires
to misguide someone, He makes his breast
narrow and constricted as if he were climbing
up into the sky. That is how Allah defiles those
who have no belief. (Surat al-An'am: 125)
In addition to this inner distress, their souls can never be
satisfied. Even if they acquire the greatest benefit they can have
in worldly terms, they are not satisfied with it. They always feel
incomplete and unfulfilled. For Allah has created man's soul in