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