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The Importance of Conscience in the Qur'an: Introduction

Contents
  1. Introduction
  2. Allah's Inspiration to Every Man: Conscience
  3. Evidence of Allah's Existence Can be Seen Through Conscience
  4. Those Who Question and Those Who Ignore
  5. Conscience and the Qur'an Show Man the Real Purpose of Life
  6. Believing in the Hereafter with Certainty
  7. How Does the Conscience Understand that It Has to be Near Allah?
  8. The Negative Powers Against Conscience
  9. Why Don't People Follow Their Conscience in Spite of Knowing the Truth?
  10. The Abode of Conscientious People in the World and Paradise
  11. The Abode of Those Who Do Not Follow Their Conscience
  12. Examples of the Rightly-guided in the Qur'an
  13. Examples of Those Who Were Astray
  14. Parting Thoughts

real meaning of conscience as exemplified in the Qur'an and to draw attention to how a conscientious person thinks, what kind of insight and understanding he or she possesses, and the importance of conscience in life after death. We will provide you with the necessary information to identify the voice of your conscience, and distinguish it from the other voices and suggestions coming from within you. We will also explain some of the things your conscience may make you think and do and how someone who acts upon his conscience can attain the purest state.

The main purpose of this guide is not only to inform, but also to call out to people's conscience in order to spur them into action, encourage them to live the rest of their lives by their conscience, and show them how lost they will be if they fail to do so.

Conscience is a spiritual quality that bids man good attitude and thought, and helps him think straight and tell right from wrong.

One of the important aspects of conscience is that it is common to all people. In other words, what feels right to the conscience of a man also feels right to the conscience of all others provided that the same conditions prevail. The conscience of one man never falls out with that of another. The reason lies in the source of conscience: it is the inspiration of Allah. Through the conscience, Allah lets us know the best and the most beautiful behaviour and manners which it will please Him for us to adopt.

That conscience is an inspiration from Allah is mentioned in the Qur'an, in Surat ash-Shams:

And the self and what proportioned it and inspired it with depravity or taqwa, he who purifies it has succeeded, he who covers it up has failed.

Surat ash-Shams: 7-10

In the above verses, Allah declares that He has inspired the self with depravity (to act in a sinful manner, to disobey, to deviate, to lie, to turn away from righteousness, to stir up trouble, to decline in good manners). The opposite is taqwa (awe or fear of Allah which inspires a person to be on guard against wrong action and eager for actions which please Him). It is this very conscience that makes man guard against evil deeds and find the right way.