The Voice of the Conscience

Once one of the companions of the Prophet of Islam asked him about good and evil. The Prophet replied that one should seek the fatwa (opinion) from one’s own heart. (Musnad Ahmad, Hadith No. 18006) This means that one should ask oneself if one wants to know the answer. Good is that which comforts your heart, and evil is that which disturbs your heart. There is an innate quality in man—his conscience. One’s conscience is like a Court of truth. Our conscience immediately tells us what is right and what is wrong; in other words, which attitude is right and which attitude is wrong. If a man only listens to the voice of his conscience, it will suffice to guide him. Our conscience always does its job; it tells us on every occasion what is right and what is wrong. If a person is not negligent, his conscience is well-equipped to keep him on the path of truth. 47. Return the Trust The Quran urges, “O people, pay the trust to the trustees.” (4:58) This Quranic command relates to the whole of life. One form of trust is that if one has another's property as a trust, it is obligatory for them to deliver it to its owner. In the same way, a teacher of a school is also a trustee, and the students are in his trust. The teacher must understand his responsibility and should not neglect the rights of the students entrusted to him. In the same way, when a person becomes the ruler of a country, that country has come under his trust and he has become its trustee. In such a case, the ruler must fulfill the expectations of the people.