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The purpose of this article is to briefly explain what our conscience is and the dangerous steps some people take to drown it out. We will then analyse why people may do this, the consequences, and the vital opportunity in the month of Ramadhan to strive towards betterment of ourselves and society.
What is conscience?
If I were to ask you what is our conscience what would you say? Most probably something along the lines of that it is an inner voice which tells us we have done wrong, are doing wrong or are about to do something wrong. This voice makes us feel bad and we should listen to it and not do wrong if we were about to, or sincerely repent if we have already done so.
However some people in order to carry out their evil intentions try to drown their conscience out.
Drowning it out
Some people go to many lengths to drown out the voice of this inner guide.
The most potent one is repetition of sin: the first time someone commits a sin they feel bad, because it is in our God-given nature to strive towards purity. The next time they sin they may still feel bad but probably not as much as the first time. As the sin is repeated the person gradually becomes de-sensitised to it, appetite for other sins also increases and the person plunges deeper into darkness.
Other tools used to drown out the conscience include surrounding themselves with distractions — endless noise — for example excessive TV, computer games or music. Furthermore many youth may spend hours and hours playing computer games or watch back-to-back episodes of dramas or sitcoms — frivolous pursuits which sap time and are distractions we should avoid indulging in.
Frivolous activities, such as watching TV series back-to-back, can sap our time and distract us from our conscience.
Pointless conversation is also a time waster. Spending time conversing with friends can sometimes quickly end up in prolonged pointless talk — including often mocking each other — long after the conversation lost any usefulness. Often students, caught up in “having fun” with friends, spend whole nights engaged in such activities which are of no benefit to themselves or others at all, even though they may know this.
These time-wasting techniques on their own do not drown out the conscience because the voice is not a physical noise outside — like drowning out someone’s music by playing yours louder —it is actually inside you. However, coupled with repetition of sin, the person is well on their way to self-destruction.
Why do some people drown it?
When we do something wrong we feel guilt which is painful and disturbs our peace. As mentioned earlier this highlights our natural God-given nature to strive towards purity, which in turn helps us achieve a more peaceful disposition.
Distractions and time-wasting techniques mentioned above are also sometimes used to avoid the internal back-and-forth argument going on between ourselves and our conscience. This antagonistic relationship between the two shows we are at a dangerous stage, where we are considering refusing to do what we know is right.
The relationship can be improved and more peace gained when we accept that our conscience has been placed within us for our benefit.
However if a person finds pleasure in sinning and decides this it is worth more to him or her than repentance, the conscience becomes a nuisance, an obstacle for them which they decide to overcome using the methods mentioned above.
In effect a person has chosen their own short-term pleasure, whims and fancies over their true nature, their religion and ultimately the path leading to their Creator.
The best solution after sinning would be to sincerely repent — i.e. not just with words but feeling genuine remorse and not intending to repeat the sin again. Remembering our Sustainer often throughout the day is also a key asset:
And if an evil whisper comes to you from Shaitan (Satan) then seek refuge with Allah. Verily, He is All-Hearer, All-Knower.Verily, those who are Al-Muttaqun (the pious), when an evil thought comes to them from Shaitan (Satan), they remember Allah, and (indeed) they then see (aright). (Quran 7:200-201)
Here in the above verse of the Holy Quran we find perfect guidance for what to do when any evil thoughts enter our mind — to resist and seek refuge with Allah (swt). If we sincerely wish to improve and ask for His help we will succeed, however sincerity is vital – we must not lie to ourselves.
Consequences of choosing wrong over right
The consequences of choosing our own whims and fancies over ultimately the truth, is that:
They are deaf, dumb, and blind, so they return not (to the Right Path). (Quran 2:18)
Choosing this option – and yes it is a choice as we have been given free will to decide between wrong and right and hence the consequences of punishment or reward — is more than selfish, it is outrageous audacity and arrogance. The person constantly sinning whilst he knows his Creator and Sustainer is watching is in effect treating this major blessing — conscience — as an enemy.
The person is deprived of His grace and left alone to his own devices, a sinful, miserable creature with a wasted life.
Opportunity in this blessed month
This holy month of Ramadhan is an ideal opportunity to sincerely strive to improve — to commence the striving for purifying our mind and souls. As well as practicing discipline in regards to food and drink, this is an ideal opportunity to practice disciplining our thoughts — remembering the verse 7:201 above from the Holy Quran we should develop a habit of remembering Allah (swt) and seeking His help whenever an evil thought enters our mind.
This habit should then be continued after the month of Ramadhan too — self improvement is an ongoing life process, not just for one month but is to be continued till our last breath.
Let’s use our conscience as a guide, and for our own sake, let’s not try to drown it out.
Please note: A related poem entitled “Conscience” can be found in a book of poetry called “Contemplate” – by Saqib Hussain – available for pre-order on Amazon or Waterstones.
You can contact Saqib by email [saq5 AT hotmail DOT com] for further information or a sample of the poems.
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3 Comments
that was a very interesting read. i agree with you and have liberated myself to take virtue from this if whenever i hear those whispers. Many thanks for sharing.
salam bhai its a true fact that u narrated.i am happy that u have a great belive on HIM i request u 2 pray 4 ur sisters and brothers might GOD make our heart soft and make us a good person and keep ourselves away 4rm sins
It’s true that these methods of drowning out the cries of our conscience has now become extremely habitual, especially with regards to the obsession with the entertainment industry (the ‘Twilight’ cult springs to mind here).
It is also very understandable that we use this ‘noise’ to help sweep reality under the carpet, as at times our guilt (caused by our ever increasing burden of sins) can often become unbearable and we find that distractions are our easiest ‘escape routes’ from this anxiety.
And although everything is good in moderation, including finding time to ‘catch-up’ with friends and the lastest segment of our favourite soap, we must also urgently strive to increase the time spent in confronting our conscience through reflection. After all, our sea of sins wont wash away by themselves, and that way we can live life being in a constant state of internal peace and tranquility.
Now wouldn’t that be nice