Seek a Fatwa from Your Heart

The Mu’min’s Natural Guide

Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) said: “Sin is that which agitates your nafs (conscience), and you dislike people becoming aware of it.”

The intrinsic capacity of the conscience agitating in human beings in general, whether Muslim or non-Muslim, is a natural guide for steering man along the path of rectitude. This capacity has been eliminated almost in entirety in non-Muslims due to the aberration of kufr. As far as the people of Imaan are concerned, this inherent capacity which enables the Mu’min to distinguish between Haqq and Baatil, vice and virtue, right and wrong, is alive and functioning in different degrees of efficacy. Those who have adopted a kuffaar lifestyle of immorality in total forgetfulness of the purpose of life and the reality of the Aakhirah, suffer very little pangs of conscience when they indulge in haraam and baatil – in fisq and fujoor.

Muslims who have not smothered into extinction their intrinsic conscience with sin and transgression, will always be guided by the intrinsic spiritual guidance of their conscience. When the Baatin (the soul) is constantly polished with Thikrullaah and obedience, the Mu’min’s conscience is alive, diligent and vibrant. Whenever anything is in conflict with the Shariah, the conscience of the Mu’min immediately recoils, becomes agitated and sends up warning signals. Thus a person says: ‘It bothers my conscience’. This internal agitation is a wonderful bestowal of Allah Ta’ala. By means of this inner warning light which glows when confronted by haraam, mushtabah and baatil, the Mu’min is able to save himself from the calamity of transgression and Allah’s Displeasure. If the conscience has been kept alive and radiant, then even if a Mu’min is unaware of the mas’alah, whether an act is permissible or not or whether it is doubtful or futile or worthy of abstention or participation, he will be rightly guided by his conscience even if he does not submit the act for rumination. The agitation of the conscience is an automatic reflex action.

The Rooh (Soul) is a lofty spiritual substance of the highest worth. If it has not been darkened and corroded with spiritual pollution, it will necessarily agitate at something which is negatory of roohaaniyat(spiritualism), or in conflict with the Shariah or futile and of no benefit. Now when the conscience agitates and there is no spiritual guide or a true Aalim who could guide one, the agitation of the conscience will be a sufficient yardstick for gaining a fatwa.

Hence, Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) said: “Seek a fatwa from your heart.” A healthy heart adorned with the attributes of Imaan will not fail to transmit the correct fatwa to save one from indulgence in acts which are negatory of Allah’s Pleasure.

So if your conscience tells you that an act is haraam or mushtabah, and you are unable to obtain the advice of a true Aalim, then do not extinguish the light of guidance and the fatwa of your heart. If you have no nafsaani agenda to pursue, the fatwa of your heart will always be correct

*In today’s times, Muslims  readily take the easier path with comments and defensive remarks such as “deen is easy”,” for the sake of unity” , “don’t cause fitna” because of sin and nafsaaniyat desires.

If the conscience has been kept alive and radiant, then even if a Mu’min is unaware of the mas’alah, whether an act is permissible or not or whether it is doubtful or futile or worthy of abstention or participation, he will be rightly guided by his conscience even if he does not submit the act for rumination.

The agitation of the conscience of a sincere Muslim is an automatic reflex action.

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