2 Preface وَلا أُقسِمُ بِالنَّفسِ اللَّوّامَةِYusuf AliAnd I do call to witness the self-reproaching spirit:1 (Eschew Evil).Our doctors postulate three states or stages of the development of the human soul; (1) Ammāra (12:53), which is prone to evil, and, if not checked and controlled, will lead to perdition; (2) Lawwāma, as here, which feels conscious of evil, and resists it, asks for God’s grace and pardon after repentance and tries to amend; it hopes to reach salvation; (3) Mutma'innah (89:27), the highest stage of all, when it achieves full rest and satisfaction. Our second stage may be compared to Conscience, except that in English usage Conscience is a faculty and not a stage in spiritual development.