One
of the greatest things that helps the Muslim to have piety and uprightness on
the path of truth and guidance is keeping the company of good people and
avoiding evil company, for man, by his nature, gets influenced by his friends
and companions and adopts their characters and manners.
Also,
man’s character is known through his brothers and friends as pointed out by the
Prophet when he said,
“A man is on the
religion of his friend, so let every one of you examine whom he befriends.”
There
is no wonder then that Islaam shows great concern on the matter of
companionship and friendship so much so that the Prophet -peace be upon him-
directed every Muslim to select only righteous and pious people as friends and
companions. He said,
(Reported by Abu
Dawood)
There
is no doubt that the Muslim is influenced by his friend, especially if he loves
his friend dearly, because that love makes him turn a blind eye to his friend’s
sins and errors, and it may lead him to admire him to such an extent that he
begins to imitate him in everything, even the way he walks. This is something
that is seen a great deal and no one can deny it.
Allaah سُبحانه وتعالى says,
وَيَوْمَ يَعَضُّ الظَّالِمُ عَلَى يَدَيْهِ يَقُولُ يَا لَيْتَنِي اتَّخَذْتُ مَعَ الرَّسُولِ سَبِيلًا
يَا وَيْلَتَى لَيْتَنِي لَمْ أَتَّخِذْ فُلَانًا خَلِيلًا
يَا وَيْلَتَى لَيْتَنِي لَمْ أَتَّخِذْ فُلَانًا خَلِيلًا
“And (remember)
the Day when the wrongdoer will bite at his hands, he will say: O! Would that I
had taken a path with the Messenger (Muhammad). Ah! Woe to me! Would that I had
never taken so–and–so as a friend. He indeed led me astray from the reminder
(the Qur’aan) after it had come to me. And Satan is ever a deserter to man in
the hour of need.”
(Al–Furqaan 25:
27–29)
You should understand that this friendship
will turn to enmity on the Day of Resurrection, because this friendship was not
based on adhering to the laws of Allaah سُبحانه وتعالى and
obeying Him.
And Allaah سُبحانه وتعالى says:
الْأَخِلَّاء يَوْمَئِذٍ بَعْضُهُمْ لِبَعْضٍ
عَدُوٌّ إِلَّا الْمُتَّقِينَ
“Friends on that
Day will be foes one to another except Al-Muttaqoon (the pious.)”
[az-Zukhruf 43:67]
Al-Qurtubi
(رحمه
الله) said:
“Friends on that Day” i.e., the Day of Resurrection
“will be foes one to another,” i.e., they will be enemies to one another and
will curse one another “except Al-Muttaqoon (the pious)” who will be friends in
this world and in the Hereafter."
{End quote from Tafseer al-Qurtubi, 16/95}
Ibn
Katheer (رحمه
الله) said in his Tafseer
(7/237):
'That is, every friendship that was for the
sake of anything other than Allaah will on the Day of Resurrection, turn into
enmity, except for that which was for the sake of Allaah, may He be glorified
and exalted; it will last forever.'
What the Muslim must do is to keep away
from bad companions and choose righteous friends who will guide him towards
what is good and help him to obey his Lord, سُبحانه وتعالى.
It was narrated that Abu Moosa al-Ash‘ari (رضي اللّه عنـه)
said:
'The Messenger of Allaah
(صلّى
اللَّهُ عليه وسلّم) said: “The
likeness of a good companion and a bad companion is that of one who carries
musk and one who works the bellows. With the carrier of musk, either he will
give you some or you will buy some from him, or you will notice a good smell
from him; as for the one who works the bellows, either he will burn your
clothes or you will notice a bad smell from him.”
[Narrated by
al-Bukhaari & Muslim]
Al–Haafiz
ibn Hajar رحمه
الله, while commenting on
this hadeeth said,
“There is in this hadeeth prohibition of keeping the
company of those who can harm one in religious and worldly matters; and an
encouragement for keeping the company of those who can benefit one in these
matters.”
So,
one should strive to find good companions and keep away from bad companions,
for a friend will have an impact on his friends.
‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab (رضي اللّه عنـه)
said:
“You should seek
sincere brothers, for they are an adornment at times of ease and a support at
times of Calamity."
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