SEEKING GOOD COMPANIONS AND FRIENDS

SEEKING GOOD COMPANIONS 

The Prophet Muhammad May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him often spoke to his companions about the value of good companionship.
He emphasized the need to surround ourselves with good people.
  People who hold the same values and believes that we do, make the best friends and companions. Differences of opinion, different lifestyles and interests may make our friendships interesting and sometimes challenging but if the core value system is not the same, the friendship itself probably has no solid foundation.
   For a believer, the solid foundation must always be Islam; the irrefutable truth that there is no divinity worthy of worship but Allah and that Muhammad is His messenger.
Every believer, past, present and future is linked by this fundamental truth. Prophet Muhammad (May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) spoke about this bond on many occasions.
"The example of the believers, in their mutual love and mercy for another is like the example of one body, if one part feels pain, then all of the body suffers in sleeplessness and fever."
(Narrated by Imamul Bukhari)
"The believer to the believer is like a solid building, one part supporting the other."
(Narrated by Imamul Bukhari and Imamu Muslim)

Friendship and companionship are important in Islam. A good friend is one who accepts your shortcomings, but at the same time guides and supports you.
A goof friend is one who accommodates your faults but corrects them where possible.
A good friend is one who will love and forgive you for the sake of Allah.
It is important to choose your friends carefully. Prophet Muhammad (May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) warned the believers about this too. He said that a person would be influenced by his friends, and he warned that everyone should look carefully at those they consider to be their friends.
What we can understand from this is that it is easy to be influenced by the people around us. It is easy to take on their mannerisms and qualities without even being aware of it. If these are good qualities then it is good thing but what if the people you consider friends have pushed you away from the remembranceof Allah? This could be a disaster, and Allah (The Exalted) warns about it in the Qur'an; "And (remember) the Day when the wrong-doer (oppressor, polytheist etc) will bite on his hand, he will say: 'Oh! Would that I had taken a path with the Messenger. Ah! Woe to me! Would that I had never taken so-and-so ad a friend! He indeed led me astray from the Reminder (the Qur'aan)  after it had come to me."
(Qur'aan 25:27)
Prophet Muhammad (May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) also reiterated this point when he told the story of the blacksmith and the perfume seller.
"The example of a good companion (friend) in comparison with a bad one is like that of one who sells musk and the blacksmith. From the first, you would either buy musk or enjoy its good smell, while form the blacksmith you would either get burned or smell bad scent."
(Narrated by Imamul Bukhari)
Once we have found good friends it is important to keep and maintain the friendship. Believers are connected by their love of Allah and His messenger and this entails certain responsibilities.
A person must be prepared to overlook some of the faults of his brother or sister in Islam; he must be prepared to give them excuses for any incorrect or bad behavior they see in them.
  This does not mean, however, you should turn a blind eye to sin. No, rather it means that you must maintain the ties of friendship while seeking to understand and help those who have gone astray. Believers must never embarrass or publicly harass one another. They must never expose each other's faults.
Kindness and mercy must be evident in all dealings.
"Whosoever conceals (the fault of) a Muslim, Allah will conceal his fault on the Day of Judgement."
(Narrated by Abu Dawuud).
  Some Muslim scholars have said, "The Believer seeks excuses for his brothers, whilst the hypocrite seeks out their faults." And another scholar wrote, "If one of your brothers commits an error, then seek ninety excuses for him, and if not, then you are the blameworthy one."
In his traditions, Prophet Muhammad (May the peace and blessing of Allah be upon him) said, "A person visited his brother in another town and Allah send an angel to wait for him on his way. The angels aid, "Where do you intend to go?" The man answered, I intend to go to my brother in his town." The angel said, "Have you done any favor to him, the repayment of which you intend to get?" He said: "No, I love him for the sake of Allah, the Exalted and Glorious." Thereupon the angel said, "I am messenger to you from Allah to inform you that Allah loves you as you love him."
(Narrated by Imamu Muslim)
 Believers should never be envious of one another, they should always be happy when the blessings of Allah fall upon their friends and companions. The Prophet (PBUH) said:
"None of you truly believes until he wishes for his brother what he wishes for himself."
(Narrated by Imamul Bukhari)

The Muslim's prayer for his absent brother will be answered. There is an angel at his head who, whenever he prays for his brother, says, "Ameen, and you shall have likewise."
"Do not have malice against a Muslim; do not be envious of other Muslims; do not go against a Muslim and forsake him. Oh the slaves of Allah! Be like brothers with each other. It is not violable for a Muslim to shun his brother for over three days."
(Narrated by Imamu Muslim)


A believer loves all other believers for the sake of Allah. He desires for them what he desires for himself. A believer is tolerant of others mistakes or shortcomings and is forgiving. There is no anger, envy, hatred or malice between believers. Believers are kind, loyal and generous to one another and they pray for each other.

It may sound too good to be true, but this is Islam. It is a way of life that expects every person to respect every other person. Islam says you are part of a community and it is your right and your responsibility to be the very best person that you can be. Seeking good companions and maintaining good relationships is a responsibility that each believer has for himself, his community and to Allah. Seek companions who are seeking paradise in the hereafter.
Allah (The Exalted and Glorious) said in the Qur'aan:
"Content yourself with those who pray to their Lord morning and evening, seeking His approval, and do not let your eyes turn away from them out of desire for the attractions of this worldly life, and do not yield to those whose hearts We have made heedless of Our remembrance, those who follow their own low desires, those whose ways are unbridled."
(Qur'aan 18:28)