Dear Readers, As Salaamu Alaikum!
Everybody wants to have good friends. A person is known by the company he keeps. Just as it is important to have good friends in our life, it is more important to have “righteous” friends who encourage you to do good and forbid evil, who not only help you in this world but also contribute in making your Hereafter better.
You should have good friends who correct your mistakes and inform you about the consequences of your actions. If good company is sought in the course of worldly journeys and travel, what should be the case in the travel of the Hereafter where the believer is in greater need to have a righteous helper and an agreeable companion who would be, in relation to his friend, like two hands that wash the other.They are righteous people who guide you to the way of righteousness and direct you with their kind words if you commit an undutiful or a semi-undutiful act.
Hence, it becomes mandatory to get rid of bad friends who are the reason behind every catastrophe. You should know, especially in this stage of adolescence, that friends are chosen by the adolescent according to his desire and inclination. The grave problem is that this test often comes spontaneously where the child grows up with a neighbor at school or university. This friend may become the reason behind his undutifulness through absorbing behavior due to frequent interaction over a period of time. So, you should select your friends cautiously and deliberately.
Remember on the Day of Resurrection, we all will be questioned with regards to our friends, our behavior with them, how we used to treat our friends, did we encourage them to do good or whether we were partner in doing evil. Because the friendship we have in this world with some person is carried forward on the Day of Judgement as well. Az-Zuhd, Of Ibn Al-Mubaarak, #368 has given a small description of The Fate Of Friendship In The Hereafter.
“Two believing friends and two disbelieving friends. One of the believers died and was given glad tidings of Paradise, then he remembered his believing friend and said, ‘O Lord, my friend so-and so used to tell me to do good and forbid me from doing evil an told me to obey You and to obey Your Messenger, and he told me that I was going to meet You, so do not let him go astray after I am gone. Guide him as You guided me, and honour him as You honoured me.‘
When the friend dies, they will be brought together in Paradise, and it will be said to them, ‘Let each one of you praise the other.‘ So he will say, ‘O Allaah, he used to tell me to do good and forbid me from doing evil, and he told me to obey You and to obey Your Messenger, and he told me that I was going to meet You. What a good brother, friend and companion.‘
Then one of the two disbeliever died and was given the tidings of hell. He remembered his friend and said, ‘O Allah, my friend so-and-so used to tell me to do evil and forbid me from doing good.He told me to disobey You and to disobey Your Messenger, and he told me that I would not meet You. O Allah, send him astray as You sent me astray.‘
When the friend dies, they will be joined together in hell, and it will be said, ‘Let each of you praise the other.‘ So he will say, ‘O Allaah, he used to tell me to do evil and forbid me to do good. He told me to disobey You and to disobey Your Messenger, and he told me that I would no meet You. What a bad brother, friend and companion.’
Now we will read one short True story.
The story of two very close friends. Or I should say closest friends. Distance never changed their friendship, neither did time or status. Nor the long years of disconnection or the brief periods of connection. One of them was a little more practicing than the other, though both were strong in faith. The more practicing friend now prayed day and night for the other friend, for his guidance.
Yet for years saw the friend indulged in wrong acts. Yes it was painful. So painful that questions came up in mind… “Am I making any mistake in my prayers? Why don’t I see any change”…. Imploring prayers came from the aching heart… “My lord, show me for once that you do care for my prayers.”…And one day, after a long time, they got to talk.
It was a pleasant moment to know that the not-so-practicing friend was now trying his best to understand. And it was that one weak moment when that friend admitted that at times of great hardship and hopelessness, he tried to commit suicide more than once over the years and each time got saved miraculously! And every return made him firmer, finally feeling the shelter lies in his Lord, not in giving up hope in Him.
And the other friend fell in prostration.
“Oh my Lord, when I asked you why you are not guiding him, correcting his ways, you were the only One to save him from a misguidance that would destroy everything! you saved him from the sin from which there could be no turning back! And I was thinking you didnt answer my prayers! Help me remember to never be ungrateful to you or never lose my faith. Because today I surely know you care for us the most. You will never leave us alone….you are up there, watching us, loving us, guiding us….we have no reason, absolutely no reason to despair!”
End of story. Beautiful, isn't it?
So you see, A righteous friend is the one whose actions words and behavior remind you of Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala and the Hereafter. So choose your friends wisely and be kind merciful to your existing friends and encourage them to do good and contribute to make their home in Jannah, Aameen!
With Best Wishes
