Friendship

Will your friend take you to Jannah?

Since time immemorial, man has always interacted with his environment through relationship with the living and non-living components which, in turn, brings about stability in the community. One of these kinds of interactions especially with the living component is friendship.

Friendship is an interaction between people with common interests and goals. This could be with relatives, friends, neighbours or even co-workers. The concept of friendship is not alien in Islam. An evidence for this can be found in the saying of Allah in surah al-Furqan, verse 28 – 29,

(Interpretation of the meaning)

“O woe to me! Would that I had never taken such a one for a friend! Certainly he led me astray from the reminder after it had come to me and the shaytan fails to aid man.”

It can be deduced from these verses that Allah acknowledges friendship as an important factor in the life of man. Also, the kind of friend one has, to a large extent, determines one’s fate in the hereafter.

The prophet, sallallahu alayhi wasallam, was reported to have said in Jami’ at-Tirmidhi that,

“A man will follow the way of his close friends, so let one of you look to whom he takes as a close friend.”

Those who make good friends will be in the company of their friends in paradise while those who choose evil friends will lament fervently about their unrighteous friends as is also evident from another saying of the Almighty from the Quran:

“Friends on that Day will be enemies to one another, except al- Muttaqun (i.e those who have piety)”

Surah az-Zukhruf, verse 67.

As such, if one is to make friends, it shouldn’t be friends that will remain in this world rather those that will continue in the hereafter.

The Prophet, sallaLlahu alayhi wasallam, said,

“Keep company of the believers only and let your food be eaten only by the righteous.”(Tirmidhi)

The basis of Islam is that everything we do has to be for Allah’s sake, including the friendships we make in our lives. Our friendships and relationships with others should be governed by codes of conducts which are in accordance with the sharia.

Certain things need to be considered before regarding someone as a friend. In another narration, he, sallallahu alayhi wasallam, said:

“Your best friend is the one who; seeing him reminds you of Allah, speaking to him increases your knowledge and his actions reminds you of the hereafter” as it is easy to take after someone we have close relationships with.

A true friend regards one in all circumstances. They can be confided in and trusted to give the right advice at all times. Having a friend one can rely on is one of the good things of life. Islam does not deny the fact that at some point in life, we need human beings we could talk to and feel safe around them.

Good friends makes life easier. They support each other always, regardless of the situation, correct and overlook mistakes, as they acknowledge the fact that there is no such thing as a perfect relationship.

So, I ask you again, “will your friend take you to Jannah?”

May Allah, Azza wa jal, grant us the best of companions in this world and the next.

Author: Haulat Ozigis (Umm Bilaal)

Editor: Umm Naml