Seeking a Friend We have spoken of the good moral character...

Seeking a Friend We have spoken of the good moral character that a friend should possess but let us also emphasize that the person we choose must also be spiritually and emotionally inclined towards Allah (S.W.T.). There are plenty of people - non- Muslims, Polytheists and even Atheists - who have good manners and loyal characters but the spiritual influence such people would have close friends is destructive to our Imaan.

📌Sometimes a person who has been deprived of affection and love in his family may latch onto the first individual who offers him this warmth. Such a step may cause him more harm than good if the person he befriends takes him away from Allah (S.W.T.). Remember to ask yourself if such or similar emotions are prompting you to make a friend who is otherwise unsuitable for you.

A true friend is one you can trust to always warn you when you stray away from Allah (S.W.T.) and who will walk upright with you on the Path towards ultimate success. A. Qualities to look for Because Allah (S.W.T.) has created the human nature and the feeling of friendship between people, He is also the Best suited to advise us on how to recognize a person who will make a good friend.

Therefore, we have been told to look for these qualities in a potential friend: Wisdom and Knowledge: A friend must be Aaqil (wise) according to Islam. Those who are not wise may through their ideas and action harm you and put your dignity at risk together with their own.

Imam al-Sajjad (a.s.) advised his son saying: " Avoid friendship with an ignorant person because he may want to benefit you but because of his ignorance, he will end up harming you." Islam cautions us to avoid friendship with characters who are rash, unreasonable, short tempered and unstable in their emotions. When in school or college, it is a good idea to avoid those who do not take their studies seriously no matter how popular they are.

📌Remember, after you leave the school each of you will go your own way and how you perform your studies will affect the rest of your life and career. Ask yourself whether failing will be worth the few hours of popularity you may have. Sincerity and Good Principles. The person you choose to befriend should be sincere in his actions and uphold the principles of Islam.

If he is the sort of person who compromises his relationship with Allah (S.W.T.) then what is to say that he would not compromise your relationship which is infinitely less important when compared to Him?

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