“Whoever gets angry with you thrice...
“Whoever gets angry with you thrice, but does not say anything bad about you - take him for your friend.” [^4] Stable and Unstable Friendships Imam Ali said: مَن اتَّخَذَ أخاً بَعدَ حُسنِ الاخْتِبارِ دامَتْ صُحبَتُه وَتأكَّدَتْ مَوَدَّتُه. “Whoever chooses a friend after properly testing him will have a lasting friendship with him.” [^5] Imam Ali said: مَن اتَّخَذَ أخاً مِن غَيرِ اخْتِبارٍ ألْجَأَهُ الاضْطِرارُ إلى مُرافَقَةِ الأشْرارِ.
“Whoever makes friends without proper considerations will have to put up with wicked friends.” ^6 Associating With Wicked People Saint Abdul Azeem Hassani quoted on the authority of Imam Baqir who said: مجَالَسَةُ الأشْرارِ تورِثُ سُوءَ الظَّنِّ بالأخْيارِ.
“Associating with wicked people causes a bad opinion regarding good people.” [^7] Imam Sadiq quoted on the authority of his grandfather on the authority of the Prophet of God : ثَلاثٌ مُجالَسَتُهُم تُميتُ القُلوبَ: الجُلوسُ مَع الأنْذالِ، وَالحَديثُ مَع النِّساءِ، وَالجُلوسُ مَع الأغْنِياءِ.
“Associating with the following three groups of people will make your heart perish: sitting with ignoble ones, conversing with women and sitting with the rich.” [^8] In another tradition regarding associating with the rich, Imam Sadiq said: لا تُجالِسِ الأغنِياءَ فإنّ العَبْدَ يُجالِسُهُم وهُوَ يَرى أنّ لله عَليهِ نِعْمةً، فَما يَقُومُ حتّى يَرى أنّه لَيسَ للهِ عَليهِ نِعمةٌ. “Do not sit with the rich.
For a servant sits with them and he is aware of the blessings God has bestowed on him, but he rises up thinking that God has bestowed no blessing on him.” [^9] In another tradition, we read that the Noble Prophet said: “Do not associate with the dead! They asked him: “O Prophet of God! Who are the dead?” He replied: “They are the wasteful rich, who are delved in the material life of this world and unaware of God. They see everything as wealth and money.” Such people do not have a living heart.
Thus, the Prophet considers them to be like the dead. Associating with the dead will result in the perishing of one’s heart. That is why it is forbidden by the Prophet of Islam .
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