Imam ‘Ali (as) has said in this respect...

Imam ‘Ali (as) has said in this respect: "لا تَصحَبِ الشرِّيرَ فإنَّ طَبعَكَ يَسرِق مِن طَبعِهِ شرّاً وانتَ لا تَعلَم" "Do not take a bad person as your friend because your nature steals evil from his nature while you are unaware." In another occasion, Imam ‘Ali (as) has said: "مَن اتّخذَ أخاً مِن غَيرِ اختبار ألجأهُ الإضطرار إلى مُرافَقَة الأشرار"704 "A person who takes a brother (as a friend) without putting him to the test, will be compelled to be friends with evil people." Secondly, when we purposefully select a person as a friend, we will know the limits of friendship.

Finding a friend is easy, keeping him is much harder. "أعجَزُ النّاسِ مَن عَجِزَ عن اكتِسابِ الاخوان، وأعجَزُ مِنهُ مَن ضَيَّعَ مَن ظَفَرَ بِهِ مِنهُم" "The weakest person is the one who cannot find a friend and still weaker than such a person is the one who loses his friend." [^3] The Rights And Limits Of Friendship In Imam ‘Ali’s Words In books on ethics there are discussion on the rights and limits of friendship in detail.

There are even some books written on this issue.[^4] But in the following section we will describe these rights as Imam ‘Ali (as) perceives them. 1. Protecting The Bond Of Friendship One of the rights of friendship is the protection of the bond of friendship.

Imam ‘Ali (as) in this respect says: "مِن كَرَمِ المَرءِ بُكاؤُهُ على ما مَضَى مِن زَمانِهِ وحَنِينه الى أوطانِهِ وحِفظُ قَدِيمِ اِخوانِه" "Among the nobilities of man is his weeping over the days of his life (that he has passed negligently), his yearning for his homeland and keeping his old friends". [^5] Imam ‘Ali (as) reports from the Prophet (S) that he considered thirty rights for a Muslim's bond of friendship.[^6] Now what should one do if his partner sold this valuable item for nothing?

Should he stay indifferent towards the other person's indignation, or should he do his best to establish his friendship once again? In books of traditions there are many cases on friendship.