Significance of the Good and Bad Companionship

Significance of the Good and Bad Companionship

! .

Praise be to Allah the Lord of the Worlds. Allahs Blessing and Salutation be
upon our Master Muhammad, the Master of all Messengers, the Seal of the
prophets and Allahs Mercy to the Worlds. Peace and blessings be upon him
and his family and his all companions.
Respected brothers, sisters and dear children! I would like to talk to you in this
blessed meeting on the importance of good companion and bad companion.
Allah (Glory be to Him) says in the Glorious Quran:
119 : ) )

O you who have believed, fear Allah and be with those who are true.)(At- )
(Tawbah:119
And the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) says:

A man is upon the method of his close friend, so let each of you look into
.(whom he takes as a close friend. (Reported by At-Tirmidhi
There are two words in this Hadith that need explanation: the first: Ar-Rajul,
that denotes in Arabic language man that is the opposite sex to woman.
However, the word here in this Hadith means person that includes both
genders; male and female and not only man, as well as the word Din in this
Hadith means method, tradition or behavior.
A Persian poet says on the importance of companionship:

-
Translation:
If you will accompany a good person you would be a good person, but if you
will accompany a bad person you would be a bad person.
If you accompany the true friends of Allah even for a short time is better than
the sincere worship of Allah for a century.

Moreover, the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) says:

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Translation of the Hadith
The example of a good companion and an evil companion is like that of a

seller of musk and a blacksmith. The seller of musk either sells you (perfume),
gives you free samples or you get a pleasing smell from him. As for the
example of an evil companion such as a blacksmith he either burns your
clothes or you get a nasty smell from him. [Reported by Al-Bukhari and
Muslim on the authority of Abu Musa Al-Ash`ari].
This Hadith includes many important points; some of them are listed in the
following:
(1) It is Sunnah to give examples for you student, pupil or listener to clarify
your statement or the intended meaning of your talk.
(2) This Hadith invites every person to accompany people of the piety and
righteousness.
(3) This Hadith forbids accompanying bad friends.
(4) As well as the Hadith draws the attention to the benefit of good companion.
(5) And this Hadith explains the harmful and dangerous impacts of a bad
companion.
(6) This Hadith presents a lesson for mentors and teachers to adopt the
method of At-Targhib Wat Tarhib or Inspiriting and Disheartening.
An Example
Do you not see when a piece of iron is put into the fire for a short time it
become red like the fire itself, and when a piece of iron is buried in the earth
for a long time it turns into the dust or soil and eaten by the earth. Surely, a
good friend will make you or your children a good person whilst a bad friend
will make you or your children a bad.
The Prophet Muhammad and his companions

The most evident example for this subject is the Prophet Muhammad (peace
be upon him) and his esteemed companions (may Allah be pleased with
them). Whoever accompanied the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him)
sincerely and wholeheartedly became leaders and masters of the entire nation
such as Abu Bakr, `Umar, Othman and `Ali and so forth whose names were
written in the pages of the history with golden letters, but whoever
accompanied Abu Jahl or Abu Lahab became a loser in this world and the
Hereafter. Is there any example more clear and evident than this in the impact
and influence of the good companionship and bad companionship?
The standard for a good friend
Perhaps, you will ask; how to choose a friend? What are the qualities that
must be available in a friend? What are the benefits of good companionship? If
you want a good friend you should prefer a good and honest person who has
knowledge, wisdom, good ethics, sincerity and truthfulness.
The responsibility of guardians towards their teens
Parents and guardians should be alert towards their children. They should
think and see who are the friends and companions of their children?
Now the world is open, rather the world has become a small room due to the
internet. Nowadays, children make friends on Face book although we do not
know their backgrounds, their attitudes, behaviors; we do not have any
knowledge about their religion and faith. Their way of thinking and way of living
are unknown to us. And here lies the danger, and here increases the
responsibility of the parents.
A faithful friend is like a mirror that reveals to you your true face, likewise a
true friend will tell you honestly your fault and shortcomings for the purpose of
reform.
May Allah guide our children and teens to the good companion. (Ameen)