‘‘Or do they envy men for what Allah has given them from His bounty.’’ (Al-Qur’an 4:94). The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, ‘‘Do not envy one another.’’ (Muslim). Keeping promise of one another is vital. Sufyan ath-Thawri (d.164H) said, ‘‘Do not make a promise to your companion and then break it, so that love turns to hate.’ Characteristics of good friendship are as follows: • They leave each other’s company with a higher level of faith (in Allah). • They always meet each other or start talk with the Islamic greeting ‘Assalamu Alaykum’ with reciprocal response. • They exchange useful and mature ideas and thoughts. • They do not shun in reforming each other’s mistakes or bad habits, but do this with politeness and humility. • The do not waste each other’s time in vain talk or useless activities. • They never encourage each other to do wrong and invite to a place or gathering of sin. • They stand firm on each other’s side when needed – ‘A friend in need is a friend indeed.’ Features of a bad friend One should be wise enough to know who their true friends are and who are bogus. Anyone who tries to pull towards falsehood or wrong deeds is a false friend. One should keep away from him. Here are a few characteristics of a bad friend: • They backbite and make fun of people; laugh at others or call each other with demeaning names for fun; they laugh at each other’s cruel jokes about someone else. • They get involved in activities that delay or do away with compulsory prayer. • They entice each other in fulfilling desire and end up spending money on things you do not really need. • They raise and discuss unimportant or vain things, such as a films or latest gadgets. • They shun from pointing out each other’s mistakes or weaknesses, even if they are serious. • They are ‘fair weather friend.’
Posted on: Sat, 23 Nov 2013 07:45:28 +0000
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