Taking Misguided Friends As Your Good Friends
--You can and should take everyone as your friend..but what about your good and close friends? How close should you be to you misguided friends?--
"And [remember] the Day when the wrong-doer will bite his hands and say: Woe to me! Would that I had taken a path with the Messenger. Woe to me! If only I had not taken so- and so- as a friend! He has led me astray from this Reminder (the Qur'an) after it had come to me. And Satan is ever a deserter to man in the hour of need."[25: 27-29]
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True and Good Friends are people who share their feelings with eachother-- sad and happy moments.
You share your feelings with your really good friends
You share your feelings with sinners whose actions are worthless-of no value- and based on corruption
..therefore you are following the same standards that they are.
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Prophet Muhammad (SAWS) said:
"A person inevitably follows the faith of ones friends; therefore, be careful in choosing your friends"
[Abu Dawood and Tirmidhi]
He also said:
"A good or bad companion is like one who carries musk and one who blows the blacksmith's bellow. The one who carries musk may give you some, or you may buy some from him, or you may feel a fragrance from him; but the one who blows the blacksmith's bellows might burn your clothing, or you may feel a bad smell from him."
[Bukhari, Muslim]'
This is advice from the Prophet (SAWS) who was sent by Allah (SWT) to guide mankind ...what better advice do you need?
If we agree with the wrong doers ..follow and are pleased with these friends ..then we take on their habits and behaviors. We hide our good Islamic character in front of our friends [since they are not good] and with them we avoid the good people. If he or she has this kind of effect on us..there obviously is something wrong.
Many times, Muslims are encouraged by their friends to do wrong things and to forget his duties
Muslims are usually ashamed to 'enjoin right and forbid evil' when they are with their misguided friends
You can not claim that you 'want to make them better' if they are making you worse.....
Allah said "Friends on that Day will be enemies to one another, except al-Muttaqood [those who have taqwah] [43:67]
So,regardless, Muslim or not--friends will be ENEMIES to each other if they do not have Taqwah [Fear and Consciousness of God ]
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AGAIN--you WILL regret having these misguided friends.
Allah (SWT) mentions in the Holy Qur'an that you will say
" Woe to me!.... If only I had not taken so- and so- as a friend! He has led me astray from this Reminder (the Qur'an) after it had come to me. And Satan is ever a deserter to man in the hour of need."[25: 27-29]
MORE INFORMATION ABOUT MISGUIDED FRIENDS HERE:
True Friends VS Misguided Friends
Please do not misunderstand the intention of these pages
It is NOT saying you should shun off your friends who are not guided
But--we all know what it means to take a friend as a GOOD and CLOSE friend
It could greatly affect us..so we should be CAREFUL. Nevertheless, we have the DUTY to help and guide these people to the best of our ability.
If you want a close friend-find one who has TAQWAH-then you could strive together inshaAllah
I doubt you'll find anyone who is sinless though--we are all human