Looking After Friends

 

 

3.  LOOKING AFTER FRIENDS

PART TWO - SPECIALITIES

 

This being so, we should still give an outline of major duties of friend toward friend from an Islamic viewpoint. The following may be a practical guide covering the more common situations.  To do that correctly we better consult the Book of Allah. In there we find
“Man is bound to be always frustrated except those who believe and do good works, advice each other on truth and righteousness, advice each other on being patient and persistent (in maintaining piety and bearing with the consequences of being righteous)” (Surat al ‘Asr)

Despite its brevity this Surat can be seen to cover all personal and social duties of a believer when it is interpreted expansively, especially in the light of other relevant verses in the Qur’an.  For example as for doing good works we can cite

“Indeed true believers are conclusively saved, those who are reverently absorbed in their prayers, those who abandon all useless, worthless pursuits, those who pay the poor-due (zakat), those who guard their private parts except in the case of their spouses and what their right hands possess in which case they are beyond blame- whoever seeks more than this become transgressors-; also, they honour their trusts and treaties (23: 1- 8)

“Indeed such a Messenger has come to you from among yourselves that any hardship touching you bears on him only too heavily.  He trembles with your care, he is so tender and merciful for the believers” (9: 128). Please read this last verse in the light of this verse:
“In the Messenger of Allah there is a good and beautiful example for those among you who expect to meet Allah and the Last Day and remember Allah aplenty (33: 21).
In fact this very last verse must be considered first and the rest must be expanded on in its light. We can then see that like our beloved Prophet

 

 

1.
We must feel all the pain touching our fellow believers who are in some difficult, painful situation; we must tremble with tender love and mercy for them. This tenderness, caring attitude must also extend to all other human beings and even to all living beings in general because this good and beautiful example called our Prophet Muhammad himself was so disposed. He wished well for everybody and did not withhold any help he could do for others. Remember, he not only forgave his worst offending enemies but was very happy with them once they were repentant. His most charming, handsome face beamed with a thousand moonlights and broad smiles on seeing them take their first step towards Allah.

 

 

2.
We must fully practice what we rightly preach; for example, we must keep our regular prayers, financially help out those in need for no financial return but Allah’s Sake (that is what zakat is for and in fact sadaqa/alms supplements), we must be chaste in all affairs including our family life and we must remember Allah at all times with love and reverence so as to keep our appetite for piety and charity very keen at all times.

 

 

3.
We must commiserate with the miserable and join the joy of the righteously happy.

 

 

4.
We must take care to do exclusively good works and not fall into transgression.

 

 

5.
We must give all the good advice we can to as well as accepting the same from others

 

 

6.
We must be patient and steadfast in all the tests, trials and tribulations of life, inculcate the same attitude in others and accept and follow any similarly helpful pious advice from others when they support us in our difficult periods in life

 

 

7.
In summary: We must feel and act like the Messenger of Allah because all believers are his khalifas (successors and deputies) who for his part identifies with his Lord Allah in all Allah’s loving merciful attitudes towards His servants. In that case we are promoted to the khilafa (deputyship) of Allah, we become and are called by Him All-Gracious ‘awliya Allah’ which means friends of Allah. Isn’t that the greatest imaginable honour and success?  Read if you wish: “Beware that for the friends of Allah there is neither fear nor shall they ever grieve. They are those who believed and have been pious all along. For them are good-news in this world and the next. Allah’s words admit no change; this is the greatest possible success (10: 62- 64). Amen.

 

 

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