Two Paths, Two Aims, But What Kind of Friend?
Have We not given him two eyes…and shown him the two highways
(Surat al-Balad; 8,10)
All human beings seek a true friend. They look for people to share their happiness with, who will support them in times of trouble, who will show them solutions when they can find none, who will love them unconditionally, be loyal to them, protect them, treat their errors gently, and who will not abandon them when they are ill, in the same way that they will not abandon them when they are healthy, or when they grow old.
However, a person has two ways of finding such a friend. One of these is the way of the Compassionate One, a requirement of Qur’anic moral values and the path chosen by believers who seek solely the approval of Allah. The other is the way of friends who seek to serve only their worldly interests, a path based on advantage. In this article, in which we look at the reasons underlying these two states of affairs, we reveal clear differences between the powerful bonds in relationships between believers and relationships between non-believers based only on worldly gain.
Friendship that attaches importance to moral values: In order to be a true friend, a person must love someone else solely for their proper moral values. These are a person’s fear and love of Allah, faith, sincerity and takwa. Only friendships built upon these values are permanent. The friendship of people with such elevated moral values achieves an unshakeable nature.
A never-ending friendship: There can be no doubt that the true friend that everyone feels the need for and seeks is a great blessing. A true friend is someone who will be there for a person in good times and bad, who unconditionally wishes the same for his friend as he wishes for himself, who wants him to be at least as happy and as well as he wishes himself to be. He is someone who avoids such emotions as jealousy, intolerance and rivalry, who loves the other party sincerely and always wants the best for him.
A friendship aimed at the Hereafter: The precondition for being a true friend is to aim for the other party’s happiness in this world and in the Hereafter. One important attribute of such a friendship is speaking honestly and openly, telling the other party of any deficiencies of faith, and affectionately showing him ways by which...