This excerpt is taken from Sheikh Muhammad Iqbal Kilani's book "Al-Wala Wal Bara" .
❀ Loving Allah and His Messenger ﷺ and then all the believers is obligatory upon every Muslim, which includes the sacred group of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them), the Followers (Tabi‘in), the Followers of the Followers (Taba‘ Tabi‘in), and all the scholars, jurists, righteous, virtuous, Mujahideen, and martyrs of the Ummah, as well as ordinary pious Muslims. Undoubtedly, friendship and love affect a person's beliefs, ideologies, morals, character, habits, manners, even clothing, grooming, and style of speech. Therefore, the ruling is that friendship and love should only be with righteous, pious, and God-fearing people. Friendship with righteous people will lead a person towards goodness, and goodness leads to Paradise, whereas friendship with godless and sinful people is prohibited. Friendship with godless and immoral people will lead a person towards sin, and sin leads to Hell. For this reason, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: [المرء علٰی دین خلیلہٖ فلینظر احدکم من یخالل] A person is upon the religion of his friend, so let each one of you look carefully at whom he befriends.
Reference: Sunan Abi Dawood: 4833; Sunan al-Tirmidhi: 2378
❀ The Messenger of Allah ﷺ explained the friendship and love with good and bad people with a very excellent example. He ﷺ said: Friendship with a righteous person is like the friendship of a musk seller, and friendship with a bad person is like the friendship of a blacksmith who stokes a fire. Whoever sits near the musk seller will either be given some fragrance as a gift or will buy some from him; if neither happens, he will still get a good smell from the musk. And whoever sits near the blacksmith who stokes the fire, the blacksmith will burn his clothes, and if not the clothes, then the unpleasant smoke will certainly affect him.
Reference: Sahih al-Bukhari: 5534
From this example, we learn that whoever sits in the company of a scholar, righteous, and pious person will hear goodness, virtue, and matters of religion. He will hear the mention of Allah and His Messenger ﷺ, which will reform his deeds and benefit him in this world and the Hereafter. And whoever sits with a godless, sinful, and immoral person will hear lies, backbiting, deceit, fraud, obscenity, shamelessness, and other things that displease Allah and His Messenger ﷺ, which will corrupt both his thoughts and deeds and cause loss in this world and the Hereafter. Therefore, the believers are commanded to befriend only the righteous and pious. In a hadith, it is stated: [و لا تصاحب الا مؤمنا ولا یاکل طعامک الا تقی] (meaning) Do not make anyone your friend except a believer, and let only a pious person eat your food.
Reference: Sunan Abi Dawood: 4832; Sunan al-Tirmidhi: 2395
❀ In a noble hadith, when the uncle of the Prophet ﷺ, Abu Talib, was dying, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ encouraged him to say [لا الٰہ الا اللٰہ], but nearby were Abu Jahl bin Hisham and Abdullah bin Abi Umayyah, friends of Abu Talib, who urged him to die upon the religion of his forefathers. Eventually, Abu Talib succumbed to the words of his polytheist friends and went to Hell forever.
Reference: Sahih al-Bukhari: 1360
❀ Consider another incident from the Prophetic era ﷺ. At the conquest of Makkah, Safwan bin Umayyah fled fearing for his life. Sayyiduna Umair bin Wahb (may Allah be pleased with him) came to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and sought safety for his friend and brought Safwan bin Umayyah back. Safwan’s wife had already embraced Islam. A few days after receiving safety, Sayyiduna Safwan also accepted faith and, due to his friend’s kindness, went to Paradise forever. What happiness and good fortune for a person who goes to Paradise because of his friend, and what misery and misfortune for a person who goes to Hell because of his friend. Keep in mind the importance of friendship and love on one hand, and on the other hand, look at the youth of our beloved country. Most boys and girls, unaware of their fate, love stage drama actors, film stars, TV personalities, and sportsmen to such an extent that fashions change in days following their example. Boys and girls take pride in adopting the clothing, grooming, mannerisms, habits, and even the style of speech of film stars and actors. A generation unfamiliar with the names, achievements, and sacrifices of their ancestors and elders is so familiar with the names, circumstances, events, and even the personal lives of their ideal film stars that they know their favorite and disliked foods. All media in our country (الا ماشاء اللہ)—radio, TV, newspapers, weeklies, monthlies, and other magazines and journals—are diligently and devotedly performing the duty of "guiding" the new generation morning and evening. Since the secular and moderate Islamic rulers of the country replaced the two-nation theory with a new philosophy of one ideology, one culture, one civilization, the distinction between Muslims and non-Muslims has also disappeared. Hindi films, Hindi film stars, Hindi singers, Hindi story writers, and Hindi musicians are now idealized just like Pakistanis! Many intelligent and clever students ruin their future due to bad friendships and bad company and can never compensate for it throughout their lives. Many pious girls from religious families ruin their lives due to bad friendships and bad society and then spend their entire lives shedding tears of regret. In this regard, parents bear a heavy responsibility to instill the habit of befriending good and righteous children in their offspring from childhood. It is regrettable and astonishing that even in the fields of knowledge and literature, very few people observe this Islamic belief of love and friendship. Liking a person's words and actions is a sign of love and reverence. Presenting the sayings of Churchill, Lincoln, Einstein, Toynbee, Franklin, Carnegie, etc., as "golden sayings" for advice, while ignoring the hadiths of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, the sayings of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them), and the advice of the scholars, jurists, and other learned people of the Ummah, is entirely against the Islamic belief of "Al-Wala’ wal-Bara’" (loyalty and disavowal). In politics, too, the majority of people do not hesitate to make godless, non-praying, major sinners, and those involved in shirk and innovation their ideal politicians. During elections, instead of basing votes on goodness, piety, and religiosity, family, tribe, community, and worldly interests are the basis. This behavior is also entirely against the belief of "Al-Wala’ wal-Bara’."
Many parents strive and love to provide religious education to their children, but when arranging their marriages, their religious sentiments fade in front of worldly glitter and glamour, and they prefer godless, innovator, or polytheist families for their sons and daughters. This behavior is also against the belief of "Al-Wala’ wal-Bara’." Friendship and love, whether with film stars and TV actors who spread obscenity and shamelessness, or with politicians and intellectuals who mislead the nation, or with godless, innovator, and polytheist people, or with leaders of disbelievers, will cause corruption and deterioration in this world and will be a cause of regret and remorse in the Hereafter. Allah Almighty says: [وَ یَوۡمَ یَعَضُّ الظَّالِمُ عَلٰی یَدَیۡہِ یَقُوۡلُ یٰلَیۡتَنِی اتَّخَذۡتُ مَعَ الرَّسُوۡلِ سَبِیۡلًا]،[یٰوَیۡلَتٰی لَیۡتَنِیۡ لَمۡ اَتَّخِذۡ فُلَانًا خَلِیۡلًا] Translation: On that Day, the wrongdoer will bite on his hands and say, "Oh, I wish I had taken with the Messenger a way. Oh, woe to me! I wish I had not taken that one as a friend."
Reference: (Surah Al-Furqan: 27-28)
Friendship with righteous, pious, and virtuous people will bring reform and goodness in this world and will prove beneficial on the Day of Judgment as well. Allah Almighty says: [اَلۡاَخِلَّآءُ یَوۡمَئِذٍۭ بَعۡضُہُمۡ لِبَعۡضٍ عَدُوٌّ اِلَّا الۡمُتَّقِیۡنَ] Translation: On the Day of Resurrection, all will be enemies to each other except the righteous.
Reference: (Surah Az-Zukhruf: 67)
Is there anyone to take advice?[فَہَلْ مِن مُّدَّکِرْ؟] Loyalty (Wala’) with the believers, meaning friendship, love, support, and assistance, has another aspect that is very important for the reform and welfare of the Islamic society. Therefore, it is necessary to mention it as well. Allah Almighty has placed the feeling of love and friendship in the nature of every human being, some more, some less. Islam wants to use this natural feeling for the welfare and reform of society. According to the belief of Al-Wala’ wal-Bara’, it is obligatory upon every Muslim to, according to his status and circumstances, show goodwill and sympathy towards other Muslim brothers, support and assist them. In this regard, here are some instructions of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ:
The Command to Love Common Muslims:
① The Prophet ﷺ said: Like for your brother what you like for yourself.
Reference: Sahih al-Bukhari: 13
② Do not hold grudges against each other, do not envy, do not backbite one another. O servants of Allah! Live as brothers. It is not permissible for a Muslim to cut off relations with his brother for more than three days.
Reference: Sahih al-Bukhari: 6065
③ Be kind to the people of the earth, and the One in the heavens will be kind to you.
Reference: Sunan Abi Dawood: 4941
④ A Muslim is the brother of another Muslim; he should neither oppress him nor hand him over to the enemy.
Reference: Sahih al-Bukhari: 2442
The Command to Love Orphans:
The blessed statement is: I and the one who sponsors an orphan ... whether related or unrelated ... will be together in Paradise like this (the Prophet ﷺ raised two adjacent fingers of his blessed hand).
Reference: Sahih Muslim: 2983
The Command to Love Neighbors:
The Prophet ﷺ said: He has not believed in me who sleeps full at night while his neighbor remains hungry, knowing that his neighbor is hungry.
Reference: Al-Mu'jam al-Kabir al-Tabarani: 754
Command to love the distressed and sorrowful people:
The Prophet ﷺ said: Whoever removes the grief and sorrow of a Muslim, Allah will remove his grief and sorrow on the Day of Resurrection, and whoever conceals the faults of a Muslim, Allah will conceal his faults on the Day of Resurrection.
Reference: Sahih Muslim: 2699
Command to love those in need:
The Prophet ﷺ said: Whoever tries to fulfill the need of his Muslim brother, Allah will fulfill his need.
Reference: Sahih Bukhari: 2442; Sahih Muslim: 2580
Command to love the needy:
The Prophetic guidance ﷺ is: Whoever clothes a naked Muslim, Allah will clothe him with the green silk garment of Paradise; whoever feeds a hungry Muslim, Allah will feed him the fruits of Paradise; and whoever gives water to a thirsty Muslim, Allah will give him the finest drink in Paradise.
Reference: Sunan Abi Dawood: 1682
Command to love the sick:
The Prophetic guidance ﷺ is: The one who visits the sick remains in the garden of Paradise until he returns.
Reference: Sahih Muslim: 2568
Command to love the oppressed:
The blessed command is: Help your brother whether he is oppressor or oppressed. People asked, O Messenger of Allah ﷺ, helping the oppressed is clear, but what is meant by helping the oppressor? You ﷺ said: Prevent him from oppression.
Reference: Sahih al-Bukhari: 2444
The command to love widows and the poor:
He said: The one who hastens to help a widow and a poor person is like the one who fights in the way of Allah.
Reference: Sahih al-Bukhari: 5353
Both aspects of friendship and love with the people of faith should be kept in mind by every Muslim. This not only brings good and welfare to the individual but also implies the prosperity and success of the entire society.
[اَللّٰہُمَّ وَفِّقْنَا لِمَا تُحِبُّ وَتَرْضٰی] O Allah! Grant us the ability to do what You love and are pleased with. Ameen!
