who do you hang out with - part 2

By Nasmira Firdous

Bismillah

6. How Allah subhaanahu wa ta'aala Helps Through Those Whom We Hang Out With

A few months back, I was being overloaded with work, studies, exams and assignments, which was topped with a challenge I had never thought I would have to encounter. As much as I wanted to recite the duas for difficulty, my heart was unyielding. It sent a shiver down my spine because then, at that point of time, I realized why it wouldn’t be easy for everyone to recite the shahadah as much as they would want to, when they are on the clutches of death.

I was not even able to recite the duas with full concentration, subhanAllah! Hanging out with the right type of friends who sent beneficial links to Islamic websites was Allah subhaana wa ta'aala’s way of bringing me out of it rather than allowing me to get stuck in the madness that was engulfing. A surprising coincidence being two of those friends ended up sending the link of the same article to get me back on track, and the link was about understanding Allah subhaanahu wa ta'aala’s Names and Attributes, subhanAllah! If it were not Allah subhaanahu wa ta'aala wanting me to learn more about Him, I don’t know what else it was.

7. Never Underestimate The Power Of Your Actions

If you are in an environment that does not provide a righteous friend circle, remember your actions always speak louder than words. Lead from the front, show your friends that you are willing to change for the better and are here on Planet Earth to please your Lord, and to expect His acceptance alone. Ultimately, remember, you will be standing alone on the Day of Judgment and your actions and words will be your only saviors, so make sure they are pleasing to Allah subhaanahu wa ta'aala even if they appear “displeasing” to your friends.

Having a large circle of non-Muslim friends, it was not an easy process for me personally. However, when you preach and show others the beauty of this religion with your actions and your words, they start accepting you for who you are and in some cases, even come forward to ask more about Islam.

I have had friends who could not understand the concept of me wanting to remove my pictures from Facebook. However giving them a straightforward answer did the trick and there were no ill feelings later on. When you decide to put your foot down, others will comply, almost always. And the ones who do not comply, its time you filter them out of your friend list insha’Allah. While it may seem highly important to have such friends in your circle, remind your nafs that having Allah subhaanahu wa ta'aala in your life is much, much more important than anything else.

A friend of mine was known to attract others with her amazing character and personality. So much so, that people learnt a lot about Islam through her informal chats. And one day, one of her friend came forward to say that she wanted to convert to Islam and recite the shahadah! All of this just by looking at her conduct and her verbal-informal dawah, subhanAllah! Therefore, never underestimate the power of your actions or words. You might be able to change those whom you’re hanging out with when you decide to please Allah subhaanahu wa ta'aala, insha’Allah.

8. Do Not Cut Off

Probably, the biggest mistake I did was cut off a little too completely from friends whom I thought would never change. Allah subhaanahu wa ta'aala taught me a powerful lesson here. He subhaanahu wa ta'aala showed me that it is He who controls people’s hearts and that He could change anyone the way He subhaanahu wa ta'aala wanted, not the way I perceived. We were teenage friends and our goals were predominantly dunya-oriented. When I began to change bi’ithnillah, I was hardly in touch with her for almost 5 years. Allah subhaanahu wa ta'aala sent her back to me and our friendship has skyrocketed ever since. Not a single day passes without we discussing Islamic stuff or Quranic ayats or exchanging beneficial Islamic videos. And this was the same friend with whom I would discuss absolutely mundane things a few years back, subhanAllah!

So never ever think your friends will not change their old ways. It might be Allah subhaanahu wa ta'aala’s way of changing them through you! Maybe Allah subhaanahu wa ta'aala wants you to act as His soldier! Take up the challenge with pride.

9. Stay With The Righteous

Remember to always hang out with righteous friends, the ones who would remind you of Allah subhaanahu wa ta'aala and Islam. Why do I say so? I heard an extremely scary and sad story a few days back about a girl who had no ounce of Islam in her life but was attracted to the weekly halaqas being conducted in her University, underwent an amazing transformation and started wearing her hijab and niqab too! She started giving halaqas to other girls and gave herself as an example who changed when Allah subhaanahu wa ta'aala decided to guide her. She would often move the other girls to tears when she gave speeches. She rejected many marriage proposals because she wanted a brother who was high in terms of his eeman. She got married to a “religious” man and the guy’s family started changing her little by little, asking her not to be “extreme”. And soon, in less than a year, she went back to her old ways of not wearing hijab and even started wearing revealing clothes. SubhanAllah! Always, always remember to hang out with the righteous who would remind you about Allah subhaanahu wa ta'aala. Also, don’t forget to ask Allah subhaanahu wa ta'aala to keep your hearts firm on this deen. Always!

I would like to sign off with a part of the following hadeeth:

Prophet Muhammad sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam said, “Surely the people of Jannah when they enter Jannah and they do not find those companions of theirs who were with them upon good in this world, then verily they will intercede for them in front of Allah Ta’ala and they will say: “O Allah! (Save) our brothers (for they) used to pray with us, fast with us and also do good deeds with us.” Allah will say, “Go and take out (of Hell) anyone in whose heart you find faith equal to the weight of one (gold) Dinar.” Allah will forbid the Fire to burn the faces of those sinners. They will go to them and find some of them in Hell (Fire) up to their feet, and some up to the middle of their legs. So they will take out those whom they will recognize and then they will return, and Allah will say (to them), “Go and take out (of Hell) anyone in whose heart you find faith equal to the weight of one half Dinar.” They will take out whomever they will recognize and return, and then Allah will say, “Go and take out (of Hell) anyone in whose heart you find faith equal to the weight of an atom (or a small ant),” and so they will take out all those whom they will recognize.’”[1]

Hassan al-Basri, rahimahu Allah said: “Have lots of believing friends because they will be able to intercede for you on the day of Qiyaamah.” So, who do you want to hang out with?

References:
1. Sahih Bukhaari in Kitaab al-Tawheed, no. 7440

I'd love to hear your views on this topic. Please post in the comments section below! :)

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