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A
believer's sole friends and helpers are Allah, Messenger and other
believers
A
person cannot hold two opposing views simultaneously. Given that faith and
unbelief are two distinct concepts, it is unlikely that a person can share the
views, thoughts, and feelings of both believers and unbelievers.
The
basic element underlying relations between people, such as friendship and
fellowship, is love. The believers' most important attribute is their strong
love for Allah, which the Qur'an relates in the following verse:
Some
people set up equals to Allah, loving them as they should love Allah. But those
who believe have greater love for Allah. If only you could see those who do
wrong at the time when they see the punishment, and that truly all strength
belongs to Allah, and that Allah is severe in punishment. (Qur'an, 2:165)
Believers
direct the love they feel for Allah to His servants, who seek to earn His good
pleasure. For this reason, those who have faith in Allah and the Qur'an and have
grasped Islam's essence cannot possibly feel any attachment to those who have no
love for Allah. If someone does not acknowledge or appreciate Allah—Whom
believers love more than their own selves; for Whose cause they spend whatever
they have; Who shows them the right path, gives them abundant blessings and the
good news of Paradise, as well as infinite rewards in the afterlife; and in Whom
they have profound faith—a bond of love cannot form between that person and a
believer. As a result, there can be no true friendship between them. One verse
states that: You
will not find people who believe in Allah and the Last Day having love for
anyone who opposes Allah and His Messenger, though they be their fathers, their
sons, their brothers, or their kindred. (Qur'an, 58:22)
Despite
this, however, some people, especially those who are in the process of learning
the Qur'an's values, may still feel close to their former friends or their
acquaintances before they embraced Islam. But as the Qur'an makes clear, a
believer's sole friends and helpers are Allah and other believers:
Your
friend/helper is only Allah, His Messenger, and those who believe: those who
establish prayers, pay alms, and bow. As for those who make Allah their friend,
and His Messenger and those who believe: it is the party of Allah who is
victorious! (Qur'an, 5:55-56) In
these verses, Allah indicates that making friends only with believers is also
the key to the success of the good deeds performed only to gain Allah's good
pleasure. Likewise, many verses relate that associating with true believers and
supporting one another is essential for success. To the contrary, however, the
Qur'an also expounds that non-compliance with Allah's commands and
recommendations will result in difficulty and hardship for believers, for:
Those
who are unbelievers are the friends and protectors of one another. If you do not
act in this way [protect each other], there will be turmoil in the land and
great corruption. (Qur'an, 8:73) Obey
Allah and His Messenger and do not quarrel among yourselves, lest you lose heart
and your momentum disappears. And be steadfast. Allah is with the steadfast.
(Qur'an, 8:46) Despite
all of this clear evidence and information, the hypocrisy of those who try to be
on good terms with both sides and approach the faithful under the guise of being
true Muslims to draw personal benefits will be disclosed:
Or
did you suppose that you would be left without Allah knowing those of you who
have struggled and who have not taken anyone as their intimate friends besides
Allah and His Messenger and the believers? Allah is aware of what you do.
(Qur'an, 9:16) But
as long as the limits established by Allah are observed, there is not a drawback
for Muslims to maintain their social, economic, and cultural relations with
other people. The Qur'an sets the following criterion about this issue:
Allah
does not forbid you from being good to those who have not fought you in the
religion, or driven you from your homes, or from being just toward them. Allah
loves those who are just. (Qur'an, 60:8) *************************************************************************** {Invite (mankind, O Muhammad ) to the Way of your Lord (i.e. Islam) with wisdom (i.e. with the Divine Inspiration and the Qur'an) and fair preaching, and argue with them in a way that is better. Truly, your Lord knows best who has gone astray from His Path, and He is the Best Aware of those who are guided.} (Holy Quran-16:125) {And who is better in speech than he who [says: "My Lord is Allah (believes in His Oneness)," and then stands straight (acts upon His Order), and] invites (men) to Allah's (Islamic Monotheism), and does righteous deeds, and says: "I am one of the Muslims."} (Holy Quran-41:33) The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "By Allah, if Allah guides one person by you, it is better for you than the best types of camels." [al-Bukhaaree, Muslim] The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) also said, "Whoever calls to guidance will have a reward similar to the reward of the one who follows him, without the reward of either of them being lessened at all." [Muslim, Ahmad, Aboo Daawood, an-Nasaa'ee, at-Tirmidhee, Ibn Maajah] -------------------------------------------------------------------------- All views expressed herein belong to the individuals concerned and do not in any way reflect the official views of IslamCity unless sanctioned or approved otherwise. If your mailbox clogged with mails from IslamCity, you may wish to get a daily digest of emails by logging-on to http://www.yahoogroups.com to change your mail delivery settings or email the moderators at [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the title "change to daily digest". Yahoo! Groups Links
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