What Does Leaving Bad Company for Allah Mean?
Answered by Shaykh Anas al-Musa
Question
What does it mean for a Muslim to leave bad company for the sake of Allah?
Answer
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
All praise is due to Allah, Lord of all worlds. Peace and blessings be upon the Messenger sent as a mercy to the worlds, our Master and Prophet, Muhammad, and his Family and Companions.
Distancing from Bad Company for Allah’s Pleasure
For a Muslim to leave bad company (for the sake of Allah) means that they distance themselves from friends or companions who lead them towards sinful actions, solely seeking Allah’s pleasure. When a Muslim avoids companions who encourage wrongdoing, he does so with the awareness of Allah’s words:
“Close friends will be enemies to one another on that Day, except the righteous.” [Quran, 43:67]
The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) beautifully illustrated this with the example of good and bad company, saying
“The example of a good companion and a bad companion is like that of the seller of musk and the blacksmith. The musk seller either sells you some, you buy it, or you enjoy its scent. But the blacksmith either burns your clothes or you encounter a foul smell.” [Bukhari; Muslim]
The Influence of Companionship
Good company aids the believer in obeying Allah and avoiding sin, while bad company can lead them away from what pleases Allah. This is why the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) advised:
“A person is on the religion of his close friend, so let each of you look at whom you befriend.” [Abu Dawud]
Regret Over Misguided Companionship in the Hereafter
In the Hereafter, people will regret any friend who misled them, as Allah says:
“And (beware of) the Day the wrongdoer will bite his nails (in regret) and say, ‘Oh! I wish I had followed the Way along with the Messenger! Woe to me! I wish I had never taken so-and-so as a close friend. It was he who truly made me stray from the Reminder after it had reached me.’ And Satan has always betrayed humanity.” [Quran, 25:27-29]
Choosing Righteous Companions
Muslims should carefully choose companions who remind them of Allah when they forget, and who help them maintain their faith. May Allah protect us all from bad company.
May Allah bless the Prophet Muhammad and give him peace, and his Family and Companions.
[Shaykh] Anas al-Musa
Shaykh Anas al-Musa, born in Hama, Syria, in 1974, is an erudite scholar of notable repute. He graduated from the Engineering Institute in Damascus, where he specialized in General Construction, and Al-Azhar University, Faculty of Usul al-Din, where he specialized in Hadith.
He studied under prominent scholars in Damascus, including Shaykh Abdul Rahman al-Shaghouri and Shaykh Adib al-Kallas, among others. Shaykh Anas has memorized the Quran and is proficient in the ten Mutawatir recitations, having studied under Shaykh Bakri al-Tarabishi and Shaykh Mowfaq ‘Ayun. He also graduated from the Iraqi Hadith School.
He has taught numerous Islamic subjects at Shari‘a institutes in Syria and Turkey. Shaykh Anas has served as an Imam and preacher for over 15 years and is a teacher of the Quran in its various readings and narrations.
Currently, he works as a teacher at SeekersGuidance and is responsible for academic guidance there. He has completed his Master’s degree in Hadith and is now pursuing his Ph.D. in the same field. Shaykh Anas al-Musa is married and resides in Istanbul.
