- Who is a true friend? What characteristics should a friend have?
Quran and Ahl al-Bayt
Friends from the perspective of the Quran and Ahl al-Bayt 3:
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The fourth group (friendship with immoral and corrupt people is forbidden) which is as follows:
Imam Ali (peace be upon him) says two hadiths about this: “Avoid friendship with evil and wicked people, because evil is connected with evil and ugliness”[1] and “Beware of friendship with a person infected with sin, because he sells you for little”.[2]
The fifth group (friendship with rich people is forbidden), which is as follows:
Amir Al-Momenin Ali (peace be upon him) said: “Four things kill a man's heart: Repeating sin... until he said: Companionship with the dead, they asked who the dead are, he said the riches who are drunk with wealth”.[3]
The sixth group (friendship with fault finders is prohibited):
Amir Al-Momenin Ali (peace be upon him) said: “Avoid gatherings with those who seek fault, because their companion will not be safe from their harm”.[4]
The seventh group (Friendship with wicked people and worldly worshipers is forbidden):
Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said: “Avoid gatherings with worldly worshippers, as being with them causes losing religion and being contaminated with two-faced hypocrisy”.[5]
So, according to the verses of the Quran and hadiths of Ahl al-Bayt (Peace be upon them) we can conclude that honesty in speech and action is the most important criterion in choosing a friend. Indeed, choosing the right friend in a teenager sometimes brings him to ruin and on the other hand, sometimes it brings him to the height of honor. [6]