Even though men was born individually, they were never meant to live alone. Men will always need help from other people, that is why they live communally. Making friends is very important, because they will not only be helping us living in this world, but a good friend could also bring us to Jannah.
Every man longed to have a friend, someone who constantly supporting him, to shared our trouble with, and being our shelter when we are in danger or misfortune. While we are living in the world, we have to make as many friends as possible. We never know which one will help us on bad times, and we shouldn’t treat our friends indifferently.
This was also wisely said by two of the Prophet (SAW) close friends: Amirul-Mu’minin said:
“Try to have as many as possible true friends, for they are the supplies in joy and the shelters in misfortunes.” While Imam as-Sadiq said: “A friend occupies a great position to the degree that even the inhabitants of Hell will seek his help before the relatives. In this regard, Allah, conveying the words of the inhabitants of Hell, says: ‘so, we have no intercessors, nor a true friend. “
A good friend of course should not be taken for granted. We have to take care of them with good manners and fulfilling their rights. Here are the rights of friends in Islam as we should know:
1. Receive Material Helps
We never know when misfortunes occur in our lives, nor we expect them to happen. There will time when our friends is short of money and need material supports from us. When they come to us and ask for some money, it’s their rights and our obligations to lend them. But of course under the condition we can afford to live as well.
Also read: Rights of Older Siblings in Islam
2. Receive Mental Care
Not only material help, people can be so stress at one time that they don’t need money to solve the problem. Here is the time where our friends need our presence most, to be there whenever they are down and low. Our mental support could help them get up and facing life bravely.
3. To be Protected
Good friends will accompany us even until Jannah. They can guide us and take us together to enter Paradise. Therefore, we have to protect them from anything that could cause harm. Whether it’s from other people’s bad intention or, especially, from the temptation of Shaytaan.
Also read: Rights of Stepmother in Islam
4. To be Guided in Allah’s Path
How wonderful it would be if our friendship could last until Jannah. One of the shortest way to do it is to invite them to do good deeds together. Let’s guide them to walk within Allah’s path, as it’s one the rights of friends in Islam.
5. To be Cherished and Loved
It has been said before that a friend should be cherished and loved. They also cherished and loved us, and it is become our duty to pay them back. Treat them with affection and let them know how much we love them.
Also read: Rights of Orphans in Islam
6. To be Visited When He is Sick
Not only it is the rights of friends in Islam, we should fulfill, to be visited when sick is also the right of a Muslim. They may not need our money, but they need our mental support most in this situation.
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7. To be Overlooked When He is Vulnerable
When someone is stressed and down, his body is in most vulnerable state. He need to be overlooked, so that he won’t be doing dangerous thing because he is not in right state of mind. We have to prove ourselves to be a good friend.
Also read: Rights of Our Parents after Marriage
8. To be Provided by Pleasure
As a good friend, we have to make our friends happy. Everything we should be a pleasure to them. Make them laugh, joke with him, and make him happy.
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9. To be Respected and Given the Privacy
We can be very close to our friends that we know each other’s deepest secret. But we must not forget that every people has their own privacy that should be respected. Give the privacy our friends need, and they will do the same to us.
Also read: Rights of Bride in Islam
10. Not to be Left Alone
A good friend will always stay by our side no matter what happen to us. They will never left us alone even when we are in the lowest point in life. It is also the rights of friends in Islam not be left alone in unfortunate situation.
11. To be a Good Influence
Let your friends to be a good influence in your life. It means you are willingly be guided by him to do good deeds and worshiping Allah SWT sincerely. By becoming friends with him, we become a better person, with a better imaan to Allah than before and becoming a better Muslim.
Also read: Rights of Parents in Islam After Death
12. To be Heard and Listened
It is a common thing to share our problems and concerns to our friends. By telling them, we hope they can give us solutions as a way out. Therefore we should be listen to what they says, not cutting them of between his speech. Not only it will hurt them, but it also show that we disrespect them.
13. To be Forgiven When He is Wrong
Human is the place of a lot of imperfection. Our friend is just and ordinary human that may do mistakes at times. It is their right to be forgiven for those.
Also read: Rights of In Laws in Islam
14. Not to be Forgotten
People come and go. Every other day we make new friends unexpectedly. Never forget the old friends no matter how many we have made the new ones.
15. As Someone Who We Share Joy with
Don’t be a bad friend who come to them only when we are sad. But let them be the one we share our happiness and joy as well. Our friends also deserve happiness.
Also read: Rights of a Widow in Islam
After reading the rights of friends in Islam, we must be wondering whether we have fulfilling them or not. Love our friends as they can be our shield from Hellfire. They are the ones we seek comfort to beside our family. May we are always surrounded by good friends, and may we will always treat them well.