What is a bad acquaintance?
Ulama Institute #1
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- Bad acquaintances are people who regularly or continuously engage in such actions, which are either forbidden, or disliked in Islam. It is very important to identify those acquaintances that have bad habits and those who are good. When Muslims know the bad acquaintances, they will know whether to advise them, or be cautious about them.
- Keeping company with bad acquaintances or making them close friends with them can have a negative effect, since their actions could possibly influence a person to do wrong.
- Prophet Muhammad ﷺ gave us the clear example of bad acquaintances in the following hadeeth:
الما حضرت أبا طالب الوفاة جاءه رسول الله ﷺ فوجد عِنْدَهُ أبا جَهْلِ بَن هشام وعبد الله بن أبي أمية ابن المغيرة، قال رسولُ الله ﷺ لأبي طالب: ((يا عم قُل: لا إله إلا الله كلمة أشْهدُ لك بها عند الله . )) فقال أبو جهل وعبد الله بن أبي أمية : يا أبا طالب، أترغب عن مِلَةِ عَبْدِ الْمَطَلب؟ فلم يزل رسولُ اللهِ ﷺ يَعْرِضُهَا عَلَيْهِ ويعودان بتلك المقالة حتى قال أبو طالب آخر ما كلمهُم هو على مِلَةِ عَبْدِ الْمُطَّلِبِ، وأبى أن يقول : لا إله إلا الله. ( البخاري )
Musayyab narrated: “When the time of death of Aboo Taalib approached, Allah’s Messenger ﷺ went to him and found Aboo Jahl ibn Hishaam and ‘Abdullaah ibn Abee Umayyah ibn Al-Mughirah by his side. Allah’s Messenger ﷺ told Aboo Taalib,’O uncle! Say: ‘Laa ilaaha illa-llaah! [None has the right to be worshipped but Al- lah]’, a sentence with which I shall be a witness [i.e., argue] for you before Allah’. Aboo Jahl and ‘Abdullaah ibn Abee Umayyah said, ‘O Aboo Taalib! Are you going to denounce the religion of ‘Abdul- Muttalib? Allah’s Messenger ﷺ kept on inviting Aboo Taalib to say it [i.e., Laa ilaaha illa-Allah!] while they [Aboo Jahl and ‘Abdullaah] kept on repeating their statement till Aboo Taalib said his last state- ment that he was on the religion of ‘Abdul-Muttalib and refused to say: Laa ilaaha illa-llaah!.” (Bukhaari)
- This hadeeth shows the influence that a bad acquaintance can have. Aboo Taalib was the uncle of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ . Aboo Taalib raised the Prophet ﷺ and loved him very much. However, he had bad acquaintances who stopped him from saying the shahaadah. As a result, Aboo Taalib died as a non-Muslim and will remain in the Fire forever. All this is because he had two very bad people, Aboo Jahl and ‘Abdullaah ibn ‘Umayyah, around him.
- Muslims should try to avoid the company of bad acquaintances, especially if they do not listen to advice, even if it is their close friend. Imaam Ahmad was once asked about a person. He said that he did not know him, but the people he associated with were no good. Then, Imaam Ahmad said that because he mixed with bad people, he must also be a bad person!
What we learn from the lesson:
- Bad acquaintances should be avoided.
- Aboo Taalib died as a non-Muslim because his two bad acquaintances (Aboo Jahl and ‘Abdullaah ibn Umayyah) gave him bad advice and he followed that advice.
