How Can I Transform Friendships into Bonds for Allah’s Sake?
Answered by Shaykh Anas al-Musa
Question
How can I transform ordinary friendships based on shared interests into friendships 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.
You can transform regular friendships—those formed through work, school, travel, and so forth—into friendships for the sake of Allah by taking a few meaningful steps:
Set a Higher Purpose for the Friendship
Share with your friends that everything we do, even our feelings and relationships in this life, should have a purpose and intention. The highest purpose in all matters is seeking the pleasure of Allah. As Allah (Most High) says,
“Say, ‘Surely my prayer, my sacrifice, my life, and my death are all for Allah—Lord of all worlds.’” [Quran, 6:162]
Friendships should ideally be for Allah’s sake, as any friendship that is not built upon love for Allah and piety will be a source of regret on the Day of Judgment. Allah (Most High) says,
“Close friends will be enemies to one another on that Day, except the righteous.” [Quran, 43:67]
People will deeply regret not building friendships centered on Allah and His guidance, 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]
Encourage and Support Each Other in Worship
Remind your friends of this purpose and be a supportive advisor for them at all times.
For example, if you are about to pray, invite them to join you at the mosque. This is a genuine right of a friend who loves you for Allah’s sake. If a friend is heedless or distracted, gently remind them of Allah, fulfilling the right of brotherhood in Allah.
Organize Meaningful Gatherings
It is wonderful to have gatherings with friends to learn about Islam, study religious matters together, or even share a meal at Iftar in Ramadan. Such moments strengthen bonds of love for Allah’s sake and can transform friendships into spiritually fulfilling connections.
Share Beneficial Resources
Another way to make friendships closer to Allah is to exchange beneficial Islamic books or resources. Friends can share a single book among each other, fostering a collective intention to bring the friendship closer to Allah.
Remind Each Other of the Importance of Loving for Allah’s Sake
Remind your friends of the Prophet’s (Allah bless him and give him peace) saying:
“The strongest bond of faith is to love for the sake of Allah and to hate for the sake of Allah.” [Ahmad]
Also, remind them of the hadith where the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said,
“There are three qualities whoever has them will taste the sweetness of faith: that Allah and His Messenger are more beloved to him than all else, that he loves a person only for the sake of Allah, and that he would hate to return to disbelief as much as he would hate to be thrown into the Fire.” [Bukhari]
Express Your Love for the Sake of Allah
The love we feel, even our emotions, should ultimately be for Allah. Abu Hurayra narrated that the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said,
“A man set out to visit his brother in another town, and Allah sent an angel on his path. When the man met the angel, the angel asked, ‘Where are you going?’ He said, ‘To visit a brother of mine in this town.’ The angel asked, ‘Do you have a favor from him that you want to repay?’ He said, ‘No, except that I love him for the sake of Allah.’ The angel said, ‘I am a messenger from Allah to inform you that Allah loves you as you love him for His sake.’” [Muslim]
The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) also said,
“If one of you loves his friend, let him go to his home and tell him that he loves him for the sake of Allah.” [Ahmad]
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.
