Chapter V: Duties Towards Companions and Friends
LOVE AND BROTHERHOOD
Love for one another and friendship and brotherhood for one another is the best way for nearness to God. We shall describe in this chapter (1) love and friendship for God and its conditions and rules, (2) duties of companionship and its rules and (3) duties to the Muslims, relatives, neighbours and rulers.
SECTION 1
MERITS OF FRIENDSHIP AND BROTHERHOOD
Know, O dear readers, that friendship is the result of good conduct and enmity uf bad conduct: Good conduct is the root of love for one another and bad conduct is the root of hatred, envy and enmity. The result of good conduct is praise worthy. The merits of good conduct in religion are not secret. God praised His Prophet : You are certainly upon a sublime character — 68:4. He said : Attributes which will take the majority of people to Paradise are God-fear and good conduct. Hazrat Osamah-b-Sharik reported : We asked : O Messenger of God, what good attribute has been given to man ? He said : Good conduct. The Prophet said : I have been sent to perfect good conduct. He also said : What will be heaviest in the Balance will be good conduct. He said : God has not made the conduct constitution of people such that fire will burn them. In other words, Hell-fire will not be able to burn one whose character and constitution are beautiful. The Prophet said : O Abu Hurairah, you should take to good conduct. Abu Hurairah asked : O Messenger of God, what is good conduct ? He said : Keep the tie of relationship with one who cuts it off, forgive one who oppresses you, give charity to one who deprives you.
Some traditions have come in praise of friendship. When the tie of friendship is love God, its merits are high as seen from the Quran and traditions. God says after showing kindness over the entire creation : If you spend everything what is in the earth, you cannot create love in their minds, butGod has placed love in their hearts — 3:102. He said : By His grace, you have been united in brotherhood. He condemned separation and disunity by saying:
Hold fast to the rope of God unitedly and be not separate — 3:102.
The Prophet said : One who is the best of you in good conduct is
88 The Book of Wordly Usages Vol-II