understand that the company of bad friends might change him into a bad boy. The child avoided this by saying, ‘O beloved father! You do not worry, I will not become like them.’ The father intended to make him understand practically and one day he brought home a lot of plums, some of them were eaten by the family members whereas when rest of them were being stored, the son said, ‘O father! There is a rotten plum amongst them, take it out.’ Father replied, ‘Keep it now, we will see it tomorrow.’ The next day, when father and son saw the plums, they found that the plums near the rotten one also went rotten. Now the father advised his son, ‘My son! Have you observed the impact of a company! The fresh plums kept in the company of rotten one also went rotten!’ The Madani child realized what his father wanted to advise, and he repented of having the company of bad friends. (Doodh Peta Madani Munna, pp. 27)

Dear Islamic brothers! Have you noticed how beautifully a wise father adopted a method for preventing his Madani child from the bad company! He made his son aware of the harm of bad company by giving a common example according to his mind-set. The son also understood easily what his father wanted to make him understand by the example of fresh plums which due to the company of a rotten plum went rotten. He had a fear lest he should also become like them due to the curse of the company of bad friends. Just ponder; on the one hand we have the great character of such fortunate parents, whereas on the other hand, we have such unwise people in our society who prevent their children from having good company, let alone persuading them to have good company. When the same children, sometimes, get spoilt after falling prey to bad company, parents feel regret about what they did, but till then it is too late: ‘It’s no use crying over spilt milk’. So such children do not get back to the right path even if great efforts are made upon them.

Harm of preventing from Madani Qafilah

Making individual effort, a devotee of Rasool (from Madinah-tul-Awliya Ahmedabad, India) persuaded a young man to travel with a Madani Qafilah, but the father of the young man prevented him from the travel for religious education due to fear of the loss of his worldly education. The young man was unfortunately deprived of the company of the devotees of Rasūl. As a result, he fell prey to company of some wicked friends, turning into an