Book Name:Harms of a bad company
whose company increases one’s passion for performing good deeds and creates a dislike for sins, and gives one concern for the Hereafter.
Sayyiduna Muslih-ud-Deen Sa’di Sheerazi رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَلَيْه has explained the importance of good company in an extremely beautiful manner. Hence, he رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَلَيْه states in Gulistan-e-Sa’di, which translates somewhat to the following: ‘I once received some fragrant soil from my friend in the public bath. So, I said to the soil, ‘Are you musk or ambergris! Your pleasant fragrance has captivated me.’ (Hearing this, the soil replied:) ‘I was only lowly soil, but I remained in the company of flowers for a long time, thus, the beauty of my companions had an effect upon me (that I also became fragrant), otherwise I am the same dust and soil that I was previously.’ (Gulistan-e-Sa’di, p. 4)
Dear Islamic brothers! Remain attached to the company of the righteous as much as possible; a human is a human, even if an animal is blessed with a good company, it does not remain an ordinary animal anymore, rather, its eminence, importance and status increase several-fold through the blessings of the good company and association.
Take the dog of the People of the Cave (Ashaab-e-Kahf رَضِىَ الـلّٰـهُ عَـنْهُم) as an example which was formally an ordinary dog, but it began to love and admire the People of the Cave رَضِىَ الـلّٰـهُ عَـنْهُم, and in its love for those people of Allah Almighty, it became their comrade, travel-companion and protector. What can be said of the blessings it received from the blessings of the Awliya’s رَحِمَهُمُ الـلّٰـه company; its destiny began to shine, and its rank was raised to such a degree that the Lord Almighty mentioned it alongside the People of the Cave رَضِىَ الـلّٰـهُ عَـنْهُم in the Quran in the following manner:
It is stated in part 15, Surah Al-Kahf, verse 18:
وَ كَلْبُهُمْ بَاسِطٌ ذِرَاعَیْهِ بِالْوَصِیْدِؕ-
And their dog has stretched his forelegs forward on the threshold of the Cave.
[Kanz-ul-Iman (translation of Quran)] (Part 15, Surah Al-Kahf, Verse 18)