Character & conductFrom the masjid's own video, Jul 25, 2026.

Love friends for Allah's sake

“Loving someone for the sake of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala will gain the love of Allah.”

The khateeb, at 12:07

In one sentence

The companions you choose shape your character and your fate on the Day of Judgment, so love and befriend people only for the sake of Allah, whose love, shade, and honor are guaranteed to those who do.

The khutbah in 7 steps

  1. Opening khutbah with taqwa verses and the command to choose companions wisely (falyanzur ahadukum man yukhalil)
  2. Hadith of the traveler visited by an angel: loving a brother for Allah's sake earns Allah's own love
  3. You become like your friends, the daily poison analogy and the perfume-seller vs. blacksmith parable
  4. Day of Judgment chaos contrasted with the exclusive shade for those who loved one another for Allah
  5. Muwatta narration of Mu'adh ibn Jabal: Allah's love is obligatory for those who love, sit with, visit, and spend for His sake
  6. Hadith of those envied by prophets and martyrs, whose faces are light, tied to Quran 10:62
  7. Warning of the hellfire dwellers' regret over bad friends, call to analyze one's circle, then extensive dua for the oppressed and the ummah
Try this week
Choose friends and companions wisely and deliberately
Judge a person (including a prospective spouse) by looking at who their friends are
Change your intention toward existing friends: love them for the sake of Allah, not for status or worldly benefit
Sit with, visit, and spend on one another for Allah's sake (e.g., come to Fajr and halaqahs together)
Analyze your circle: ask whether the people around you daily push you toward Jannah or hold you back
Sources the khateeb cited
Quran 4:1Opening taqwa verse commanding fear of Allah who created humanity from a single soul
Quran 33:70-71'Qawlan sadidan', speak upright words so Allah rectifies deeds and forgives sins
Sahih MuslimLoving and visiting someone purely for Allah's sake causes Allah to love the person in return
Sahih al-BukhariWhen Allah loves a servant He summons Jibreel, then the angels, then places acceptance for him on earth
Sahih al-BukhariGood company leaves a good effect and bad company a harmful one even without deliberate participation
Quran 80:34-36On the Day of Judgment a man flees his brother, mother, father, wife, and children, worldly bonds dissolve
Sahih MuslimThose who loved each other for Allah's sake are shaded under His shade when there is no other shade
Muwatta Malik'My love is obligatory (wajabat mahabbati) for those who love, sit with, visit, and spend on one another for My sake'
Quran 10:62'Verily the friends of Allah, no fear upon them nor shall they grieve', recited by the Prophet to describe them
Quran 25:28-29The people of hellfire will regret taking such-and-such as a friend who led them astray
Quotes

In the khateeb's words

“So be aware, be careful, choose wisely those that you take as a friend, those that you take as a companion.”
MAPS Redmond · Redmond, WA
Play from 9:42
“And in the middle of a travel, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala placed an angel in the middle of the road”
MAPS Redmond · Redmond, WA
Play from 10:33
“loving someone for the sake of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala will gain the love of Allah.”
MAPS Redmond · Redmond, WA
Play from 12:07
“if you want to gauge and know how good your friendship with someone is”
MAPS Redmond · Redmond, WA
Play from 25:40