Choose friends who bring you closer to Allah
“We absorb the habits, the speech, the manners, and the values of the people around us.”
Because close companions shape our habits, worship, and ultimate direction, Muslims of every age should choose righteous friends, gently help others toward the deen, and re-evaluate relationships that pull them away from Allah.
The khutbah in 6 steps
- Introduces good companionship as an adult concern across family, work, and online life.
- Warns that harmful friendships cause regret and enmity on Judgment Day.
- Defines righteous companions as those who encourage prayer, fasting, good manners, and gently stop gossip.
- Uses hadith examples to explain how people absorb the habits and values of close friends.
- Urges patient outreach rather than abruptly cutting ties, while re-evaluating relationships that repeatedly pull one away.
- Closes with hope that loving righteous people brings companionship and mercy in the Hereafter.
In the khateeb's words
“These people around us are the people who either pull us in or pull us back.”
“if your friend is going on the right path, you are on the right path.”
“Whether we realize it or not, we absorb the habits, the speech, the manners, and the values of the people around us.”
“Look at your Facebook. Look at your chats. Look at the last 20, 25 chats you had. Who am I talking to? What are we talking about?”
For the dinner table
The khutbah reminds us that our closest companions shape how we speak, act, worship, and treat other people. Good friends encourage prayer, fasting, kindness, and better manners, while unhealthy friendships can make wrongdoing feel normal. We should keep family ties and try to guide friends gently instead of cutting people off immediately. At the same time, we should honestly re-evaluate relationships that repeatedly pull us away from Allah. Loving and staying close to righteous people can bring blessing in this life and companionship in the Hereafter.
- What is one good habit you have learned from a friend?
- How can we help a friend make a better choice without embarrassing them?
- What do our recent chats and online conversations say about what matters to us?
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