“A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out.”

– Walter Winchell.

Building a healthy friendship is important in your social life. Friends are the bodies that you need to be around in your life - who stand by your side in all circumstances - good or bad. Those who will help you achieve your mission, support you, encourage you in performing act of goodness, loyal and truthful persons.

However, you should be so mindful and wise in selecting them, since being in relationship with good and righteous persons is a genuine issue. And would be a means for your total change into a new world of correctness. Moreover, there is a fact saying: you would be defined - who you are - through your friends.

Besides, righteous and virtues Muslim, is a necessary means of keeping you on the right path. And the issue of having right companions is essential to our Deen - which says:

"A believer is the mirror of his

brother," and if he sees any faults in

the other believer, he draws his

attention to it in an acceptable

manner, helps him to give it up and

to wipe away any evil that he may

have.

Thus you are recommended to:

• Choose knowledgeable friend, and want to share his knowledge with you.

• Choose the one who is obedient to his Lord, adheres to the teaching of his religion ; is keen to please Allah.

• Choose the one who reminds you of your Lord, whenever you become heedless of his remembrance.

• Choose the one who doesn't look for or seek out the fault of his brother; rather he seek excuses for them - easy going person.

• Choose anyone who will enhance you.

In an authentic Hadith, the Prophet

Muhammad (peace be upon him)

said: "A person is likely to follow

the faith of his friend, so look whom

you befriend." [reported by Abu

Dawood & Tirmidhee

In addition, don't worry about the few numbers of them you have, rather the qualities. To be sure that, goodness is not necessarily lies in number, but in quality. so no worries even if you have few friends.

Furthermore, there is a vast difference between an individual who involves in social affairs - being around good peoples - and the one who deprives himself from social environment. Because, staying away in good social gathering is contrary to normal life. As a human, you will need persons that you get along with. In the same way, it's encouraged to be socialized, and be good to anyone comes along your way. Interact nicely with them, accept their invitations for permissible events, and help them solve their problems.

POINTS: CORE OF THE MATTER :

° Numbers don't matter, but quality do.

° Righteous friends can have influence on your feelings, thinking, and activity positively.

°Avoiding negative friends, can maintain goodness in your manners.

° Be friend with righteous persons who will guides you to right path - faithful believers . Faith is very important.

° Bad company will corrupt your character, while good ones rectify.

° Friends that Islam unite you, are the best friends.

° Spending time with wise people can lead you to wisdom. Likewise, being with foolish people.

° A friend in need is a friend indeed. Friend who stand for you in tough time is the right friend.

° Befriend righteous people despite of their races or nationalities.

° A loyal friends are the friends in real but not double-faced - who praise you at your sight, and deform you behind your back.

° Don't join an easy crowd: Envious, gossipmongers, backbiters, fake news spreaders....... etc

° You will be with whom you love in the hereafter. So a companion of righteous in this life and you would be with righteous companions in the hereafter also.

In conclusion, Dear brother/sister, pause a while and reflect on this issue. Be your own best friend, in selecting righteous friends. Therefore, you wouldn't regret in long after. However, good friends could be a ladder to you _ to help you reach your goal - and lead you to success, such that even some of your family members couldn't do.

So is not now a right time for you to seek for righteous friends?