Can I be a friend with the LGBT as a Muslim?

All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.

Keeping company with such people is a great danger and great affliction that exposes the person to many kinds of disadvantages and evil in his religion and his worldly matters.

Among these disadvantages are the following:

1- Friends affect each another either negatively or positively. It is said: "Characteristics steal a person (i.e. he is easily influenced by them and ultimately ends up adopting these characteristics)." It is for this reason that the Prophet said: "A man is upon the religion of his friend, so let one of you choose whom he befriends." [Ahmad, Abu Daawood and At-Tirmithi]

2- A bad friend will disassociate himself from his friend on the Day of Resurrection; Allah Says (what means): {Close friends, that Day, will be enemies to each other, except for the righteous.} [Quran 43:67]

3- On the Day of Judgment, a person will be with those whom he loves. The Prophet said: "A person will be with whom he loves." [Al-Bukhaari and Muslim] Hence, would a Muslim be pleased to be resurrected on the Day of Judgment with those who were homosexuals in this world?

4- Abu Moosa Al-Ash’ari narrated that the Prophet resembled an evil friend to a blacksmith "... whose bellows will either burn your clothes or you get a bad nasty smell thereof." [Al-Bukhaari and Muslim] Indeed, it is of great harm to sit with someone whose heart is sick and corrupted.

5- Distorting one’s image and reputation by keeping company with a homosexual, because people may think that he is like him.

For the aforementioned reasons, one must avoid keeping company with such a person. You should, instead, keep company with a righteous person who will remind you if you forget (Allah) and help you when you remember. Abu Sa'eed narrated that the Prophet said: "Do not keep company except with a believer and none should eat your food except a pious person." [Abu Daawood and At-Tirmithi]

Al-Munaawi said in his book Faydh Al-Qadeer regarding the term 'Do not keep company except with a believer': "A person with a complete faith comes in priority (in keeping company with), because characteristics steal a person ….. It is not safe to keep company with someone who does not fear Allah because he changes according to circumstances. Allah Says (what means): {…and do not obey one whose heart We have made heedless of Our remembrance and who follows his desire and whose affair is ever [in] neglect.} [Quran 18:28] A person adopts the conduct and manners of other people (he befriends) without even realizing it ....." [End of quote]

It should be noted that not keeping company with him does not mean that you should refrain from advising him and endeavoring to guide him. Rather, it is an obligation to advise him in a soft and gentle manner as Allah may guide him and enable him to repent.

Allah knows best.