Befriend only righteous people

27-9-2003 | IslamWeb

Question:

In holidays I often stay a long time out of the house. For example: with friends in a casino, club, is that a sin?

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Answer:

Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds; and may His blessings and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon all his Family and Companions. To stay up till late at night with your friends is an impermissible act. A true Muslim is not supposed to sit in a place that involves evil. This act may also be a cause for missing the Fajr (dawn) prayer. Also you have to ask yourself: what benefit you will get from socializing with such kind of friends? We would like to draw your attention to the Prophet's (peace be upon him) saying to the Bedouin: You (will be resurrected) with whomever you love. " [Narrated by al-Bukhari and Muslim ]. So do you wish to be gathered on the Day of Resurrection with such guys? And what will be your situation in case death surprises you while you are in such a situation? According to the tradition and practice of your Prophet (peace be upon him), he hated to speak to others after Isha (night) prayer, as al-Bukhari and Muslim reported. Exception to that is spending part of the night in what is legally beneficial such as worship, seeking knowledge, etc. So fear Allah The Almighty concerning yourself and religion and try your best to accompany righteous people who remind you when you forget and help you when you remember (Allah and religious duties, etc.) so that Allah The Almighty may make you join them in Paradise. Allah knows best.