The True Friends (Awaluddin Syamsu)

This writing is inspired by YOUTUBE short video entitled qualities of a best friend. This short video is very touching for me and I believe it is very important to be understood by every single of us. That is why, I write this paper in order to make all of us, I myself in particular, to recognize people who should be our friends. There are three characteristics that should be attached in a person or people in order for them to be our true friends. These three characteristics are based on hadist from the Massanger of Allahutaala, sallallahualaihiwassallam.

1.       The person when you look at him, his appearance reminds you of Allah swt. Not the person who enslaves his/herself into their lust or any other things than Allah swt.
When this person appears, at least it will make you change your talk, from useless talk to a talk which is more beneficial.

2.       The person when he/she speaks, your knowledge about Allah increases. The question is how many of your friends make you conscious about your creator and makes you understand to stand as an upright Muslim in society? Many of our friends, when they talk they talk nothing. Most of the talk is all about joy that make us forget Allah swt. However, we cannot stay away from them, but what we have to do is to engage with them accordingly. We should not spend a lot of time with them. We talk and hang out with them if we think it will make things better for us and/or for them.
. This second character does not mean that the person always talk seriously and sophisticatedly. He/she may like playing a joke or talk in very simple words. Because the prophet himself liked to played joke and talked in simple words with his ummah.

3.       The person when you look at his/her deeds, you will remember akhirah.
This person will always behave beautifully according to Islamic teaching. This does not mean someone who just spends life for worshipping God in Masjid but someone who can embody Islamic teaching in their daily activities. This person might not wear clothes such as the prophet’s clothes but he/she behaves as the prophet’s teaching.

As Muslims, we have to think of to whom we always get together with. The reason is because your friends will define who you really are. They will influence your thought and also your future. Therefore, we have to be careful to choose friends. The characters above should be taken into account when we befriend with other people. Wallahualambissawab.

In the discussion section, I would suggest these two questions; what we can do in order to be a true friend and create an environment that makes us help one another in order to be the true friend.