Choosy choosing friends

Bismillah.

Alhamdulillah wa shukrulillah, am grateful for the wonderful friends in my life who teach me in the ways which they themselves are unaware of. That's the beauty of having humble and beautiful hearted people around us.

Am very pleased to hear that some readers are benefiting from Dr Jasser Auda's book too. Alhamdulillah, "In His hand is all good." [Quran 3:26]

When some people write in, my heart grins big like down to the diaphragm LOL. Seriously, some people are so unassuming that they are not aware of how their state, just being themselves can elevate the people they interact with. May Allah bless you. You know who you are!

Ibn Ata'illah says:

"Do not befriend someone who does not elevate you with his state, or guide you to God with his speech. It could be that you are doing evil, yet you think you are doing good because you are comparing yourself to your friend who is worse than you."

So being choosy is good in this context.

I am blessed to know one respectable visitor to this humble space. I didn't know she is actually a Professor Dr. __ until recently, because she always and only refers to herself as Sister P. MashaAllah tabarakallah. 

Now compare this with those who elevate themselves by telling people they live in a certain posh neighborhood, when in truth they live somewhere else. The neighborhood is wealthy alright but their abode is probably the worst of the pack. We are not people who judge people from their homes but it goes to show that those who try to elevate themselves will be brought down, whereas those who are humble, Allah will lift them up.

So that's why we have been told to be choosy and choose those whose "state" elevate us. By state, Dr Jasser Auda in his book A Journey to God, defines as "a Sufi expression for the spiritual influence that people have on one's spirituality."

May Allah keep us in good company, always. Ameen.

I spotted these two gentlemen chatting away
at Kowloon Mosque in Hong Kong.
I walked past them but quickly turned back to snap their photo because
the aura of their friendship was something worth capturing.