One of the Right Things to Do When Close Friendships Are Strained

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said: “There are not two people who love each other for the sake of Allah, and then they split from each other, except that it is due to a sin of one of them”.

Al-Allamah Zaid Bin Hadi Al-Mad’khali, may Allah have mercy upon him, commented as follows:

This Hadith shows that to love one another, the religious and worldly benefits it contains is legislated in the Shariah. Regarding the religious benefits of this love, (it brings about) cooperation upon righteousness and piety. As for its worldly benefits, it (leads to the attainment of) necessities of life that are sought after. Those who love one another are attached to each other and remain upon that until one of them commits a sin that leads to the destruction of this legislated love- the love that was established for the sake of Allah and for the sake of Islamic brotherhood. Therefore, it is a good thing that the person abandons the sin he committed, which was the cause of separation between them, so that brotherhood for the sake of Allah is restored as it was before, and so that both the religious and worldly benefits of that brotherly love can continue. The basis of the sin committed by one of them may have occurred without any external influence, or it may have occurred due to tale-carrying and instigated by some of the devils amongst mankind- those who hasten to caused corruption in the earth.

Loving one another for the sake of Allah carries reward that has been mentioned in the Shariah texts. Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, reported that the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said, “Allah will give shade to seven on the day when there will be no shade but His”…and amongst those people are: “Two people who love each other only for the sake of Allah and they meet and part in Allah’s cause only”.

Awn Al-Ahad As-Samad Sharh Al-Adab Al-Mufrad 1/445-446