Ramadan 2025 | The Power of Prophetic Prayers | Mufti Azeemuddin Ahmed | 03/27

The Importance of Righteous Companionship

So let each one of you consider well whom he befriends.

If you seek a companion to be your partner in learning, and your friend in the matters of your religious life and your worldly life, look for five qualities in him.

Since we are now coming towards the tail end of this blessed month — and that special environment that we were able to create, and are blessed to be a part of in these past 25, 27, or 28 days now — especially for those who are in i'tikaf, that is the special environment that Allah blessed you and I to be a part of. For those who are here for 7 or 8 days already, whether this is your first i'tikaf or your tenth one, regardless, it is super special.

It is something that you feel like people outside don't even know what Ramadan is about. Those who are inside — that's how they'll feel. When you connect and talk to people outside, you say, "What do you know about the taste of Ramadan, what I'm feeling?" And you will feel yourself that in all the previous years, there was no true sweetness and understanding about Ramadan, because the fast-paced, busy, busy, busy, busy world that everyone is living in doesn't allow us to come here. Doesn't allow us to go to the masjid and to stay in the masjid.

I met one of the brothers yesterday, and I said, "Come for i'tikaf." And he said, "I'm busy." I said, "You're off work?" The brother said, "No, just doing chores at home." And I said, "Listen, man, that makes no sense. You're doing chores at home from next week, from Sunday, Monday — no problem — but just come through." Alhamdulillah, he made intention to come tonight. But the idea is, you do your tarawih, you're in and out. But beyond that, the whole aspect of feeling Ramadan and really gaining the most of it is really hard, because all of our lives outside of the masjid are so busy, and we end up becoming so distracted, that it's hard to feel that we're fasting. The days are short. Alhamdulillah, we have suhoor, we have iftar. A person doesn't even feel that. So there are some changes, but the full extent — a person truly gets it when you cut yourself off from those things and sit in the house of Allah.

Indeed, how lucky those brothers are who have been blessed to be here this year, in this masjid and whichever masjid they're in — alhamdulillah — to be able to focus on their ibadah.

What Comes After I'tikaf?

Now, once we're leaving — once we leave from here — the question is: what's going to happen? Whether you're here for a day or you're here for 10 days. This is why we're now coming to this section of the book. He says that the most important thing is your friend circle. Whoever you stay connected with — that's exactly the type of deen you're going to be at.

Just like we put the stick inside to check the level of oil in the car — if you want to see what level of deen you and I have, we have to see whose company do we enjoy. After work, who are we connected with? What is the most active WhatsApp group that we're part of? What are the chats that we are very much involved in communicating? And then look at the individuals in that chat — you don't know the reality of those people. No one knows the reality of what's in my heart; I don't know the reality in your heart. But apparently, externally — to what degree of Islam and tradition do they follow? Externally, to what degree of sunnah are they following?

We pass judgment based on what meets the eye, and we leave the inner conditions of the heart to Allah. No one can judge that. So, subhanAllah — is that group of people the type of people that you want to be raised with on the Day of Judgment? Is that the group of people that keep you — alhamdulillah — happy that you're surrounded by such people, who will look out for you in this world and look out for you in the akhira? Because our level of deen will only be as good as the level of people we hang out with.

So now, if we want to choose — after our i'tikaf — a friend who is going to be a partner with us in the seeking of knowledge, who is going to be with you in the matters of deen and dunya, he says: look for five characteristics. This is not only for a young child, but also for anyone who wants to go and seek a friend. This is what you need to do.

The Five Qualities to Seek in a Friend

First Quality: Al-'Aql — Intelligence

Number one: look for people who have al-'aql — who have intellect. I'm sure most of us would never have thought that the first thing to look for in a friend would be intelligence. But this is what Imam al-Ghazali writes — look for intelligence.

There is no good in friendship with a foolish person, for such a friendship will end in estrangement and the breaking off of relations. This person may even end up harming you while intending to bring you benefit. For indeed:

An intelligent enemy is sometimes better than a foolish friend.

You remember the example I gave a few days ago — the person who threw a big stone onto his friend's face. He got hurt. So he asked, "Why did you throw the stone at me?" He said, "I'm sorry, I was trying to help you. I saw a fly there, so I threw the stone — and I injured him in the process of trying to get rid of the fly." This is the example of a foolish friend. MashaAllah, you're my friend, but honestly I don't want this type of friendship. Because in the process of trying to help me, it actually ends up harming me.

And when you have an intelligent enemy, you know how he's going to move, because intelligent people act in a certain manner. When you have someone who is not intelligent, you don't know what he's going to do next — he's unpredictable. What is he going to do? So even if he's your friend, he may harm you. But if he's an intelligent enemy, there is a certain way he is going to act. You can kind of map that out — he's going to make a chess move, like this move next, then this move next, and so forth.

Shaitan: The Predator Fish

When you talk about shaitan and nafs — there's no bigger enemy than shaitan and nafs, yes? And is there anyone smarter than shaitan? No. So honestly, it's in one way not so hard, because shaitan has a place. As I mentioned in the other du'a, shaitan is playing a chess game with us. It's a game of chess. And you have to be awake and alert and watch the game. If you play a game of chess while you're on the phone — talking, eating, driving, doing everything else — are you going to win? Never. Similarly, if you're going to fight a game of chess with shaitan while we're distracted, we're not going to win.

The plays that shaitan uses — they're tried and tested for billions of years. That's why the book Talbis Iblis — the Deception of Iblis — was written. It speaks about the way Iblis misleads people: how Iblis misleads the ulama, how Iblis misleads women, how Iblis misleads business people, how Iblis misleads younger people, how Iblis misleads the Qurra. A whole tactic. If you read a book like Talbis Iblis, you'll start seeing patterns. And now you put yourself — what category am I in? Where am I in this book? Read the Quran, read the seerah — you'll see how Iblis has misled people.

Look around outside, how does Iblis mislead people? And say, most definitely he's going to try to mislead me in the same manner. I see how he's misleading wealthy people. Alhamdulillah, I'm wealthy. Okay, but guess what? He's going to mislead me in the same manner. I have to make sure I don't fall into that pitfall. I see how he misleads attractive, beautiful people. Alhamdulillah, I'm attractive and beautiful. Well, I've got to make sure I don't get misled. I see how he misleads great orators and speakers. Alhamdulillah, I'm a great speaker. How is he going to mislead me? I see how he misleads those who are great at sports. Alhamdulillah, I'm front and center in the sport. I have to make sure I don't fall into that.

So this is, if you think about it, very logical. Yes, the conniving method of Iblis is next to none. But at the end of the day, there's a system he works with — a tried and tested system. We're not different. We're like all the other people who match our categories. So we just have to make sure we study how he is causing havoc everywhere, and make sure we don't fall into that.

When you look at every single family that's falling apart, every single husband and wife that are arguing and fighting, every single father and son at odds with each other, every mother and daughter at odds — all of that, most definitely, has a massive hand of Iblis in it. Now you look at your own family. You have to look at all the bad stories that you hear. How did this start? What caused it? Learn from it, learn from it, learn from it — to say, I have to be the adult in the room. I have to make sure that shaitan does not use my son, my daughter, my wife, my husband to get to me and destroy this beautiful home that we have.

May Allah enable me to understand, and all of you to understand, that there is a set way shaitan operates — and you just have to follow that pattern. The existence of Iblis and the shaytaeen should not be overwhelming. Mawlana Ghazi Puri is coming tomorrow. Two years ago, in one of his talks, he said something beautiful — you'll hear something beautiful tomorrow as well, insha'Allah. He said something that stuck with me. He said: Iblis and shaitan are very harmful, very horrible, and we have to run away from them. There's no doubt about it — they're out to destroy. There's not a shred of goodness in them. The biggest day and Eid of their life is to see you suffer — physically, emotionally, spiritually, psychologically, financially. To see you suffer, to see me suffer — that is Eid for them every single second.

But at the same time, while we understand and read their moves, and calculate their next move, and try to protect ourselves from it by begging Allah for assistance — do not become overwhelmed. Because the presence of this is actually good.

How is that good? He gave the example of a certain type of delicacy in Japan — a fish, a very nice fish. The people wanted, by the time they brought it to shore, it would naturally have died, and then they would cook it and serve it. But they wanted to have this fish even more fresh — served extremely fresh, live and cooked, within minutes of it dying. So they started thinking: how do we keep this fish alive? After trying different things that were not working, eventually they decided to release one of the larger predator fish into the enormous tank that brings the fish from the sea onto the truck and into the store. They released this predator fish inside that tank. And what happened? The predator fish would move around — and even though there were ten thousand of those small fish, the presence of the predator fish made all of them run, move, and swim very fast. By swimming very fast, they remained obviously alive, and also very active. You may lose five or ten, but the quality was amazing — they were able to take this fish that was super fresh, super alive, chop it up and serve it.

He said: shaitan is like that predator fish, that is after us. But when you look back and you see it, what happens? It makes you move faster. It makes your blood flow through your body even faster — which is great for your health, which is great for your spiritual health. Every time you look back and you see that shaitan is there coming after you, and it motivates you to work harder, work better, work more efficiently, and run towards Allah faster — Allahu Akbar, you've been blessed.

What a beautiful example. We do talk about shaitan, and it's important to talk about shaitan. It's important for us to recognize and realize the deceptive powers that Allah has given him. However — when life gives you lemons, make lemonade. Look at the benefit of it. Alhamdulillah, I'm learning about shaitan. I've been hearing, and I'm studying the verses of the Quran on shaitan, and I'm worried. But in this worry, there is greatness — hopefully it'll keep you motivated. Hopefully it'll send you to the masjid even more.

And then another example that Mawlana Ashraf Ali Thanvi rahimahullah gave: the presence of shaitan, as bad and evil as it is — but remember, those huge high levels of jannah you would not have achieved, had it not been for shaitan. Because if there were no shaitan, and we all came here for i'tikaf, what would the ajr be? Very little. Because there was no great difficulty that you had to come through. All of us sitting here — I don't know your stories — but I am sure it was not easy for you to come here. I am sure you had to make a lot of effort. Those who are coming for a night or two, you had to travel, you had to come from far, and you had to fight off so many different obstacles. And there are so many, unfortunately, who could not fight off those obstacles and couldn't make it. What you came here for required a lot of effort.

When we had a no-tech retreat last month in February, I was sitting there right before the Asr final talk, we were just doing dhikr, and a brother leaned over to me and said, "Can I say something?" He was someone I had never met before. He said — it was only about 22 hours — "This 22 hours literally, completely, completely changed my life." And he made me cry, because he said, "You know, I'm from Pakistan, and I grew up in such an amazing environment. I was one of the volunteers who used to put the mic on the shirt of Hazrat Mufti Taqi Usmani. That's how close I was. I saw scholars, I saw everything. And then I came here." That's the story of millions of people — that once you come out of the bubble, you lose. The bubble in the Haram — as soon as you step out, اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ مِنْ فَضْلِكَ — as soon as you step out of those doors, it's not the same. You can send a picture, "Oh, I'm here." Yeah, but you have to be inside. Similarly, if you're in any country but inside the bubble — inside the masjid, inside the institution — alhamdulillah, as soon as a person steps out, life changes.

So he was saying how he had unfortunately suffered immensely because of family issues, his kids don't listen to him, and so on. Then he heard an announcement somewhere about a no-tech retreat. He comes to me and says, "Do you know, every single night, I don't sleep before one or two o'clock. This is what I'm on." A grown man, father of like four or five kids. He said, "This is going to ruin me. This is what I need — a no-tech retreat." So he said, "I put my bedding in my car and drove up." And he's sharing with me the story right before I go up to speak. He said, "Every single exit, there's a voice telling me: take it, take it, take it — don't go to the masjid, don't go to the masjid." He would almost shift from the left lane to the right lane, then pull back onto the highway. He said, "Every exit, there's a voice telling me: come back, you don't need to go there, you don't want to go there, you can't handle it." He said, "Eventually I made it to the parking lot of Dar-ul-Salam, and I'm sitting in the car — it's Maghrib time. What should I do? I'm not going to take my bedding inside, because more than likely I'm not going to like it. Let me just step inside for an hour." He came in, attended for Maghrib salah, of course stayed through Isha. At 11 o'clock, he said, "There's no way — I need this." He goes back to his car. He was smart — Allah gave him — he said, "I didn't turn on WhatsApp, because I don't want to get sucked in." He opened his normal text messages, sent a text to his wife to say, "I'm not coming home tonight. I'm going to sleep here, see you tomorrow." And he brought his bedding in.

He said, "Literally every single hour, I felt like something is being unveiled from me. Something is being taken off." SubhanAllah — the hadith talks about it. That when a person does good, there is a tawq — a chain, a collar — around the neck, tightened. And when a believer does good deeds, including generosity, then the collar starts loosening up.

Just like the hadith talks about every single morning at the time of Fajr — at the time of Fajr, there are three knots tied on us. When a person gets out of bed, one knot is untied. When he does wudu, the next knot is untied. When he gets up and prays his Fajr, the third knot is untied. And now he wakes up extremely energetic — he may have slept only three hours the night before, but he prayed Fajr salah in the masjid. You know how it is. On the flip side, the one who doesn't wake up for Fajr, didn't do wudu, missed everything — he wakes up three extra hours after sunrise, at 8 o'clock, "I better get to work."

The Prophet ﷺ said:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 1142; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 776)

He wakes up with a filthy heart and lazy. Who cannot testify to this? Coming for Fajr is honestly the most amazing experience. You're just happy, excited. "Relax — what the heck, it's 5 a.m., what are you happy about?" I don't know, I'm just happy for Fajr. Those who come for Fajr start the day on a much better note, based on the hadith. You have an 8 a.m. meeting — make sure you're up for Fajr and you're going to be running into that office, all excited. But if you said, "No, I need a couple extra hours of sleep," you're going to go in empty. The help of Allah is not there.

So this is what the hadith teaches us — there is this collar around us, like around a dog, that tightens the neck. And when a person does good deeds, when a person gives generously, subhanAllah, it opens up. So anyway — the point was how that brother, in a teary-eyed manner, was sharing that story with me. May Allah have mercy on him and all those in a similar situation. SubhanAllah — just the fight he had to do on the highway to get there — this is real. But all of us should know about it. You know it from your own life. So let's wake up. Understand that shaitan is yes, the enemy — and yes, because of him, we are going to remain fresh and energized. And because of him, we're going to get rewards that we otherwise could not have gotten if he wasn't there. Because the struggle would not be there.

The ajr is in the struggle. The ajr is in the struggle.

Then Ali رضي الله عنه's statement:

Do not befriend an ignorant person — let both you and him be aware. For how many an ignoramus has brought to ruin a gentle, forbearing man when he befriended him. A good person got ruined — by a foolish friend. A person is measured by the company he keeps. For everything has its measures and its like. And a heart will reflect the reality of the heart it keeps company with.

He says: just like one pair of shoes placed next to the other — you have shoes, sneakers, slippers, all placed next to each other on the shoe rack. The people you hang out with, you will become like them. A heart will reflect the reality of the heart it keeps company with.

So this is the first quality — intelligence. And beloved friends, intelligence does not mean what you got on your MCAT, LSAT, or DAT. Intelligence does not mean your IQ score or which university you got into. No. Intelligence is something else. Allah says:

Indeed, in the creation of the heavens and the earth, and in the changing of the night and the day, are great signs for those who have intelligence — those who remember Allah while standing, while sitting, and while lying on their sides, and who ponder over the creation of the heavens and the earth, saying: "Our Lord, You have not created this in vain. Glory be to You. Protect us from the punishment of the fire."

Allah says these people are أُولُو الْأَلْبَابِ — people of intellect. So the sign of intelligence in your son, your daughter, your mom, your dad, your spouse, yourself — is are you able to connect the dots in the world? Are you able to connect the dots in nature and take it back to Allah? That is the sign of intelligence. Intelligence is not what a person gets on his report card. Intelligence is: are you able to see what many others are missing?

Second Quality: Husn al-Khuluq — Good Character

Do not be friends with a person of bad character. He says:

Someone who cannot restrain his anger or control his desires — this is what bad character means. Bad character is the one who does not have self-control. So if someone sits with him, he curses. "What are you cursing for?" "I'm angry." Well, so I get angry too. We all get angry. But you have to have control. The one who gets road rage — don't sit with him in the car, but also don't sit with him outside the car. Because this person you can't trust. Similarly, the one who desires something and jumps for it — don't stay around such people. When someone does not have self-restraint and self-discipline, you don't know what his next action will be. And by spending time with him, you will definitely be affected.

The Wasiyyah of 'Alqamah al-'Utaridi

This is an amazing collection. 'Alqamah al-'Utaridi rahimahullah summarized the traits of good character in the counsel he gave to his son when he was nearing death. What does he say?

O my son! If you wish to befriend someone, take as your friend a person who, if you serve him, sanaka — he protects you and preserves you. And if you spend time with him, zanaka — he benefits you by his company. And if you are in financial need, manaka — he provides for you. Take as your friend such a person who, if you extend your hand towards something good, assists you in it. And if he sees some good in you, 'addaha — he appreciates it. And if he sees something bad in you, saddaha — he stops you from doing it. Take as your friend one who, when you say something, believes in you. And when you attempt something, accepts your leadership. And if you should dispute about something, atharaka — he gives you preference over himself.

This is deep stuff. He says: when you want a friend, the number one thing is — find someone who, if you spend time serving them, he actually appreciates your help. He appreciates the fact that you went out of your way for him. He's going to be there for you. If he only calls you when he's in big trouble, and after that is never able to reciprocate — not even monetarily, but just saying, "Man, I'm worried, I need to talk to you" — if you need someone to talk to and he's not available, if you need someone to bounce ideas off and he's not available — that's not a person you want to continue spending time with. Because now this person is leeching off of you. He's a parasite, out there to simply take. He has no desire to give you anything.

And there's a lot that we need — life is short. I want to engage in meaningful relationships. A meaningful relationship is one in which I give and I take. Yes, it doesn't have to be the same thing. The meaningful relationship of what a husband gives to his wife and what the wife gives to her husband is very different. But subhanAllah, there is need for each other. And as long as they're fulfilling each other's needs, alhamdulillah, that relationship flourishes. And of course the relationship has to be for the sake of Allah, no doubt.

So now when we are befriending someone, make sure he protects and preserves you. Sometimes you may enjoy going out to eat with someone, and you're paying the bill. But then after that, nothing. Or he just picks trashy topics while eating — gossip, this and that. But when you invite him to the masjid, crickets. But if you say, "Hey, let's go out to eat at 1 a.m. for suhoor" — mashallah, available. That person needs help. And helping someone is different from friendship, remember that. When a tow truck comes to pull your car out, he's not your friend. He's doing his job. So helping someone out is a one-way street. If you go help someone who's in a bad situation at 1 a.m., don't expect reciprocation. You just want him to make du'a one day in the middle of the night: "Ya Allah, if it wasn't for him, I'd be in a terrible situation."

Yesterday I spoke about spending some time after Asr. How many of you messaged anyone yesterday? How many of you invited someone to come to the masjid or go to the local masjid? Alhamdulillah, Allah reward you for those who raised your hand. And Allah inspire those of us who didn't, to do more, insha'Allah.

I was saying yesterday is a big night. Please spend some time messaging people. We don't think that's ibadah, unfortunately. But that is ibadah. One of the best ibadah is that we care about people. SubhanAllah.

The idea is: there are instances where you go assist someone. He messages you. You're like, "Oh my God, this person has been off the grid for the past three years." And he says, "Now it's suhoor time, and I want to do ibadah. But I don't think he'll ever respond to me. He's messaged me — that means he's in a vulnerable situation. Let me go." That's ibadah. Go and sit with him and listen to what he has to say. Assist him. Don't expect anything in return — your return is from Allah. But we're talking about long-term friendships. Long-term friendship should be with such people, who, if you are serving them, are also spending time with you and taking care of your needs.

Number two — wa'idha sahibtahu zanaka — if you spend time with him, he beautifies your company. When you come out after meeting him, subhanAllah, you actually are an improved person. "That was a nice gathering. Did you enjoy the food?" "Man, forget the food. Yes, I enjoyed the food. But I feel so much more cheerful. I feel so much more positive. I've got a lot more food for thought." That's the type of people you're looking for. They benefit you. They say, "You know, I don't think you should have spoken to your son like that." And you're spending time with their company and they've spoken truth to you. We all need such sincere friends who, when they look at us, protect us and give us that.

I tell my students — graduating ulama and other students too — when you go serve in a community, you have to build some friendships. You should be the imam of everyone, but you have to have some genuine friends who look out for you. Those friends are the ones who listen to your talks, pray behind you, raise their hands in du'a with you. They benefit from everything you say. But if you say something wrong or in a way that's not the best, they will, in a very nice manner, correct you. They won't even make you feel it. They'll say it in such a nice, beautiful manner that gives the lesson to you — you get the message without your feelings hurt.

And I tell them: I'm so blessed, alhamdulillah, along with my siblings and my parents, but also throughout my career, I've had individuals within the community who would, at the end of my khutbah, send a little text: "SubhanAllah, that example could have been reworded better," or "That word is pronounced like this, instead of like that," or "This talk that you just gave is great, but it might be better for a post-Isha crowd or post-Fajr crowd, not for the Jumu'ah crowd." These are ways you can improve your communication skills. SubhanAllah, I've benefited so much from such people who give me a note at the end of my talk. We all need to appreciate such people.

Many times I also tell students: after a khutbah, you may have a person who grabs you and says, "I need to talk to you." Usually when people say that, they want to chew you out. But understand — this person took time out to come to you. Even if what he's saying is completely incorrect or you don't agree with it, it gives you a perspective. That person took that time out not to run to the parking lot and go to work, but to spend an extra five minutes to wait for you, speak with you, and share whatever he had to vent. I cannot say I've never benefited from these. Even if I completely disagree with his perspective, having multiple perspectives is always beneficial. To know your audience — to know that there is a subsection that thinks like that. He's not alone; he represents a subsection of the community. Most people say, "MashaAllah, very nice talk" — or they say nothing at all. 99% don't say anything. But there is that very small percent who may write an email, send a text, or meet you in person and share something.

AlhamdulIllah, honestly, I had that experience not too long ago. Initially it was pretty tough, because the person was extremely angry. I was like, "Oh my God, I have to give a talk right after this." But mashallah, I hugged him, I appreciated him, he hugged me as well at the end. He was very happy. And alhamdulillah, it helped me understand where he was coming from. May Allah enable me to practice all the feedback I get. The point is — most of us think that someone correcting us is the enemy. Understand: if you're praying salah next to someone and he says, "Brother, what kind of salah was that?" — don't get upset. A thousand people are thinking the same thing but they don't say it to your face. The person who stopped and said it actually cares about you.

If you ever think about how you are making up a missed rakat — it doesn't add up. Because if you miss a rakat, do you only read Surah al-Fatihah? No — you recite Surah al-Fatihah and a surah. So what surah are you reciting in 45 seconds? We have to slow down. It's bad enough that I miss a rakat. But let's slow down. How many of us are going to say that to someone? So if someone says it to you, understand him to be a well-wisher. And slowly this trait of speaking and correcting people — done with care — is leaving us. Everyone is "me, myself, and I."

The way to do it: don't scream, don't yell. Tell the person privately — never correct someone publicly. Speak to him privately and say: "My brother, I'm a human filled with flaws and mistakes. My personality is such that I want to improve and become the best version of myself before I pass away. I know I'm full of flaws and mistakes, and I know there's no way I'm going to be able to figure out my own flaws by myself. I depend upon others giving me feedback and helping me become a better version of myself. And so I love for my brother what I love for myself — and hence, I thought you might want to hear one suggestion, if I may give it with your permission." Preface it like that. You're pointing the finger at yourself first. And if he says, "No, thank you, I don't want to hear it," then you've done your job. But if he says, "I really appreciate it, do tell me" — then share it in the nicest manner.

You know what — from time to time, we all need a reminder that we have to perform our salah slowly. That we cannot just look at how much salah we're performing, but the quality of it as well.

One of the last night sessions that our brothers hosted here — a lot of beautiful stories from our student days came about, from Darul Uloom Zakariyya, my friend Mufti Arzaz, Dr. Ahmed, who was a student there with me, shared a lot of stories. One of those stories: a friend of ours who is one of those pious people had a dream. This was in 1998 or 1999. In that dream, the entire masjid — six or seven hundred people — a huge masjid, much bigger than where we're sitting — is there and salah is being performed. But only one row, the front row, is there. The rest are gone. The interpretation was given by our honorable teacher, Hazrat Mufti Rida-ul-Haq: that everyone is praying, but only one row's prayers are accepted. This is in a Darul Uloom — half of them were probably teachers. What percentage of seven rows for every salah would be in that half a row? Scary, isn't it? May Allah allow us to improve the quality of our salah. And may Allah allow us to have such people who remind us to improve.

So this is where he says: when you spend time with him, he beautifies you.

And if you are in a tough financial situation, he extends his hand to help you.

Then the last three things:

When you make an intention to say, "From today, I'm going to start going for Fajr" — he's not the guy who laughs at you and says, "Brother, you're a Jumu'ah-only guy, relax." He says, "Wow, I'm not going for Fajr, but I appreciate and applaud your efforts." She's the one who says, "I don't wear hijab, but sister, you want to start wearing it? You want to start wearing a loose jilbab? SubhanAllah, kudos to you. I'll give you the support. We'll go shopping together." That's a friend. Not someone who says, "Because I'm not doing it, I'm not going to let you do it either." Misery loves company. We want to be around people who, even if they're going through a tough spiritual state, love to see you grow and will assist you. That's a true friend.

And if he sees something good — if he's not jealous — he will tell everyone the good that he saw. A jealous so-called friend, a leech — when he sees your good deeds, he hides them. If he doesn't have the ability to share the good things you're doing with other people, that means he's not proud of you. You do not want to hang out with someone who is not proud of your achievements.

And if he sees any sin that you have done, not only will he stop you from committing it, but he will also ensure that he doesn't tell anyone. Yesterday I received a donation — mashallah — and I got a text message: "Please make du'a. I'm giving this sadaqah, and I want you to make du'a for my friend." And I was like, "Wow." He's telling me — not physical issue, not financial issue — a spiritual issue. And that friend doesn't know that this person gave money on his behalf. But subhanAllah, that friend is so much more spiritually advanced than the one who gave the money. The one who gave the money is looking at someone who's much more spiritually advanced and feels so bad for him that he's donating money on the 27th night and saying, "I'm really worried about my friend's deen." That's a friend you have to have — who will give sadaqah from his own money to get a du'a done for you, for your deen.

Everyone says, "Make du'a for my son and daughter's health, and my mom and dad's health" — that's there. But how many of us are saying, "I'm worried about my friend's deen, and I'm giving sadaqah here for that"? MashaAllah, how lucky that such people still exist among us.

And then: make sure your friend, if you say something, believes in you. He doesn't take you lightly. He doesn't say, "Okay, whatever, man." He listens and he believes what you have to say. And if you say, "Come on, let's do something together" — he's behind you. "This is a great idea. Bismillah, I'm behind you. Lead the way." The fact that he's okay with your leadership — that's beautiful. If he can't even trust you with something as simple as whatever you're trying to do, you don't need such friends. You don't need friends who talk down to you, destroy your self-confidence, talk you out of good things, and are always demeaning. Many of us are surrounded by such people, and we continue to hang out with them. Even though they may be wealthier or smarter — there's no reason. You will never benefit from their wealth, you will never benefit from their intelligence, if that's how they're treating you.

And lastly — if there ever is an argument about who gets what, he never fights for it.

He gives you preference. May Allah give us all such friends. Tonight, and in the remaining nights we have, ask Allah to grant all of us and our spouses and our children such friends. If you are parents — you and I as dads and moms are not going to be around forever. But if your children have such friends, alhamdulillah, you're set. Your children are not going to find them randomly on the street. We're going to have to make an effort in finding such friends for our kids. And insha'Allah, hopefully their spouse will be this person. The spouse should have these qualities.

The Statement of 'Umar رضي الله عنه

The second thing — I want to quote 'Umar رضي الله عنه. He said:

(Attributed to 'Umar ibn al-Khattab رضي الله عنه)

Hold on to a pious friend — and rarely will you find one. 'Umar رضي الله عنه said this hundreds and hundreds of years ago, right after the demise of the Prophet ﷺ. He's saying: there are not too many people who are pious, and there aren't too many people who, being pious, want to be your friend. So if you find a good pious friend — grab him. Hold on to him. Even if it's just one person.

So alhamdulillah — i'tikaf and coming to the masjid during Ramadan is a great way for you to see who's who. You're spending ten days, seven days with someone. You see the person — mashaAllah, he eats his quick suhoor and he's in the front row. Come early today. See who's in the front row before everyone else. See who's cleaning the kitchen when no one else is around. See who's picking up the overflowing garbage can when no one's looking. See who's quietly giving sadaqah. See who's trying to help someone struggling with their Qur'an. See someone who's doing khidmah, just trying to be that cheerful person saying, "Can I help? Do you need anything?" These are the qualities I need — I don't have all these qualities. I need to be around someone who's on top of his ibadah, who has quality salah.

I remember one brother told me here: he said, "I've been coming to the madrasah at Asr time, and I've been looking at which student of yours comes to the masjid early for Asr from the seminary, and I want to see who prays the Asr sunnah — four rakat before Asr. Because I'm looking for a son-in-law who has beautiful salah. If my son-in-law has beautiful salah, he'll definitely take care of my daughter." And mashallah, he found one. Honestly, that was exactly what he did — he came and asked, "Who prays beautiful salah?" Because before Asr is a sunnah that most people neglect.

And the Prophet ﷺ said:

(Sunan Abi Dawud, Hadith 1271; Jami' al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 430)

May Allah have mercy on the one who performs four rakat before Asr. You get the du'a of the Prophet ﷺ.

So similarly, if you're looking for a brother-in-law for your sister, or a son-in-law, or a friend, or a business partner — this is the place. The beautiful opportunity of Ramadan, visiting the masajid, looking and finding good groups of friends, looking for brothers in i'tikaf — insha'Allah, bi'ithnillah ta'ala, you'll find someone.

I ask Allah to continue to grant me the beautiful friends that I have. Many of you sitting here are some of my best friends, mashallah. I'm so honored to have you all with me, along with my parents. May Allah give you a long life and health. May Allah continue to accept the du'as I make for you and the ones that you make for me. And we ask Allah to continue to grant all of us righteous friends till our last breath — and raise us with these righteous friends on the Day of Judgment. Ameen.

Du'a of Istighfar — Prayers of Forgiveness

We will end with a du'a from the prayers of forgiveness of Hasan al-Basri rahimahullah — and this is a du'a of the Prophet ﷺ. This was du'a number 12:

Oh Allah, I seek Your forgiveness for every sin that I have forgotten — but You recorded it. I made little of it, I looked down upon it, I regarded it to be insignificant — but You noted it. Oh Allah, I seek forgiveness from You for every sin that I openly committed — yet You quietly concealed it. And if I were to repent to You for it, You would have surely forgiven it.

We ask Allah to accept this istighfar on our behalf as well. Insha'Allah, we'll conclude with du'a.

Concluding Du'a

Ya Allah, we ask You to accept our 27th or 28th fast. O Allah, we ask You to grant us such a level of taqwa by the end of this month that we are able to lead a beautiful new life after this month leaves us. Ya Allah, we ask You to grant us the company of the righteous ones. O Allah, allow us to find beautiful, amazing, practicing Muslim friends such as have been discussed in this dars. O Allah, we ask You to allow us to be surrounded by such people who will look after our physical, spiritual, and emotional health. O Allah, we ask You to grant our children such amazing friends who will keep them on the right track till their last breath. O Allah, allow all of us to find such company of righteous awliya who will help us reach where we need to.

O Allah, improve our relationship with You. O Allah, improve the love that we hold in our hearts for You and for Your Beloved, the Mustafa, salawatullahi wa salamuhu 'alayh. O Allah, make us amongst Your friends. O Allah, make us amongst those people who find it easy to do good deeds. O Allah, make us amongst those for whom sin becomes difficult. Ya Allah, make it easy for those who make a determination to lead a life of goodness to be able to do it.

O Allah, we beg You for tawfiq. We beg You, Ya Allah, for tawfiq. O Allah, guide us and hold our hand. Grab us by our forelock and drag us towards You. Drag us towards Jannah. Grab us towards the good deeds that will lead us to Jannah. O Allah, pull us away from the temptations of nafs and shaitan. O Allah, pull us away from everything that will lead us to Hellfire.

Ya Allah, grant us strong resilience in the face of all the difficulties and challenges we have. O Allah, in an era of fitna, we beg You to grant us strength, to grant us hikmah, to grant us wisdom. O Allah, enable us to take every step in a very conscientious and intentional manner. O Allah, allow every step of ours to be a step towards our success and a step away from our failure — in this world and the next.

O Allah, we ask You to grant us all purity and shifa from all of our spiritual illnesses, from all of our physical illnesses, from any emotional and mental illnesses. Ya Allah, we ask You to purify our hearts. Grant us all qalb al-salim.

O Allah, in these final two or three nights that we may have, we beg You to make it easy for all of us to make the best of our days and the best of our nights. O Allah, inspire us with the most beautiful, most pertinent du'as that we should be making to You individually. O Allah, we ask You — whatever needs we have, grant us all those needs related to the dunya, the grave, and the akhira. And O Allah, teach us how to supplicate to You — inspire us how to ask from You.