Cling to True Friends with both hands!

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Yunus Ibn Abdil A’lā narrated saying: (Imām) Ash-Shāfi’e said to me:

“Oh Yunus! If there comes to you from a friend of yours what you dislike, then beware of hastening to enmity and cutting off ties of allegiance. In doing so, becoming from those who remove certainty due to a doubt. Rather you should meet him and say: “Such and such has reached me from you”, and beware of informing him of the one who reported it to you. If he rejects it, then say: ‘You are more truthful and upright’ and don’t increase upon that. If he acknowledges it, but you see he has a fair excuse, then accept it from him. If you do not see that (he has a fair excuse) then ask him: “What did you intend by that which has reached me?” If you see he has a fair excuse in what he has intended, then accept that from him. But if you see he has no excuse with what he intended, and the way out of this has become restricted for him, at that point you can affirm this as a bad mark against him. Then, with regards to this you have a choice: if you wish, then recompense his misgiving without increasing, and if you will, then excuse him, and excusing him is closer to taqwa and more profoundly noble, due to the statement of Allah – The Most High: “The retribution for an evil act is an evil one like it, but whoever pardons and makes reconciliation, his reward is due from Allah” (Ash-Shuraa: Vs 40) if you contend with yourself concerning whether you should recompense like for like, then consider what has come to you from him of past good and enumerate that, then recompense his misdeed with good, and do not obliterate his previous good due to this misdeed, for certainly this is manifest oppression.

Oh Yunus! If you have a friend then hold on to him with both hands, for certainly finding (true) friends is difficult, but parting from them is easy!”

(Sifatus Safwah Ibnul Jawzi – 2/553)

Note: This, of course, refers to that which is between Ahlus Sunnah, since the position of the Salaf, and from them Imām Shāfi’e, with the people of innovation is well known.

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