pointing fingers at us and labelling us with bad titles too. Let us listen to four sayings of the Beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم in condemnation of bad company so that we can save ourselves from its destruction:

1.   ‘Avoid a bad companion, for he is a part of Hell; love for him will not benefit you, and he will not fulfil his promise to you.’ (Firdaus-ul-Akhbar, vol. 1, p. 224, Hadees 1573)

2.   ‘Avoid an evil companion, for you will be recognised through him.’ (Tareekh Ibn-e-‘Asakir, to the end, vol. 14, p. 46)

3.   ‘Arrival of morning for you should be in such a state that you are either a scholar or a student of knowledge or one who listens to the scholars or one who loves the scholars, but do not be the fifth, otherwise you will be destroyed.’ (Kashf-ul-Khifa, vol. 1, p. 134, Hadees 437)

4.   ‘The similitude of a good and an evil companion is like that of the one who handles musk and the blacksmith’s bellows. The owner of musk will give you some musk or you will buy it from him, and if not, fragrance will still emanate; whilst the handler of blacksmith’s bellows will either burn your clothes or you will get a foul odour from him.’ (Bukhari, vol. 2, p. 20, Hadees 2101)

Hakeem-ul-Ummah, Mufti Ahmad Yar Khan Na’eemi رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَلَيْه mentions the following under the abovementioned Hadees: ’سُـبْحٰـنَ الـلّٰــه! How pure is the example by means of which it has been explained that the company of bad people can never benefit and the company of good people can never cause harm. One will not receive musk from a blacksmith, rather, only heat and smoke. And one will neither receive heat nor smoke from a musk owner, rather, only musk or fragrance.

(The honourable Mufti states the following regarding the portion of the Hadees where it is stated, ‘the owner of musk will give you some musk or you will buy it from him, and if not, fragrance will still emanate’:) This is the least benefit that has been mentioned; buying musk or receiving it free-of-charge is a great blessing which will always continue to give benefit, and only receiving fragrance is the least benefit. Remember! Abu Jahl and other