with them or speak ill of us.

Let us now look at four hadith of Allah’s Messenger صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم, which discuss the destructive consequences of bad company.

1.   Avoid bad friends, for they are facets of Hell. Their love shall bring you no benefit, nor shall they fulfil their promises to you.^[1]

2.   Avoid bad associates, for you will be recognised by your association with them.^[2]

3.   Begin your day as a scholar, a student, he who listens to scholarly discourse, he who loves scholars. Do not be the fifth, or you shall be destroyed.^[3]

4.   The example of a good and bad associate is like that of a musk seller and  blacksmith. The musk seller shall either give you fragrance, you shall purchase some from him, or at the very least, fragrance shall come your way. As for the blacksmith, he shall either burn your clothing or you shall find unpleasant smell emanating from him.^[4]

Explaining this hadith, Mufti Aḥmad Yār Khān Naʿīmī رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه writes:

سُـبْحٰـنَ الـلّٰــه This hadith provides an amazing example. It explained how bad friends never bring good, whilst good friends never bring bad.

From the blacksmith, you will not get musk, but heat and smoke instead. From the musk seller, you will neither get heat nor smoke only musk or fragrance.