Dangers of friendship with an atheist
12-10-2010 | IslamWeb
Question:
What is the Sharee'ah ruling on a Muslim having a friendship with an atheist?
Answer:
All perfect praise be to Allaah, the Lord of the worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His Slave and Messenger.
Having a friendship with an evil person is a great danger and a cause of harm in a Muslim's life and religion. The following are just some of the harms that can affect such a Muslim:
1- One is influenced by his companions, and this is part of human nature. This is why it is said that birds of a feather flock together. The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, commanded the Muslim to carefully choose his companion, because a person usually follows his example. [Ahmad, Abu Daawood and At-Tirmithi]
2- An evil friend will renounce his companion on the Day of Judgment. In this regard, Allaah The Almighty Says (what means): {Close friends, that Day, will be enemies to each other, except for the righteous.}[Quran 43: 67]
3- It was reported that the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said that on the Day of Judgment a person would be in the company of those whom he used to love in this life. [Al-Bukhari and Muslim] Would a Muslim agree to be in the company of an atheist on the Day of the Judgment?
4- The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, likened an evil companion to a blacksmith who usually harms those near him, as he may either cause their clothes to get burnt or at least emit a foul odor.[Ahmad and Ibn Hibbaan] An atheist could shake the faith of the believer and cast doubt and suspicion in his heart.
5- Keeping the company of an atheist could defame a Muslim and cause him to be notorious in the eyes of other Muslims.
6- In addition to the aforementioned dangers, it is the obligation of a Muslim to disassociate himself from disbelievers and atheists, and not to have affection for them. In this regard, Allaah The Almighty Says (what means):
• {You will not find a people who believe in Allaah and the Last Day having affection for those who oppose Allaah and His Messenger, even if they are their fathers or their sons or their brothers or their kindred.}[Quran 58: 22]
• {O Prophet, fight against the disbelievers and the hypocrites and be harsh upon them.}[Quran 9: 73]
• {And do not incline toward those who do wrong, lest you be touched by the Fire}[Quran 11: 113]
Through the above discussion, it becomes clear that accompanying an atheist exposes one's religion and reputation to great risk.
And Allaah Knows best.