Keep Company With Those Who Will Benefit You

taken from Ibn Al-'Arabi's The Mysteries of Bearing Witness:

Keep Company with Those who will Benefit You

When you keep company, you must do so with those whose company will benefit you in your religion by knowledge which you witness in him, actions which he does, or the good character which he possesses. When a person sits with someone whose company reminds him of the Next World, he must obtain some of it according to the success God gives him in that. When the one he sits with has this transference, God accepts the companion by the remembrance of God. The remembrance of the Qur’an is the greatest remembrance. The Almighty said, “We sent down the remembrance (dhikr),” meaning the Qur’an, He said, “I sit with the one who remembers Me.” The Prophet (may God bless him and grant him peace) said, “The people of the Qur’an are the people of God and His elite.” The elite of the king are those with whom he sits in most cases.

God has qualities, which are the Most Beautiful Divine Names. If anyone sits with the Real, he is His intimate and he must obtain some of His noble qualities according to the amount he sits with Him. If someone sits with people who remember God, God will include him along with them in His mercy. “They are the people whose companion is not wretched.” How could he be wretched when God is his companion? It is related in a confirmed Tradition that “a good companion is like someone with musk. Even if you do not actually get any of it, you still get its scent.” The metaphor of a bad companion is that with bellows. “Even if the soot from them does not reach you, the smoke does.” The one who mixes with people of doubt experiences doubt in himself. That is what dominates people in their bad opinion of people because of the foulness of their inner self.

Here is a lesson to which I call your attention and which people overlook. It is to call on you to have a good opinion of people so that you place is free of evil. That is when you see someone whom you consider is good who is friendly with evil people, do not think badly of him because he keeps the company of those who are evil. Rather have a good opinion of the evil people because of their company with that good person. Make the link be in good, not in evil. God will not ask anyone on the Day of Rising about his good opinion of people. He will ask about his evil opinion of people. This is enough good advice for you, if you accept, and a teaching if you say it.