Keeping company with the righteous shapes the inner disposition, and inner disposition in turn shapes all actions. The Qur’an repeatedly ties companionship, environment and “shaakilah” (inner pattern) together, and shows that only God-conscious hearts, nurtured through righteous company and sharia-guided striving, can remain safe from corrupt influences.
Companionship and God-consciousness
Ya ayyuhal lazina amanoo ittaqullaha wa koonoo ma‘as saadiqeen (At-Taubah 9:119 )
O ye who believe, be mindful of your duty to Allah and keep company with the righteous.
This verse comes after mention of hypocrites and the weak of faith. It gives a rule of life. First, develop taqwa. Second, stay with the truthful. Truthful people polish the heart. The rust of hypocrisy and weakness is removed. Their presence creates a moral and spiritual climate. Righteous company is a protection. It becomes a shield against decay of faith. Those who went with the Holy Prophet(sa) to Tabuk tasted this climate. Their faith rose. Their character was strengthened.
Spirituality is a way of life. It reveals the quality of our awareness and our relationship with Allah. 9:119 teaches that awareness is not built in isolation. It is built in the presence of those whose words and deeds are true. To stay with them is to let spiritual light enter one’s own heart.
Staying with those who remember Allah
Wasbir nafsaka ma‘al lazina yad‘oona rabbahum bil ghadaati wal ‘ashiyyi yureedoona wajhah. Wa la ta‘du ‘ainaka ‘anhum tureedu zeenatal hayaatid dunya. Wa la tuti‘ man aghfalna qalbahu ‘an zikrina wattaba‘a hawaahu wa kana amruhu furoota (Al-Kahf 18:29 ) Continue thy companionship with those who call on their Lord, morning and evening, seeking His pleasure. Look not beyond them, seeking the adornment of this life. Follow not him whose heart We have made heedless of Our remembrance, who pursues his low desires, and whose case exceeds all bounds.
Companionship here is described as deliberate patience. “Waṣbir nafsaka” means hold yourself down with them. Do not let your eyes wander to worldly glamour. Do not give obedience to those who are heedless of God. Heedless hearts follow desire. Their affair becomes scattered. This verse describes how environment pulls the soul. Frequent remembrance builds a God-centred temperament. Heedless company builds a desire-centred temperament. So the believer is ordered to choose. Sit where Allah is remembered. Avoid circles where His Name is absent.
Action follows inner pattern
Qul kullun ya‘malu ‘ala shaakilatihi fa rabbukum a‘lamu biman huwa ahda sabeela (Bani Isra’il 17:85) Say, everyone acts according to his own disposition: But your Lord knows best who is best guided on the way.
Shaakilah is inner pattern.
It is habit, instinct, intention and mode. With time, it becomes second nature. Under the pressure of surroundings, company and custom, this pattern is formed. Then actions flow according to it. One’s response pattern, built by environment, starts dictating behaviour.
This is a warning. Bad surroundings and bad company produce bad patterns. Bad patterns produce bad acts. Good surroundings and good company produce good patterns. Good patterns produce righteous acts. A person gradually becomes familiar with good or evil according to temperament. So the verse calls us to active effort. Change the pattern by changing company, habits and customs. Make an effort to abstain from corrupt influences. Do not trust willpower alone. Disposition will pull you back to what it has learned to love.
Like attracts like
Al khabeethatu lil khabeetheena wal khabeethoona lil khabeethaati. Wat tayyibatu lit tayyibeena wat tayyiboona lit tayyibaati (An-Nur 24:27) Evil things are a characteristic of evil people, and evil people are inclined towards evil things; and good things are a characteristic of good people and good people are inclined towards good things.
This verse explains the inner law of attraction. Corrupt hearts are drawn to corrupt ideas, corrupt pleasures and corrupt companions. Pure hearts are drawn to pure speech, pure actions and pure companions. It is not mere coincidence. It is inner affinity. Evil fits with evil. Good fits with good. That affinity grows through repeated choice. So one must watch what one chooses to love. Each choice either establishes kinship with goodness or kinship with evil.
God-consciousness and saying no
Innovations and techniques to “sanitize” ourselves and our children from influences cannot succeed in isolation. There must be love of God and fear of God in the heart. God-consciousness is the single deterrent to decadent ways. If one stays in touch with God, He helps. His help comes as inner strength to say no. Saying no to distracting things and thoughts keeps us focused. Learning what not to do is a major achievement.
Wisdom lies in knowing what not to do. Then in remembering what conscience is commanding us to do. Spirituality as a way of life shows two things. It shows the quality of our awareness. It shows the quality of our relationship with Allah. Relationship with Allah gives courage to refuse temptation. It gives clarity to see which thoughts must be rejected.
Sharia, trials and purification
The Promised Messiah(as) says , Allah is Qudus, He is holy and pure. He wants us to become holy and pure so that nearness becomes possible. A rightly inclined heart attains pure love of God through effort and application. Sharia laws are therefore a mercy. They define the path of purification. The pain of striving to comply with sharia purifies. It breaks attachment to desire. Trials and tribulations also bring pain. For believers and prophets, this pain yields spiritual sobriety and stability.
Trials raise the level of spirituality. Believers gain moral support from the example of prophets and righteous people during hard times. They see steadfastness. They imitate it. Their prayers and Istighfar deepen. They come closer to God. For troublemakers and deniers the same events become punishment. For believers the events become ladders.
Spiritual light and companionship
Goodness and spiritual light seek to diffuse themselves. Spiritual light of one permeates into another. Man has the capacity to absorb spiritual light of another. Hence the merit of congregational salat over solitary salat. Prayer in congregation lets lights mix. The weak gain strength. The distracted gain focus. That is one wisdom behind Jalsa. People meet righteous servants of God. They absorb their positive energy and spiritual light.
Khalifatul Masih II(ra) explains that bodies of highly spiritual men emit rays of various colours according to the degree and nature of spiritual development. The rays of prophets are pure white. God said to Moses: “Thrust thy hand into thy bosom; it will come forth white without disease.” 28:33 This sign hints that if Moses keeps his followers close under his fostering care, they will become men of light. They will impart light to others. If they stay away, they will become dark and diseased. The miracle thus carries deep spiritual meaning. It is not a trick. It is a symbol of the transfer and spread of spiritual light
Practical effort
These verses together call for clear steps. Seek circles of remembrance. Sit with those who remember Allah morning and evening. Guard the inner pattern by guarding company and custom. Say no to influences that pull you away from God. Use sharia and trials as means of purification. Attend congregational prayer and gatherings of the righteous. Let spiritual light diffuse into your own heart. Above all, cultivate love and fear of Allah. When God remains near, He guides, protects and strengthens the soul against all surrounding darkness.