He has a Raafidi friend; can he remain friends with him?

 

I have a friend who is from Ahl al-Sunnah wa’l-Jamaa’ah, and he has a Shi’i friend. I would like to find out the ruling on being friends with people from different madhhabs. Please note he has advised him – as he told me – to follow the madhhab of the saved group, but to no avail. What is the ruling on their friendship?.

Praise be to Allaah.

You should
advise your friend to avoid making friends with the followers of bid’ah,
especially extreme bid’ahs such as the Shi’ah and Raafidis, because being
friends with them poses a danger to the Muslim’s religious and worldly
interests. The danger to his religious interests involves the specious
arguments that this Raafidi may present to him, causing him to doubt his
religion, and the danger to his worldly interests involves the hatred that
the Raafidi may feel towards Ahl al-Sunnah and he may strive to harm them in
whatever ways he can. 

There are
ahaadeeth from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
which encourage us to choose our friends wisely, because of the influence
that a friend may have on one’s attitude and religious commitment. These
ahaadeeth include the following: 

1 – It was
narrated from Abu Sa’eed al-Khudri that the Messenger of Allaah (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Do not keep company with anyone
but a believer and do not let anyone eat your food but one who is pious.” 

Narrated by
al-Tirmidhi (2395)and Abu Dawood (4832); classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in
Saheeh al-Tirmidhi. 

2 – It was
narrated that Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
“A man will follow the way of his close friends, so let one of you look to
whom he takes as a close friend.” 

Narrated by
al-Tirmidhi (2378) and Abu Dawood (4833). Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in
Saheeh al-Tirmidhi. 

Al-Khattaabi
(may Allaah have mercy on him) said: 

Do not take
as a close friend anyone but one whose religious commitment and
trustworthiness you are pleased with, for if you take him as a close friend,
he will lead you to his religion and madhhab, so do not risk losing your
religious commitment and expose yourself to danger by taking as a close
friend one whose religious commitment and madhhab you are not pleased with.
End quote. 

Al-‘Azlah
(p. 141) 

Ibn ‘Abd
al-Barr (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:  

What this
means – and Allaah knows best – is that a man will get used to what he sees
of his friend’s actions. Hence he is commanded to make friends only with
those whose actions are only good and permissible.  

What this
means is that a person should not mix with those who will make him do and
believe things that are not praiseworthy. As for one with whom there is no
such danger, there is nothing wrong with making friends with him. End
quote. 

Bahjat
al-Majaalis (2/751). 

The salaf
said a great deal warning against making friends with the followers of
bid’ah. For example: 

1 – Shaykh
al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) narrated that Abu
Yoosuf, the student of Abu Haneefah, said: 

No one among
Ahl al-Sunnah wa’l-Jamaa’ah should mix with anyone from among the people of
whims and desires so that he makes friends with him and becomes his close
confidante, lest he causes him to slip or causes others to slip because of
this friendship. 

Majmoo’
al-Fataawa (16/475)  

2 – Abu
Dawood al-Sijistaani (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: 

I said to
Abu ‘Abd-Allaah – Ahmad ibn Hanbal – I see a man from Ahl al-Sunnah with a
man from the followers of innovation; should I stop speaking to him? He
said: No, unless you know that the man whom you saw with him is a follower
of innovation. If he stops speaking to him then speak to him, otherwise
regard them as both being the same. 

Tabaqaat
al-Hanaabilah (1/160). 

And Allaah
knows best.