Friends forever

 السلام عليكم ورحمة الله و بركاته
Are you all familiar with this phrase "friends forever"?

As a schoolgirl I never placed much hope in these utterences my classmates threw around from time to time. Even if they didn't say the same exact words, they implied it with different words.

As I grew older this phrase turned out to make sense to me. Time has revealed that being friends forever is actually possible for a select few. Allah says in His Book
(ٱلۡأَخِلَّاۤءُ یَوۡمَىِٕذِۭ بَعۡضُهُمۡ لِبَعۡضٍ عَدُوٌّ إِلَّا ٱلۡمُتَّقِینَ)
Friends on that Day will be foes one to another except Al-Muttaqun
[Surat Az-Zukhruf 67]

A rough meaning of the word متقين is those who are God-fearing or those who are mindful of God.

Whereas the ones who transgressed against the boundaries set by Allah will say on that
(وَیَوۡمَ یَعَضُّ ٱلظَّالِمُ عَلَىٰ یَدَیۡهِ یَقُولُ یَـٰلَیۡتَنِی ٱتَّخَذۡتُ مَعَ ٱلرَّسُولِ سَبِیلࣰا ۝  یَـٰوَیۡلَتَىٰ لَیۡتَنِی لَمۡ أَتَّخِذۡ فُلَانًا خَلِیلࣰا ۝  لَّقَدۡ أَضَلَّنِی عَنِ ٱلذِّكۡرِ بَعۡدَ إِذۡ جَاۤءَنِیۗ وَكَانَ ٱلشَّیۡطَـٰنُ لِلۡإِنسَـٰنِ خَذُولࣰا)
And (remember) the Day when the Zalim (wrong-doer, oppressor, polytheist, etc.) will bite at his hands, he will say: "Oh! Would that I had taken a path with the Messenger (Muhammad SAW).
"Ah! Woe to me! Would that I had never taken so-and-so as a friend!
"He indeed led me astray from the Reminder (this Quran) after it had come to me. And Shaitan (Satan) is ever a deserter to man in the hour of need."
[Surat Al-Furqan 27 - 29]

In the hereafter, the wrongdoers will not find any friends to support them.
(وَمَاۤ أَضَلَّنَاۤ إِلَّا ٱلۡمُجۡرِمُونَ ۝  فَمَا لَنَا مِن شَـٰفِعِینَ ۝  وَلَا صَدِیقٍ حَمِیمࣲ ۝  فَلَوۡ أَنَّ لَنَا كَرَّةࣰ فَنَكُونَ مِنَ ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنِینَ ۝  إِنَّ فِی ذَ ٰ⁠لِكَ لَـَٔایَةࣰۖ وَمَا كَانَ أَكۡثَرُهُم مُّؤۡمِنِینَ)
And none has brought us into error except the Mujrimun [Iblis (Satan) and those of human beings who commit crimes, murderers, polytheists, oppressors, etc.].
Now we have no intercessors
Nor a close friend (to help us).
(Alas!) If we only had a chance to return (to the world), we shall truly be among the believers!
Verily! In this is indeed a sign, yet most of them are not believers.
[Surat Ash-Shu'ara 99 - 103]

Therefore, my dear sisters, we should be really careful who we choose as friends in this world because they could either guide us or lead us astray.

I pray that Allah gives us all the companionship of righteous people in this world and raise our status with the most honoured ones in the hereafter.

After all, when the Prophet fell ill in His final illness he used to utter the words "في الرفيق الاعلى " "with the highest companion"

Peace 😄