Quran
ٱلْأَخِلَّآءُ يَوْمَئِذٍۭ بَعْضُهُمْ لِبَعْضٍ عَدُوٌّ إِلَّا ٱلْمُتَّقِينَ
Close friends, that Day, will be enemies to each other, except for the righteous.
Friendships built on taqwa are the only ones that last into the Hereafter.
Islamic quotes about friendship, and choosing good company
20 sourced Islamic quotes about friends: choosing good company, brotherhood and sisterhood, and loving for Allah's sake. Each names its surah and ayah, or its hadith collection and grading. Copy a quote, or make an image to share.
From the Quran
Quran
يَٰوَيْلَتَىٰ لَيْتَنِى لَمْ أَتَّخِذْ فُلَانًا خَلِيلًۭا
Oh, woe to me! I wish I had not taken that one as a friend.
The regret of the one who followed a bad friend away from the truth (25:27-29).
Quran
إِنَّمَا ٱلْمُؤْمِنُونَ إِخْوَةٌۭ فَأَصْلِحُوا۟ بَيْنَ أَخَوَيْكُمْ
The believers are but brothers, so make settlement between your brothers.
Quran
وَٱلْمُؤْمِنُونَ وَٱلْمُؤْمِنَٰتُ بَعْضُهُمْ أَوْلِيَآءُ بَعْضٍۢ
The believing men and believing women are allies of one another.
Quran
وَٱذْكُرُوا۟ نِعْمَتَ ٱللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ إِذْ كُنتُمْ أَعْدَآءًۭ فَأَلَّفَ بَيْنَ قُلُوبِكُمْ فَأَصْبَحْتُم بِنِعْمَتِهِۦٓ إِخْوَٰنًۭا
And remember the favor of Allah upon you - when you were enemies and He brought your hearts together and you became, by His favor, brothers.
Quran
وَٱصْبِرْ نَفْسَكَ مَعَ ٱلَّذِينَ يَدْعُونَ رَبَّهُم بِٱلْغَدَوٰةِ وَٱلْعَشِىِّ يُرِيدُونَ وَجْهَهُۥ
And keep yourself patient [by being] with those who call upon their Lord in the morning and the evening, seeking His countenance.
Quran
لَا تَحْزَنْ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ مَعَنَا
Do not grieve; indeed Allah is with us.
Quran 9:40, Surah At-Tawbah, part of the ayah
The Prophet ﷺ to his friend Abu Bakr in the cave during the Hijrah.
Quran
وَتَعَاوَنُوا۟ عَلَى ٱلْبِرِّ وَٱلتَّقْوَىٰ ۖ وَلَا تَعَاوَنُوا۟ عَلَى ٱلْإِثْمِ وَٱلْعُدْوَٰنِ
And cooperate in righteousness and piety, but do not cooperate in sin and aggression.
From the hadith
Hadith
الرَّجُلُ عَلَى دِينِ خَلِيلِهِ، فَلْيَنْظُرْ أَحَدُكُمْ مَنْ يُخَالِلُ
A person follows the way of his close friend, so let each of you look at whom he befriends.
Sunan Abi Dawud 4833; Jami at-Tirmidhi 2378, narrated by Abu Hurayrah. Graded hasan
Hadith
مَثَلُ الْجَلِيسِ الصَّالِحِ وَالسَّوْءِ كَحَامِلِ الْمِسْكِ وَنَافِخِ الْكِيرِ
A good companion and a bad one are like a seller of musk and a blacksmith's bellows. From the musk seller you get a gift, a purchase or at least a pleasant smell; the bellows burn your clothes or leave you with a foul smell.
Sahih al-Bukhari 5534; Sahih Muslim 2628, narrated by Abu Musa
Hadith
لَا تُصَاحِبْ إِلَّا مُؤْمِنًا، وَلَا يَأْكُلْ طَعَامَكَ إِلَّا تَقِيٌّ
Keep company only with a believer, and let only the God-fearing eat your food.
Sunan Abi Dawud 4832; Jami at-Tirmidhi 2395, narrated by Abu Sa'id. Graded hasan
Hadith
خَيْرُ الْأَصْحَابِ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ خَيْرُهُمْ لِصَاحِبِهِ
The best of companions in Allah's sight is the one who is best to his companion.
Jami at-Tirmidhi 1944, narrated by Abdullah ibn Amr. Graded sahih by al-Albani
Hadith
الْأَرْوَاحُ جُنُودٌ مُجَنَّدَةٌ، فَمَا تَعَارَفَ مِنْهَا ائْتَلَفَ، وَمَا تَنَاكَرَ مِنْهَا اخْتَلَفَ
Souls are like gathered troops: those that knew each other get along, and those that did not, keep apart.
Sahih Muslim 2638, narrated by Abu Hurayrah; al-Bukhari 3336 from Aishah
Hadith
مَثَلُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ فِي تَوَادِّهِمْ وَتَرَاحُمِهِمْ وَتَعَاطُفِهِمْ مَثَلُ الْجَسَدِ، إِذَا اشْتَكَى مِنْهُ عُضْوٌ تَدَاعَى لَهُ سَائِرُ الْجَسَدِ بِالسَّهَرِ وَالْحُمَّى
The believers in their love, mercy and kindness to one another are like one body: when one part hurts, the whole body shares its sleeplessness and fever.
Sahih Muslim 2586, narrated by an-Nu'man ibn Bashir
Hadith
إِنَّ الْمُؤْمِنَ لِلْمُؤْمِنِ كَالْبُنْيَانِ يَشُدُّ بَعْضُهُ بَعْضًا
A believer to another believer is like a building whose parts hold each other up.
Sahih al-Bukhari 481; Sahih Muslim 2585, narrated by Abu Musa
Hadith
الْمُسْلِمُ أَخُو الْمُسْلِمِ، لَا يَظْلِمُهُ وَلَا يُسْلِمُهُ، وَمَنْ كَانَ فِي حَاجَةِ أَخِيهِ كَانَ اللَّهُ فِي حَاجَتِهِ
A Muslim is the brother of a Muslim: he does not wrong him or abandon him. Whoever meets his brother's need, Allah meets his need.
Sahih al-Bukhari 2442; Sahih Muslim 2580, narrated by Abdullah ibn Umar
Hadith
فَإِنِّي رَسُولُ اللَّهِ إِلَيْكَ بِأَنَّ اللَّهَ قَدْ أَحَبَّكَ كَمَا أَحْبَبْتَهُ فِيهِ
A man went to visit a friend in another town, only because he loved him for Allah. An angel met him on the way and said: "I am a messenger from Allah to you: Allah loves you as you have loved him for His sake."
Sahih Muslim 2567, narrated by Abu Hurayrah
Hadith
وَرَجُلَانِ تَحَابَّا فِي اللَّهِ اجْتَمَعَا عَلَيْهِ وَتَفَرَّقَا عَلَيْهِ
Among the seven whom Allah will shade on the Day when there is no shade but His: two people who love each other for Allah, meeting for His sake and parting for His sake.
Sahih al-Bukhari 660; Sahih Muslim 1031, narrated by Abu Hurayrah
Hadith
لَوْ كُنْتُ مُتَّخِذًا خَلِيلًا غَيْرَ رَبِّي لَاتَّخَذْتُ أَبَا بَكْرٍ، وَلَكِنْ أُخُوَّةُ الْإِسْلَامِ وَمَوَدَّتُهُ
If I were to take a closest friend other than my Lord, I would take Abu Bakr. But there is the brotherhood of Islam and its love.
Sahih al-Bukhari 3654, narrated by Abu Sa'id
Hadith
لَا يُؤْمِنُ أَحَدُكُمْ حَتَّى يُحِبَّ لِأَخِيهِ مَا يُحِبُّ لِنَفْسِهِ
None of you truly believes until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself.
Sahih al-Bukhari 13; Sahih Muslim 45
Tap Copy to copy a quote with its source, or Make image to download a 1080x1080 picture. Images are drawn in your browser and nothing is uploaded. Quran Arabic: Tanzil Uthmani text; English: Sahih International. Hadith and scholars' English is our translation.
Guide
Friendship in Islam, and how to choose your friends
Islam treats friendship as something that shapes your faith. The Prophet ﷺ said "a person follows the way of his close friend", so look at whom you befriend (Abu Dawud 4833), and compared a good friend to a musk seller and a bad one to a blacksmith's bellows (Bukhari 5534). The Quran warns that on the Day of Judgement close friends will be enemies, "except for the righteous" (43:67).
What a good friend is
- Someone who reminds you of Allah and helps you do good (5:2, 18:28).
- Someone who is best to you, as the hadith of the best companions says (Tirmidhi 1944), and does not wrong you or leave you alone in trouble (Bukhari 2442).
- Someone you love for Allah's sake, which earns the shade of the Throne (Bukhari 660, Muslim 2566).
Muslims may also have kind and close ties with non-Muslim friends and neighbours; see Can Muslims be friends with non-Muslims?
Friendship quotes we left out
A saying often credited to Ali ibn Abi Talib, that a friend is not a friend until tested on three occasions, is shared everywhere, but we could not find it in a reliable book, so it is not here. The same goes for many short "Arabic proverbs" about friends: some are good advice, but they are not Quran or hadith, and should not be shared as if they were.
For more, see What does Islam say about friendship? and neighbours in Islam.
Other themes: quotes about life, quotes about death, quotes about patience, quotes about prayer, quotes about peace, quotes about marriage, quotes about love, quotes about success, and Quran quotes in Arabic.
Questions
Good to know
What does Islam say about friendship?
Choose friends carefully, because "a person follows the way of his close friend" (Abu Dawud 4833). Good friends help you to Allah, and friendships built on taqwa last into the Hereafter (43:67).
What is a hadith about good friends?
The parable of the musk seller and the blacksmith (Bukhari 5534, Muslim 2628), and "The best of companions in Allah's sight is the one who is best to his companion" (Tirmidhi 1944).
What is the reward for loving a friend for Allah's sake?
Allah will shade them on the Day of Resurrection (Muslim 2566), and two people who love each other for Allah are among the seven shaded by Him (Bukhari 660).
Did Ali say "a friend cannot be considered a friend until tested in three occasions"?
We could not find it in any reliable book of reports, so we do not attribute it to him.