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God, blessed and exalted, said: "Indeed those who believe and do righteous deeds, the Most Merciful will appoint for them affection (96/Maryam)" — that is, by their good care of the brethren.

Believers whose conduct is good, God, mighty and glorious, loves them and makes them beloved in hearts, so that hearts guard them, fulfill the rights of the brethren, and see the brethren's merit above themselves.

The Messenger of God, peace be upon him, said: "Three things purify for you the affection of your brother: that you greet him with peace when you meet him, that you make room for him in the assembly, and that you call him by his most beloved names."

What the Prophet said pertains to good care and the preservation of honor. He said: "The friendship of Muslim brethren is made pure by three things: first, that when you see him you greet him on the roads; second, that you make room for him in assemblies; and third, that you call him by a name which is most beloved of names to him."

His words, exalted: "The believers are but brothers, so make peace between your brothers (10/al-Hujurat)." He commanded all to kindness and gentleness between two Muslim brothers, so that their hearts not be scratched against one another.

And his words, peace be upon him: "Multiply your brethren, for your Lord is modest and generous; He is ashamed to punish His servant among his brethren on the Day of Resurrection." Take many brethren, keep good manners and deal well with them, for God, mighty and glorious, is modest and generous; out of the modesty of His generosity He will not punish His servant among his brethren on the Day of Resurrection. But companionship must be for the sake of God, mighty and glorious, not for the desire of the self and the attaining of wants and purposes, so that through keeping manners that servant may become thanked.

Malik Dinar said to his son-in-law Mughira ibn Shu'ba, may God be pleased with them both: "Every brother and companion from whom you gain no good in your religion — cast off his companionship until you are safe." Any brother or friend whose companionship brings no otherworldly benefit to your religion, do not keep his company, for that person's companionship is forbidden to you. The meaning of this is that companionship should be with one greater than yourself, or with one lesser: for if you keep company with one greater than you, you gain benefit from him; and if with one lesser than you, he gains benefit from you in religion. For if he learns something religious from you, a religious benefit results, and if you learn, it is likewise. Hence the Prophet, peace be upon him, said: "Part of perfect piety is teaching one who does not know. The perfection of piety is teaching knowledge to one who does not know."

And from Yahya ibn Mu'adh al-Razi, God's mercy upon him, comes that he said: "A wretched friend is one whom you must ask to remember you in his prayer; a wretched friend is one with whom you must live by diplomacy; and a wretched friend is one who compels you to apologize for a slip that came from you." A bad friend is one to whom prayer must be commended, for the right of one hour's companionship is continual prayer; a bad friend is one with whom life must be lived by diplomacy, for the capital of companionship is openness; and a bad friend is one from whom excuse must be sought for a sin that has come from you, because apology is a condition of estrangement, and in companionship estrangement is cruelty.

And the Prophet, peace be upon him, said: "A man is upon the religion of his intimate friend, so let each of you look at whom he befriends." A man holds the religion and treads the path of his friend; look to see with whom he keeps friendship and companionship: if he keeps company with the good, then though he be bad he is good, because that company makes him good; and if he keeps company with the bad, then though he be good he is bad, because he is content with what is in them; and when he is content with the bad, though he be good he becomes bad.

For in the tales it is told that a man was circumambulating the Kaaba and saying: "O God, set right my brethren. O Lord, make my brethren good." They said to him: "You have reached this noble station; why do you not pray for yourself, that you should pray for all the brethren?" He said, God's mercy upon him: "I have brethren to whom I return. If they are found righteous, I become righteous with them, and if they are found corrupt, I become corrupt with them. Since the basis of my righteousness is the company of the righteous, I pray for my brethren, so that my purpose and theirs may be fulfilled, if God wills."

The foundation of all this is that the self finds rest in habit; in whatever group it may be, it takes on the habit of their deeds, because all dealings and the will toward truth and falsehood are compounded within it. Whatever dealings it sees, the will for that is nurtured within it and gains dominance over another will. Companionship has a great effect upon nature, and habit has a fierce force — to the degree that by companionship the wild becomes civilized, the parrot by teaching becomes speaking, and the horse by training comes from the bound of animal habit to human habit, and their like. All this is a sign of the effect of companionship, that the whole of their instinctive habit has been overturned.

And the masters of this affair, may God be pleased with them, first seek from one another the right of companionship, and they command the disciples to it, to the degree that companionship among them has become like an obligation. Before these masters, may God be pleased with them, composed detailed books on the manners of companionship of this group: as Junayd, may God be pleased with him, wrote a book named Tashih al-Irada; and one Ahmad ibn Khadruya wrote one named al-Ri'aya bi-Huquq Allah; and Muhammad ibn Ali al-Tirmidhi, God's mercy upon him, also wrote a book naming it Bayan Adab al-Muridin; and Abu'l-Qasim Hakim, may God be pleased with him, and Abu Bakr Warraq and Sahl ibn Abdullah and Abu Abd al-Rahman al-Sulami and the master Abu'l-Qasim Qushayri, God's mercy upon them all, also composed comprehensive books on this meaning — and all these were the imams of this discipline.

My purpose in this book is that whoever possesses this may not need other books; and I said before, in the introduction of the book, in answer to your question, that this book would be a sufficiency for you and for the seekers of this path. Now I will set forth these chapters in order upon the kinds of their dealings, if God Most High wills, He alone, and He suffices.