What is the meaning of the hadith, "Do not keep company with anyone but a believer"?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Question:
The hadith:Jami` at-Tirmidhi 2395Sahih (Darussalam)?
Answer:
there is no harm in it.
Q: I mean, by combining it with other texts on the same topic, how is this hadith to be acted upon?
The Shaykh: It means one should not take them as companions if they are not good. Let his companions be from among the people of taqwa (mindfulness of Allah) and goodness. However, incidental matters, such as a guest or the like, and food that one happens to share, are not included in this. But a person should not take as companions those who are not good.
As for the fact that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) hosted many people from the Christians of Najran, from the polytheists of Thaqif, and from others, a guest or a situation a person is tested with has a different status. Or if a person happens to eat with guests or with workers, that does not necessitate companionship.
The hadith:
Do not accompany except a believer, and do not serve your food except to one with Taqwa.
لا تصاحب إلا مؤمنًا، ولا يأكل طعامَك إلا تقيٌّAnswer:
there is no harm in it.
Q: I mean, by combining it with other texts on the same topic, how is this hadith to be acted upon?
The Shaykh: It means one should not take them as companions if they are not good. Let his companions be from among the people of taqwa (mindfulness of Allah) and goodness. However, incidental matters, such as a guest or the like, and food that one happens to share, are not included in this. But a person should not take as companions those who are not good.
As for the fact that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) hosted many people from the Christians of Najran, from the polytheists of Thaqif, and from others, a guest or a situation a person is tested with has a different status. Or if a person happens to eat with guests or with workers, that does not necessitate companionship.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.