Are you friends with

some one belonging to other race , culture , religion, ethnicity ?
What are the common grounds for your friendship ? How do you cope with differences while you are discussing something which is different about your friend or his/her beliefs.
Do you avoid these discussions ?
For example you are friends with a Qadiani, and you are non-qadiani how do you deal with the discussion on finality of the Prophet hood according to your belief.
You are friends with a Christian and you are a Muslim , how do you deal with the discussion on Hazrat Eisa/Jesus Christ being Son of God according to their belief and a Prophet according to your belief.

Re: Are you friends with

in friends i avoid getting into discussion abt religion bcoz i dono ppl dont agree on thing even those having same beliefs as mine.

:vivo:

Isn’t friendship about accepting each others weaknesses,differences , beliefs, POV’s ?
If yes then why can’t we be comfortable about discussing them. We can bring it into discussion but should not fight over them or break our friendships because of them.

Re: Are you friends with

i had lot of friends who werent muslims,we never use to discuss religion untill n unless sumone wants to know sumthing about my religion or theirs,only one friend of mine who was a catholic got mad at me becoz i was reading da vinchi s code he started telling me its all stupid blah blah blah but it did nt become an arguement.i believe in respecting people n being civil thats all

ive been friends with non muslims, but never with anyone of a dfferent religion. all the friendships ive had, looking back, theyve been with superficial people and eventually these friendships have ended. religion wasnt ever an issue discussed. and i did sometimes feel like there was a wall between me and them, because of my differing culture and beliefs.

Re: Are you friends with

I'm not only best friends with but actually married to one of another culture, race and religion. We share mutual respect and understanding and we are alike in most of our world-views. Any differences can be accepted, it doesnt have to be contentious and sometimes the best way to handle difference is to compromise - or agree to disagree.

Re: Are you friends with

yep…and i know more about their religion then they themselves. they even share their problems with me even after i showed many what really the rationality is.

instead of stop talking to me tehy contact me more to discuss their problems :bummer:

Good topic... ive been friends with all kinds... the reason why ive become friends with them is because ive always managed to find a common ground...be it spirituality, fashion, relationships, religion.... and you are right Mirch, it is about sharing each others beliefs and differences and learning from them, it is what makes the friendship stronger...

Re: Are you friends with

I don't think that being friends with people from other races or religions is diffilcult to cope with. I have never had problems with people from other races. I think it's easy for us who were born abroad and obviously went to school with people from other races. In university for instance there is no way one can not click with a person from another race ( from my experience).

Re: Are you friends with

Well yes.
but i dont think religion is the basis of friendship.
if you like the other person, then you do become friends with him/her.

Re: Are you friends with

It depends on how you are as a person. If you are someone who avoids conflict, knows exactly what to say and how to deal with various situations. I don't see any reason as to how an individual can not "cope" with friends from other ethnic origins or religious backgrounds :)

Re: Are you friends with

Friendship is based on mutual trust and respect , so basically colour or creed should not come into the scheme of things .......


My bestfriends are all from races and cultures that are entirely different to my own and there are a lot of things we agree or disagree on however that has never affected our friendship in any way simply because we have learnt to respect each others points of view..........

i dont know y but i never have problems with non muslim friends

i always have problems with muslim friends and ppl :bummer:

dnt know y? :bummer:

Re: Are you friends with

‘Friend’ to me is a very broader term in its meaning. Not every Tom, Dick, and Harry can be one’s friend.

Often Open enemies are harmless and friends with hidden snakes under their sleeves turn out to be the worst ever people for you on the face of the earth…

I do have non-muslim friends but I look for them in the matter of this world but at the same time I help them equally if needed and at the same time, share religious knowledge from my end…

I choose my friends very selectively… :slight_smile:

According to an authentic hadeeth reported in Abu Dawood and Tirmidhi, Prophet:saw2: said:

“A person is likely to follow the faith of his friend, so look at whom you befriend.”

I always guage people before becoming friends with the above guideline. Not everyone can become my friend…

There is another prophetic guidance reported in Bukhari and Muslim:

“The example of a good companion and a bad companion is like that of the seller of musk, and the one who blows the blacksmith’s bellows. So as for the seller of musk then either he will grant you some, or you buy some from him, or at least you enjoy a pleasant smell from him. As for the one who blows the blacksmith’s bellows then either he will burn your clothes or you will get an offensive smell from him.”



Those who continuously prove themselves to be snakes under the sleeves, become insignificant for me and lack my due attention anymore…

Re: Are you friends with

I admit that i have used word friend here in very broad sense. I meant friends and acquintances. Dost and mulaqatee both.

This hadees is very shallow and devoid of hikma and wisdom which I have come to expect from my holy prophet(SAW). Why ? ( please do not stop here read the whole post)
Because why can’t I be that friend whose faith my friend is likely to follow as per belief of every Muslim our faith is the best faith.
Secondly every Muslim scholar says and every Muslim beleives that our character should be a sample for other to bring them into fold of Islam, if I do not befriend non-muslims then how can I show them good characreristics of my religion and character.

[quote=“AQ, post:8, topic:183098”]

I always guage people before becoming friends with the above guideline. Not everyone can become my friend…

There is another prophetic guidance reported in Bukhari and Muslim:

“The example of a good companion and a bad companion is like that of the seller of musk, and the one who blows the blacksmith’s bellows. So as for the seller of musk then either he will grant you some, or you buy some from him, or at least you enjoy a pleasant smell from him. As for the one who blows the blacksmith’s bellows then either he will burn your clothes or you will get an offensive smell from him.”

[quote]

This is very beautifull hadees full of nice wisdom for us to keep in mind always. This hadees is teaching us to become a good companion of non-Muslims and be a seller of musk . Also Holy Prophet(SAW) knew , I know and you know that a Muslim it that seller of musk to which our holy prophet(SAW) is refering to. So we should act as a seller of musk for that person who blows the blacksmith’s bellows. This hadees does not teach us not to be friends with non-Muslims on the contrary it teaches us to be friends of non-Mulims and make their life full of aroma of Musk of Islam.

As for me I am not very selective in making friends, I do not judge or guage people before I make friends with them. Everybody is my friend till they do not want to be my friend.

Re: Are you friends with

Mirch, you should have read and understand what I said about 'friend' - a companion is someone who is compatible with your religious beliefs as well.... anyone can be your friend but not everyone can become your companion....