F.R.I.E.N.D.S

i have long to make a post specifically about what a friend is all about.. due to a certain event, i strongly feel like bringing up this issue.. so what is a friend? must it be a person? animals can also be a friend.. there is a popular saying - "Dogs is a Man's Bestfriend".. how about immovable stuff like plant's and dolls.. remember the movie 'Castaway'?? the hero ( played by Tom Hanks) be-friended a ball and called it 'Wilson' (well.. it was only bcoz of the fact that he was stranded on a desert island all by himself).. my point is, each and every one of us need a friend.. it doesn't matter who or what it is..
so basically.. a friend is someone that we can talk to, someone we can trust, we can rely on, to seek advice, to comfort us, etc.. etc.. etc.. each and everyone of us need a friend.. coz it is human nature to have company.. human's biggest fear is being lonely.. being left alone all by themselves.. even Adam needs Eve by his side.. a friend make us feel secured, wanted and accepted.. some people are lucky to have many friends.. some prefer only to have someone they trust..some hardly have friends at all..
some of us might have wondered," why is it so hard for me to find a true friend?".. while seeking this answer most of us like to blame others.. when they fight, they find other party's fault, which brings to an end of a friendship.. i have witnessed this process many times and it always happen between bestfriends..
so how to keep a friendship last forever? it starts from way before we built a friendship.. find a good person to be friend with.. someone with good personality.. someone that we feel worth giving our trust to.. then, it's depend on us.. whether we can keep it last or let it shatter..

It happens that last Saturday at Usrah (sisterhood gathering where we talk about religion) we discuss about ways on how to be a good friend in Islamic point of view:

1. choose a good and religious (soleh) friend
2. never hurt your friend
3. stay away from wrong-doers (fasik)
4. tell the truth
5. honest and never betray
6. keep all promises
7. keep all your friend's rights
8. sincere
9. help each other
10. never disgrace ur friend
11. stay away from misunderstanding
12. tell that u love ur friend
13. learn about each other before u decide to be friends
14. love ur friend like u love urself
15. visit each other
16. change presents
17. greet each other (beri salam)
18. never have bad thoughts and never be envious
19. always be together through thick and thin
20. never propose on ur friend's proposal and never buy things that ur friend wants to buy
21. pray for ur friend
22. maintain ur relation so it would last
23. do good to ur friend's bestfriend
24. help ur friend's family after his death

try this guideline to be a good friend.. then maybe others will try their best to be urs too..