The Importance of Good Relationships

Our relationships are an undeniably important facet of our lives. Those that we surround ourselves with, be it friends, family, neighbours, or colleagues, influences and shapes the type of person that we are, and the type of person that we are perceived to be. Surrounding ourselves with good, decent people leads to good, decent actions. Likewise, if we surround ourselves with indecent people, they could tempt us to an indecent lifestyle.
Maintaining good relationships lets us live decent lives on earth. But more importantly, good relationships lead us to heavenly rewards. Good relationships also act as an opportunity for Daa’wah.

Both the Holy Qura’an and the words of The Prophet (PBUH) have much to say about how to maintain good relationships, and how we will be rewarded for doing so. Here are some lessons from the Qura’an and Hadiths that illustrate the importance of maintaining good relationships.

Believers Are Like Brothers (And Sisters):

“The believers are but brothers, so make settlement between your brothers.
And fear Allah that you may receive mercy”
[Quran 49:10].

In Qura’an, Allah (SWT) equates all believers to a family. We are brothers and sisters. He calls upon us to abide between each other in peace. The Holy Qura’an compels us to think about ourselves as a great family of mankind. It’s on this philosophy that we create a society of brothers and sisters based on peace, generosity, and respect. By treating our brothers and sisters with mercy, we will receive it ourselves.

Sharing and Sacrificing For Those You Love

There is an inherent love within an act of sacrifice. To give what you can when you have little, for the sake of Allah (SWT), is an act of selflessness that will be rewarded.

This Hadith narrated by Sa’d bin Abi Waqqas records that The Prophet (PBUH) said “You will be rewarded for whatever you spend for Allah’s sake even if it were a morsel which you put in your wife’s mouth.”

The Holy Qura’an tells us the importance of sharing what we have with others.

“Never will you attain the good [reward] until you spend [in the way of Allah ]
from that which you love. And whatever you spend – indeed, Allah is Knowing of it”
[Quran 3:92].

This goes beyond just sharing worldly goods. There are lots of things we can share: our time, acts of kindness, and so on. “Whatever you spend,” no matter what it is, we show love through selflessness. We receive good by doing good.

The Importance of Respect for One’s Parents

One can never fully understand the sacrifice that parents make for their young ones until they become a parent themself.  The love of parent’s is a deep, unconditional love. They are the ones that lead us and guide us on life’s journey. They provide for us all that we need.

Respect for one’s own parents, friends of parents, and elder relatives are present in the Holy Qura’an and the Hadiths.For these reasons, it’s one’s sacred duty to respect his or her parents.

Abu Huraira wrote that a person said: “Allah's Messenger, who amongst the people is most deserving of my good treatment? He said: Your mother, again your mother, again your mother, then your father, then your nearest relatives according to the order (of nearness).”

One Hadith even mentions that we should treat with kindness and respect the friends of our parents.

Abdullah b. Umar that reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) said “The finest act of goodness is that a person should treat kindly the loved ones of his father.”

Trust and Teamwork

Allah (SWT) created the bond of marriage as an important relationship built upon trust and teamwork. A spouse is someone to be relied on, a place of comfort, tranquillity, and understanding.

“Your spouses are a garment for you as you are for them”
[Quran:2:187]

The holy Qura’an tells us that Allah created perfect matches:

“And of His signs is that He created for you from yourselves mates that you may find tranquillity in them; and He placed between you affection and mercy. Indeed in that are signs for a people who give thought.”
[Quran:30:21]

And like a team, Allah created man and wife with specific roles that they are well-suited to. Everyone has a part to play.

“Men are the caretakers of women, as men have been provisioned by Allah over
women and tasked with supporting them financially. And righteous women are
devoutly obedient and, when alone, protective of what Allah has entrusted them with.”
[Quran:4:34]

Marriage promotes a bond of happiness between husbands and wives, fostering companionship, joy, and complementing each other’s nature.

Relationships can be hard. Good relationships can be even harder. Allah (SWT) never promised that good relationships would come easily. But we have a duty to conduct ourselves rightly, instructed by the examples set before us. And if we persist in doing so, we will be rewarded with both in this life and the next.