Cooperation and Company

ۘ وَتَعَاوَنُوا۟ عَلَى ٱلْبِرِّ وَٱلتَّقْوَىٰ ۖ وَلَا تَعَاوَنُوا۟ عَلَى ٱلْإِثْمِ وَٱلْعُدْوَٰنِ ۚ وَٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ ۖ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ شَدِيدُ ٱلْعِقَابِ ٢

“Cooperate with one another in goodness and righteousness, and do not cooperate in sin and transgression. And be mindful of Allah. Surely Allah is severe in punishment.” — Qur’an 5:2

The best of company are those that remind us of God and help us in doing goodness.

That doesn’t need to be an overt reminder but even in their conduct, their actions — they live their beliefs and in that can be an inspiration for us.

This speaks to the power of community, together we are stronger than the sum of our parts. Everyone has their individual strengths and weaknesses, when we come together we can help each other to overcome our weaknesses and support each others strengths.

Conversely it is possible that when we come together we focus on magnifying each other’s vices and weaknesses. We may all slip a little in our own ways, when we come together do we help to stop each other from slipping or do we just become an aggregated mess of all of our sins.

The worst company are those that enjoin sin and transgression and lead you off of the righteous path.

If one person loves driving and another person loves all aspects of food, their coming together is a chance to cook food, drive around and feed the homeless. Conversely they could focus on the hedonistic aspects of their friendship and stay up all night driving fast and gorging on indulgent food.

May we always be with company that elevates us, may we always aim to elevate our company and may we always strive to be in the remembrance and worship of God at all times