Junayd Baghdadi (Rahimahullah) said when his uncle Allamah Sirri (Rahimahullah) was on his deathbed, he visited his uncle and asked him for advice. He was told not to sit in the company of the bad and evil people and at the same time, accompany the righteous people but not to forget that the company of the righteous was a ladder to reach Allah ta’ala.

A subtle point made Allamah Sirri (Rahimahullah) is that the objective of keeping good company is Allah ta’ala and we must not forget that. Sometimes a person’s love for their Shaykh can overshadow the love for Allah ta’ala. Therefore, we should not forget that the objective is Allah ta’ala while not forgetting the person who led you to Him as Islaah can be very difficult without the guidance of a qualified Shaykh.

Ustaadhah Z. Pandor
during the lesson of the Hadith Qudsi
on the virtue of the gatherings of Dhikr