Choosing a friend plays a crucial role in one's life. Most of the time, one's destiny is intertwined with friendship by which one can achieve either happiness or can have a miserable life.
The criteria for choosing a friend has been said by the Commander of the faithful, Imam Ali (as): your friend is the one who prevents you from evil things and your enemy is the one who encourages you to do bad and evil things. A good friend leads you towards God Almighty. What true and good friend brings about includes familiarity with mosque and saying prayers, avoidance of blasphemy and profane talk, being beneficent toward acquaintances and charitable toward the poor as well as fulfilling one's promise, joviality and whatever is on the path of piety and honesty. The Holy Prophet of Islam (pbuh&hp) said: a man is known and is valued by his friend's religion; therefore, he must be careful who to make friends with.
Imam Sadeq (AS) says the characteristics of a good friend in a hadith: don't make friends with anyone unless you test them in three things. Look at their wrath and see if it diverts them from truth to falsehood or not? When you need financial help ask them and see how they respond and also see how they are when you travel with them.
Being good-tempered attracts good things, Imam Ali (as) says: whoever is good-tempered, the number of his friends will increase and people will accompany him more.
If one wants to be liked by people, he must be good-tempered and smile when they meet people so that he finds a place in the hearts of people from all walks of life.
source : erfan.ir
