Is it haram to be with friends that steal? I tell them not to steal when I hang with them but they still do. When they steal I stay away from them. Do I get sins?
1 Answer
There are ahaadeeth from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) which encourage us to choose our friends wisely, because of the influence that a friend may have on one’s attitude and religious commitment. These ahaadeeth include the following:
1 – It was narrated from Abu Sa’eed al-Khudri that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Do not keep company with anyone but a believer and do not let anyone eat your food but one who is pious.”
Narrated by al-Tirmidhi (2395)and Abu Dawood (4832); classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Tirmidhi.
2 – It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “A man will follow the way of his close friends, so let one of you look to whom he takes as a close friend.”
Narrated by al-Tirmidhi (2378) and Abu Dawood (4833). Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Tirmidhi. (https://islamqa.info/en/answers/82287/he-has-a-raafidi-friend-can-he-remain-friends-with-him)
Therefore you should avoid taking them as friends. If you take them as friends, they may influence you to become like them and hence, you may start to steal. So it is best not to take them as friends.
SAHIH INTERNATIONAL Say, "Is it other than Allah I should desire as a lord while He is the Lord of all things? And every soul earns not [blame] except against itself, and no bearer of burdens will bear the burden of another. Then to your Lord is your return, and He will inform you concerning that over which you used to differ." (Surah 6:164)
So from this verse, it is clear that you are not going to bear their sins. However, you may get sins in another way and that is:
If you know that some of your friends have stolen something and if you keep this as secret, then indirectly you are supporting them and thus you may get sins.
So basically you are not getting any sin for their theft, but rather you may get sin for supporting them (by keeping their theft as secret).
I hope you got the answer.