44 — Al-Mufaddal ibn Ghassān al-Basrī narrated to us, from Abū Amr al-Awfī, who said: It used to be said:

“Keep company with one whose companionship is an adornment to you; who protects your dignity when you serve him; who provides for you when poverty befalls you; who acknowledges any good he sees in you and conceals any lapse he sees from you; who affirms the truth of your words when you speak and keeps your response rightly directed when you enter a confrontation.”

Someone else added:

“No harm comes to you from him, nor does his conduct toward you change; and he is one who gives you when you ask, takes the initiative when you remain silent, and makes concessions to you when you contend with him.”