Yet these poor, uninformed people insist on saying, “Muhammad is the Beloved (ḥabīb) of Allah, whereas Abraham is the Intimate Friend (khalīl) of Allah.” Glory be to Him! They say this even though it is authentically reported that the Prophet ﷺ said, “Allah has taken me as a khalīl just as He took Abraham as a khalīl.” He also declared, “If I were to take anyone from my nation as a khalīl, I would have taken Abū Bakr.” Nevertheless, when he was asked, “Which man is dearest to you?” he replied, “Abū Bakr.” Thus he differentiated between khulla (intimate friendship) and ordinary love; khulla is higher than love.

The intimate friends and companions of this world remain on friendly terms here, but in the Hereafter they will be enemies. Allah, Exalted is He, says, “Close friends, on that Day, will be enemies to one another—except for the God-fearing” (Q 43:67). The God-fearing love one another for Allah’s sake; when two people love each other for Allah, gather upon that love, and part upon it, they become one of the seven whom Allah will shade in His shade on the Day when there is no shade but His. May Allah make us among them.

A further proof that all close friends will turn into enemies—apart from the God-fearing—is His statement, “Enter among the nations that passed away before you, of jinn and humankind, into the Fire. Whenever a nation enters, it curses…"