In the report of ʿĀʾishah cited by the author—may Allah have mercy on him—the Prophet ﷺ said: “When Allah intends good for a leader, He appoints for him a truthful minister: if the leader forgets, the minister reminds him, and if he remembers, the minister assists him. But when Allah wills otherwise for a leader, He assigns to him an evil minister: if the leader forgets, the minister does not remind him, and if he remembers, the minister offers him no help.” The Prophet ﷺ also told us that “Allah has never sent a prophet nor installed a caliph without giving him two entourages: an entourage of righteousness that enjoins him to do good and urges him toward it, and an entourage of evil that directs him to evil and commands him to pursue it. The one who is protected is the one whom Allah protects.”

This is something clearly observable. You find some rulers who are upright in themselves and eager for good, yet Allah decrees for them companions of wickedness—Allah’s refuge is sought—who turn them away from the good they wish to do, beautify evil for them, and make them loathe the servants of Allah. By contrast, you find other rulers who are not themselves righteous, yet they have a righteous entourage that guides them to good, encourages them to pursue it, and shows them what fosters love between them and their subjects until they become upright and their affairs are set right. The one who is protected is the one whom Allah protects.

If this is the situation with rulers, then examine your own state. Look closely: if you see that your companions direct you to good, assist you in it, remind you when you forget, and teach you when you are ignorant, then cling to them firmly and bite onto them with your molars.