Keeping the company of the pious

Sayyid al-Habib Umar was asked: does a person benefit from keeping the company of the pious scholars if he or she does not perform many good actions?

He replied, may Allah preserve him: “This is what the Messenger of Allah e was asked, as is narrated in Sahih al-Bukhari. One of the Companions asked, “What is the fate of someone who loves a group of people but has not attained their level of piety?”
He said very simply, “A person is with the one he loves.”

He also said e, as has been narrated in the sahih hadith: “A good companion is like a seller of musk whereas a bad companion is like a blacksmith. The musk seller will give you some of his wares, you may buy some perfume from him or at the very least you will smell on him a pleasant odour..”

One of the poets said:

The guides of mankind – good tidings to a slave who sees them
And keeps their company even once in his life

Another said:

They are the scholars, the knowers, in whose company
A person attains the highest felicity

If someone spends time in their presence while loving them and desiring to imitate and follow he they will attain the highest of stations. If someone does so without desiring to imitate them he will nonetheless attain blessings as long as he does not go against their methodology by persisting in violating the Sacred Law. As for spending time in their presence to seek status and rank amongst people without attempting to leave acts of disobedience to Allah this will be a proof against such a person.
In summary if a person’s intention is sound and he is not content to allow himself to violate the Sacred Law then keeping the company of the pious is of great benefit to him even if he does not perform many good actions. If a person’s intention is not sound, however, and he keeps their company for some contemptible worldly benefit or persistently violates the Sacred Law then doing so will be of no benefit and will be a proof against him and we take refuge in Allah from that.

(May Allah bless Sidi Amin Buxton for sharing this, increase him and grant him and his family 'afiya)