Sohni Mahiwal

Sohni Mahiwal( Punjabi سوہنی مہیوال  Sindhi सोहनी  महीवाल) is one of the four popular tragic romances of the Punjab and  Sindh, the other three are Heer Ranjha, Mirza Sahiba and Sassi Punnun.  It is also popular in Sindh and across the South Asia, the story is one  of the most prominent examples of medieval poetic legends in the Punjabi  and Sindhi languages.

Sohni, the potter's daughter

Sohni was  the daughter of a potter named Tula, who lived in Gujrat town in the  Punjab near the banks of the Chenab on the caravan trade route between  Bukhara and Delhi. As soon as the 'Surahis' (water pitchers) and mugs  came off the wheels, she would draw floral designs on them and transform  them into masterpieces of art.

Izzat Baig of Bukhara

Izzat  Baig, the rich trader from Bukhara (Uzbekistan), came to India on  business but when he saw the beautiful Sohni in the town of Gujrat on  the Chenab in Punjab, he was completely enchanted. Instead of keeping  'mohars' (gold coins) in his pockets, he roamed around with his pockets  full of love. Just to get a glimpse of Sohni, he would end up buying the  water pitchers and mugs everyday.

Sohni lost her heart to Izzat  Baig. Instead of making floral designs on earthenware, she started  building castles of love in her dreams. Izzat Baig sent off his  companions to Bukhara. He took up the job of a servant in the house of  Tula, Sohni's father. He would even take their buffaloes for grazing.  Soon, he came to be known as "Mahiwal"(buffalo herder).

Sohni's marriage

When  the people started spreading rumours about the love of Sohni and  Mahiwal, without her consent her parents arranged her marriage with  another potter.

Suddenly, one day his "barat" (marriage party)  arrived at the threshold of her house. Sohni was helpless and in a  poignant state. Her parents bundled her off in the doli (palanquin), but  they could not pack off her love in any doli (box).

Izzat Baig  renounced the world and started living like a "faqir" (hermit) in a  small hut across the river. The earth of Sohni’s land was like a dargah  (shrine) for him. He had forgotten his own land, his own people and his  world. Taking advantage of the darkness of the night, when the world was  fast asleep, Sohni would come by the riverside and Izzat Baig would  swim across the river to meet her. He would regularly roast a fish and  bring it for her. It is said that once, when due to high tide he could  not catch a fish, Mahiwal cut a piece of his thigh and roasted it.  Seeing the bandage on his thigh, Sohni opened it, saw the wound and  cried.

From the next day, Sohni started swimming across the river  with the help of an earthen pitcher as Izzat Baig was so badly wounded  and could not swim across the river. Soon, the rumours of their romantic  rendezvous spread. One-day Sohni’s sister-in-law followed her and saw  the hiding place where Sohni used to keep her earthen pitcher among the  bushes. The next day, the sister-in-law removed the hard baked pitcher  and replaced it with an unbaked one. That night, when Sohni tried to  cross the river with the help of the pitcher, it dissolved in the water  and Sohni drowned in the river. From the other side of the river,  Mahiwal saw Sohni drowning and jumped into the river and drowned as  well.

Sohni's Tomb

Sohni lies buried in Shahdapur, Sindh, some  75 km from Hyderabad, Pakistan. According to the legend the bodies of  Sohni Mahiwal were recovered from the River Indus near this city and  hence are buried there.

Mirza Sahiba

Mirza Sahiba is one of the four popular tragic romances of  the Punjab. The other three are Heer Ranjha, Sassi Punnun and Sohni  Mahiwal.

Mirza–Sahiban is a treasure of Punjabi literature. It is a  romantic tragedy. Sahiban was a love-lorn soul. Shayer Pillo raves  about her beauty and says," As Sahiban stepped out with a lungi tied  around her waist, the nine angels died on seeing her beauty.

Mirza  and Sahiban were cousins not childhood playmates,mirza was sahiba's  mother's brother's son as mentioned in many books and folk tales in  punjab, fell in love with each other. But when this beauty is about to  be wedded forcibly to Tahar Khan by her parents, without any hesitation  she sends a taunting message to Mirza, whom she loves, to his village  Danabad, through a Brahmin called Kammu.

"You must come and decorate Sahiban’s hand with the marriage henna."

Mirza  Khan was the son of Wanjhal Khan, the leader of the Kharal tribe in  Danabad, a town in the Jaranwala area of Faisalabad. Sahiba was the  daughter of Mahni, the chief of Khewa, a town in Sial Territory in the  Jhang district. Mirza was sent to his relatives' house in Khewa to  study, where he met Sahiba and they fell in love. Her family opposed the  relationship, and instead arranged a marriage with a member of the  Chadhar family.

This is the time you have to protect your self  respect and love, keep your promises, and sacrifice your life for truth.  Mirza arrived on his horse, Bakki the night before the wedding and  secretly carried her away, planning to elope. Sahiba's brothers got to  know about this and decided to follow them. On the way, as Mirza lies  under the shade of a tree to rest for a few moments, Sahiba's brothers  caught up with them.

Sahiba was a virtuous and a beautiful soul  who did not desire any bloodshed to mar the one she loved. She did not  want her hands drenched in blood instead of henna. She thinks Mirza  cannot miss his target, and if he strikes, her brothers would surely  die. Before waking up Mirza, Sahiban breaks his arrows so he can't use  them. She presumes on seeing her, her brothers would feel sorry and  forgive Mirza and take him in their arms. But the brothers attack Mirza  and kill him. Sahiban takes a sword and slaughters herself and thus bids  farewell to this world.

Some other facts include that Mirza's  horse which was named bakki was from shri guru gobind singh's (10th sikh  guru)horse's blood line. also,out of all the legendary stories, mirza  sahiba's story is the only story where the guy's name comes first and  then the girl's. all others start with girl's name for example: Heer  Ranjha,Sassi Punnun,Sohni Mahiwal,Shireen Farihad,Laila Majnu.

Innumerable  folk songs of Punjab narrate the love tale of Sassi and Punnu. The  women sing these songs with great emotion and feeling, as though they  are paying homage to Sassi with lighted on her tomb. It is not the  tragedy of the lovers. It is the conviction of the heart of the lovers.  It is firmly believed that the soil of the Punjab has been blessed. God  has blessed these lovers. Though their love ended in death, death was a  blessing in disguise, for this blessing is immortalized.

Waris  shah who sings the tale of Heer elevates mortal love to the same  pedestal as spiritual love for God saying," When you start the subject  of love, first offer your invocation to God". This has always been the  custom in Punjab, where mortal love has been immortalized and enshrined  as spirit of love.

Just as every society has dual moral values, so  does the Punjabi community. Everything is viewed from two angles, one  is a close up of morality and the other is a distant perspective. The  social, moral convictions on one hand give poison to Heer and on the  other make offerings with spiritual convictions at her tomb, where vows  are made and blessings sought for redemption from all sufferings and  unfulfilled desires.

But the Sassis, Heers, Sohnis and others born  on this soil have revolted against these dual moral standards. The folk  songs of Punjab still glorify this rebelliousness.

"When the  sheet tear, It can be mended with a patch: How can you darn the torn  sky? If the husband dies, another one can be found, But how can one live  if the lover dies?"

And perhaps it is the courage of the  rebellious Punjabi woman, which has also given her a stupendous sense of  perspective. Whenever she asks her lover for a gift she says,

" Get a shirt made for me of the sky And have it trimmed with the earth"

Sassi Punnun

Sassui Punnun (or Sassui Panhu or Sassui Punhun) Urdu سسی پنوں; Sindhi سسئي پنھون; Hindi सस्सी-पुन्हू;  Punjabi Gurmukhi ਸੱਸੀ ਪੁੰਨ੍ਹੂੰ is one of the seven popular tragic  romances of the Sindh and four of the most popular in Punjab. The other  six are Umar Marvi, Momal Rano and Sohni Mahiwal, Laila Chanesar, Sorath  Rai Diyach, Noori Jam Tamachi commonly known as Seven Queens of Shah  Abdul Latif Bhittai .

Sassui Punnun was written by the Sindhi and Sufi poet, Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai in (1689-1752).

Sassui

Sassui  was the daughter of the King of Bhambour (it is in Sindh whose ruins  can be seen today). Upon Sassui's birth, astrologers predicted that she  was a curse for the royal family’s prestige. The King ordered that the  child be put in a wooden box and thrown in the river Indus. A washerman  of the Bhambour village found the wooden box and the child in the box.  The washerman believed the child was a blessing from God and took her  home. As he had no child of his own, he decided to adopt her.

Sassui and Punnun meet

When  Sassui became a young girl, she was as beautiful as the fairies of  heaven. Stories of her beauty reached Punnun and he became desperate to  meet Sassui. The handsome young Prince of Makran therefore travelled to  Bhambour. He sent his clothes to Sassui's father (a washerman) so that  he could catch a glimpse of Sassui. When he visited the washerman's  house, they fell in love at first sight. Sassui's father was dispirited,  hoping that Sassui would marry a washerman and no one else. Sassui's  father asked Punnun to prove that he was worthy of Sassui by passing the  test as a washerman. Punnun agreed to prove his love. While washing, he  tore all the clothes as, being a prince, he had never washed any  clothes; he thus failed the agreement. But before he returned those  clothes, he hid gold coins in the pockets of all the clothes, hoping  this would keep the villagers quiet. The trick worked, and Sassui's  father agreed to the marriage.

Punnun’s father and brothers  were against the his marriage to Sassui(Punnun being a prince and she  being a washerman's daughter), and so, for their father's sake, Punnun's  brothers traveled to Bhambhor. First they threatened Punnun but when he  didn't relent, they tried more devious methods.

Punnun was surprised  to see his brothers supporting his marriage and on the first night,  they pretended to enjoy and participate in the marriage celebrations and  forced Punnun to drink different types of wines. When he was  intoxicated they carried him on a camel’s back and returned to their  hometown of Kicham.

The lovers meet their end

The next  morning, when Sassui realized that she was cheated, she became mad with  the grief of separation from her lover and ran barefoot towards the town  of Kicham. To reach it, she had to cross miles of desert. Alone, she  continued her journey until her feet were blistered and her lips were  parched from crying "Punnun, Punnun!". The journey was full of dangerous  hazards, which lead to her demise. Punnun’s name was on Sassui's lips  throughout the journey. She was thirsty, there she saw a shepherd coming  out of a hut. He gave her some water to drink. Seeing her incredible  beauty, dirty lustful thoughts came into his mind, and he tried to force  himself on Sassui. Sassui ran away and prayed to God to hide her and  when God listened to her prayers, land shook and split and Sassui found  herself buried in the valley of mountains. When Punnun woke he was  himself in Makran he could not stop himself from running back to  Bhambhor. On the way he called out "Sassui, Sassui!" to which the  shepherd replied. The shepherd told Punnun the whole story. Then Punnun  also lamented the same prayer, the land shook and split again and he was  also buried in the same mountain valley as Sassui. The legendary grave  still exists in this valley. Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai sings this  historic tale in his sufi poetry as an example of eternal love and union  with Divine

Heer Ranjah

Punjabis love and hate with extreme emotion. That fact is known to  Punjabis who understand the psyche of Punjabis. Yet due to social and  socio-cultural and religious barriers people who love beyond these  barriers end up giving up and thus the course of nature is obstructed.  Despite all the barriers there have been many people who lost it all in  love and they even gave up their lives. We do not suggest anyone to do  that in today's fake,false and socially correct world but if you love  someone be faithful and true to your love and your promises. Never break  your vows and promises. Love is a spiritual union and not physical.

All  these legends you read or hear became legends because of their  spiritual purity. In today's world that purity is not there anymore and  if there is in some good souls, the social system bulldozes all hopes.

Waris  Shah’s composition, the love story of Heer Ranjha is the story of the  young man and a young women, which did not receive the sanction of  society in the shape of marriage, a major theme of literature, music,  dance and drama not only in Punjab, but everywhere in the world.

It  is believed that the poem of Heer and Ranjha had a happy ending but   Waris Shah gave it the sad ending described above, thereby giving it the   legendary status it now enjoys. It is argued by Waris Shah in the   beginning of his version that the story of Heer and Ranjha has a deeper   connotation - the relentless quest of man (humans) for God.

The  story prformed in the form of an opera as well as a ballet is very  typical. Heer was the daughter of a feudal landlord Chuchak Sial from  Jhang. Before her sacrifice for Ranjha, she proved herself to be a very  courageous and daring young girl. It is said that Sardar (Chief) Noora  from the Sambal community, had a really beautiful boat made and  appointed a boatman called Luddan. Noora was very ruthless with his  employees. Due to the ill treatment one day Luddan ran away with the  boat and begged Heer for refuge. Heer gave him moral support as well as  shelter.

Sardar Noora was enraged at this incident. He summoned  his friends and set off to catch Luddan. Heer collected an army of her  friends and confronted Sardar Noora and defeated him. When Heer’s  brothers learnt of this incident they told her,"If a mishap had befallen  you why didn’t you send for us?" To which Heer replied," What was the  need to send for all of you? Emperor Akbar had not attacked us."

It  is the same Heer who, when she is in love with Ranjha, sacrifices her  life for him and says, " Saying Ranjha, Ranjha all time I myself have  become Ranjha.

No one should call me Heer, call me Dheedho Ranjha."

When  Heer’s parents arranged her marriage much against her wishes, with a  member of the house of Khaidon, it is Heer who plucks up courage during  the wedding ceremony and reprimands the Kazi (priest)." Kazi, I was  married in the presence of Nabi (Prophet). When did God give you the  authority to perform my marriage ceremony again and annul my first  marriage? The tragedy is that people like you are easily bribed to sell  their faith and religion. But I will keep my promise till I go to the  grave."

Heer is forcibly married to Khaidon but she cannot forget  Ranjha. She sends a message to him. He comes in the garb of a jogi  (ascetic) and takes her away. When Heer’s parents hear about the  elopement they repent and send for both of them promising t get Heer  married to Ranjha. But Heer’s uncle Khaidon betrays them and poisons  Heer.

In this love tale Heer and Ranjha do not have the good  fortune of making a home. But in the folklore sung by the ladies, Heer  and Ranjha always enjoyed a happy married life.

It was Heer’s  strong conviction, which has placed this tragic romantic tale on the  prestigious pedestal along with Punjab’s religious poetry.

There  are several poetic narrations of the story, the most famous being  'Heer' by Waris Shah written in 1766. It tells the story of the love of  Heer and her lover Ranjha. Well-known poetic narrations have also been  written by Damodar Das Arora, Mukbaz and Ahmed Gujjar, among others

(The Legends of the Panjab by RC Temple, Rupa and Company, Volume two, page 606) Rag Hir Ranjha

Awal-akhir naam Allah da lena, duja dos Muhammad Miran

Tija naun mat pita da lena, unha da chunga dudh sariran

Chautha naun an pani da lena, jis khave man banhe dhiran

Panjman naun Dharti Mata da lena, jis par kadam takiman

Chhewan naun Khwaja Pir da lena, jhul pilave thande niran

Satwan naun Guru Gorakhnath de lena , patal puje bhojan

Athwan naun lalanwale da lena, bande bande de tabaq janjiran

Firstly and lastly, take the name of God; secondly, of the Great Muhammad, the friend (of God)

Thirdly, take the name of father and mother, on whose milk my body throve

Fourthly, take the name of bread and water, from eating which my heart is gladdened

Fifthly, take the name of Mother Earth, on whom I place my feet.

Sixthly, take the name of Khwaja (Khazir, the Saint), that gives me cold water to drink

Seventhly, take the name of Guru Gorakh Nath whom is worshiped with a platter of milk and rice

Eighthly, take the name of Lalanwala that breaketh the bonds and the chains of the captives

& Heer  is an extremely beautiful woman, born into a wealthy Jat & family of the  Sayyal clan in Jhang, Punjab (Pakistan)). Ranjha (whose first name is  Dheedo; Ranjha is the surname), also a Jat & of the Ranjha clan, is the  youngest of four brothers and lives in the village 'Takht Hazara' by the  river Chenab. Being his father's favorite son, unlike his brothers who  had to toil in the lands, he led a life of ease playing the flute  ('Wanjhli'/'Bansuri'). After a quarrel with his brothers over land,  Ranjha leaves home. In Waris Shah's version of the epic, it is said that  Ranjha left his home because his brothers' wives refused to give him  food. Eventually he arrives in Heer's village and falls in love with  her. Heer offers Ranjha a job as caretaker of her father's cattle. She  becomes mesmerised by the way Ranjha plays his flute and eventually  falls in love with him. They meet each other secretly for many years  until they are caught by Heer's jealous uncle, Kaido, and her parents  Chuchak and Malki. Heer is forced by her family and the local priest or  'mullah' to marry another man called Saida Khera.

Ranjha is  heartbroken. He wanders the countrtyside alone, until eventually he  meets a 'jogi' (ascetic). After meeting Baba Gorakhnath, the founder of  the "Kanphata"(pierced ear) sect of jogis, at 'Tilla Jogian' (the 'Hill  of Ascetics', located 50 miles north of the historic town of Bhera,  Sargodha District, Punjab), Ranjha becomes a jogi himself, piercing his  ears and renouncing the material world. Reciting the name of the Lord,  "Alakh Niranjan", he wanders all over the Punjab, eventually finding the  village where Heer now lives.

The two return to Heer's village,  where Heer's parents agree to their marriage. However, on the wedding  day, Heer's jealous uncle Kaido poisons her food so that the wedding  will not take place. Hearing this news, Ranjha rushes to aid Heer, but  he is too late, as she has already eaten the poison and died.  Brokenhearted once again, Ranjha takes the poisoned Laddu (sweet) which  Heer has eaten and dies by her side.

Heer and Ranjha are buried in Heer's hometown, Jhang. Lovers and others often pay visits to their mausoleum.

The  epic poem has been made into several feature films. Bollywood versions  include Heer Ranjha (1928) starring Zubeida, Heer Ranjha (1929), Heer  Ranjha (1931),

Heer Ranjha (1948), Heer Raanjha (1970) directed  by Chetan Anand and starring Raaj Kumar and Priya Rajvansh, and Heer  Ranjha (1992).This movie's songs became very popular all over South  Asia.

Pakistani versions include Heer Raanjha (1970) directed  by Masood Pervaiz and starring Firdous and Ejaz Durrani, Heer starring  Sowarn Lata and Inayat Hussain Bhatti, and Heer Sial starring Sudhir and  Bahar. In November 2009, "Heer Ranjha" was released in Punjabi starring  singer, actor Harbhajan Mann.

There are three types of 'friends'...

Those that are necessary like nourishment and you cannot live without them; those that are like medicine and are beneficial, so you need them sometimes; and finally, those that are like a sickness and you do not need them at all!
Prophet Muhammad (saw) has said, "The believer is like a mirror to other believers (in truthfulness)." Like a mirror, your friend gives you an honest image. He forgives your mistakes, but does not hide or exaggerate your strengths and weaknesses.
Once Prophet Muhammad (saw) was asked, "What person can be the best friend?" "He who helps you remember Allah (SWT), and reminds you when you forget Him," the Prophet Muhammad (saw), counseled.
Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (as) said: "A friend cannot be considered a friend unless he is tested on three occasions: in time of need, behind your back and after your death."
Imam Jafar Sadiq (as) also remarks, "My best friend is the one who gifts me my weaknesses and shortcomings." In other words one who brings to your notice your defects and flaws is indeed your true friend.
However, there is one very imperative point in the above-mentioned tradition of Imam Jafar Sadiq (as). When one presents an offering to a close friend, he does so with utmost care, not willing to overlook anything. He offers the gift with total respect and regard. For, even the most valuable gift if not presented with correct etiquette, can look very ordinary. While presenting the offering, the friend tries to make the most expensive gift seem very ordinary so as to not embarrass the recipient. On the other hand, the recipient of this gift tries to make even the most ordinary gift seem very precious, so as to please his friend. Similarly, when we wish to point out certain shortcomings to a friend, we must do so with a degree of respect and sincerity. Our sole intention must be to reform the friend and there should be no hint of any malice and self-righteousness. Likewise, when a friend highlights for us, our defects, we must acknowledge the same with respect and gratitude without any ill will and hostility.
Imam Hassan Askari (as) Says: "Those who advise their friend secretly are respecting them, and those who advise them openly are humiliating them."
Indeed if we establish these as the standards of friendship, the believers shall soon find themselves enveloped with friends who will take them closer to Paradise and farther away from the fire of hell.
Allah (SWT) says in the Noble Qur'an: O you who believe! Take care of your souls; he who errs cannot hurt you when you are on the right way; to Allah is your return, of all (of you), so He will inform you of what you did. (Surah Al-Maeda, 5:105)
There are certain tips to remember if you wish to keep a stable friendship.
Do not dispute with him and do not be hostile to him.
Do not ridicule him. Do not quarrel with him. Instead accord friends the respect they deserve.
Imam Hassan (as) Says: "Befriend people in the same manner you would like them to befriend you."
Do not hold him in contempt nor consider him to be lower than you. Instead guard the honor of your friends during their absence and after their death.
Do not claim precedence and supremacy over him. Instead forgive the short-comings of your friends, because everyone makes mistakes in life.
Do not crack indecent jokes with him.
Finally, we ask Allah (SWT) to make us of the righteous ones and give us companions that will take us away from His Wrath and lead us to His Pleasure and Paradise.

Who should not be befriended according to the philosophy of Islam?

When choosing our friends we should ask ourselves first: Are they going to help us achieve the purpose for which we were brought to life? Or will they take us away from it? Will they desire for us Allah's (SWT) pleasure or is that completely irrelevant to them and not their concern at all? Are they leading us to Paradise or to the Hell?
Imam Muhammad al-Baqir (as) narrates from his father who said, "O my son don't befriend five types of people:
1. Don't befriend a liar (Kadhib). For a liar is like a mirage. He shows the distant as near and the near as distant. He will always deceive you and trouble you.
2. Don't befriend a transgressor (Ghasib). For he will forsake you for a paltry sum and make your sins appear very alluring to you. He will make you a victim of Allah's chastisement through his petty sins and take you farther away from His obedience and satisfaction. He will make Allah's worship appear as His disobedience, and His disobedience as His worship. He will drag you along with himself in the fire of hell.
3. Never befriend a miser (Bakheel/Kanjus). For in your time of need and distress, he will withhold his wealth from you, while he is in a position to assist you. (He values his wealth more than anything else. And to that end he is prepared to forsake even his friends)
4. Do not befriend a fool (Ahmaq). For (in his foolishness) he will harm you while he intends to help you. (That is why it is said, 'A shrewd enemy is better than a foolish friend')
5. Don't befriend the one who breaks relations (with his relatives/Khata Rahmi). For, such a person has been cursed in the Noble Qur'an in three places. He is engrossed in his own affairs with scant regard for others. (Friendship with such a person will eventually lead the individual towards sins and disobedience of Allah)"
Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (as) said: "Do not befriend a sinner (Fasiq/Fajir) because he will sell you for a morsel."
Imam Sajjad (as) said: "Do not make anyone your enemy even though you consider him harmless and do not turn down a person's friendship even if you think he will not benefit you."
The Noble Qur'an says, "The hypocritical men and the hypocritical women are all alike; they enjoin evil and forbid good and withhold their hands; they have forsaken Allah, so He has forsaken them; surely the hypocrites are the transgressors." (Surah Al-Tawba, 9:67)
On the other hand, Noble Qur'an discusses the believers in the following manner, "And (as for) the believing men and the believing women, they are guardians of each other; they enjoin good and forbid evil and keep up prayer and pay the poor-rate, and obey Allah and His Messenger; (as for) these, Allah will show mercy to them; surely Allah is Mighty, Wise." (Surah Al-Tawba, 9:71)
The two Qur'anic verses mentioned above only go to show how critical a role friendship can play in our lives. A true friend then, is the one who takes us closer to Allah's (SWT) compassion and grace.
Having deliberated at length on who should not be befriended, we shall now see what kind of people should be befriended. Imam Jafar Sadiq (as) narrates, "Friendship entails certain trusts and duties. Then the one who observes these obligations is a true friend and the one who breaches this trust is unworthy of friendship. These obligations are as follows;
1. He should be the same outside as he is inside. In other words, he should not have a dual personality. (In this age however, we often come across people who are exceptionally humble and modest on the outside, with little, if any humility, on the inside)
2. He will consider your virtues as his virtues and your misdeeds as his misdeeds. (In other words your virtues will cheer him and your faults will grieve him. God forbid, he must not feel relieved after observing some vice in you, and take solace from the fact that he himself is above that vice.)
3. If he acquires a position of power and authority, it must not bring about a drastic change in his attitude. In other words, prosperity must not transform the individual adversely. (There are some people who make the best of friends in adversity. But a positive change in their financial condition reveals a dark, hitherto unknown side of their personality. On the other hand we see some people who make good friends in prosperity, but misfortune transforms them, disclosing their fickleness.)
4. He must give his friendship (with you) priority over all his worldly possessions. In other words in times of adversity, he must be willing to give his all to redeem you.
5. He must never leave you alone in times of misfortune and distress."

How should we choose our friends according to Islam?

We should choose the friend that believes in and abide by our religion (Islam) and gives great respect to what Allah (SWT) and Prophet Muhammad (saw) had ordered us. And we should stay away from the one who is not well mannered and gives no attention to what Islam is about or what pleases or displeases Allah (SWT), for he will surely affect us negatively. There is no good if the companion drowns us in sins and displeasing Allah (SWT). The bases for the actions of those who follow the evil ways are corrupt; their actions are built upon misguidance and deviation.
Good friends are those who share with their companions both happiness and sadness. If we share our feelings with the wrongdoers whose actions are worthless and based on corruption, then we are following the same ways and standards as they are doing, and we will end up being as corrupt as they are, and then we are in a big trouble, how can we face Allah's (SWT) dissatisfaction and displeasure? Instead of making friends with the misguided ones we should befriend the righteous, yet treat the rest in a gracious and just manner. Staying at sufficient distance is necessary; yet treating everybody in a noble and kind manner is required.
The danger of having corrupt friends isn't confined to the worldly life. Such friendships produce repentance on the Day of Resurrection, too!
Allah (SWT), the Exalted says in the Noble Qur'an: "And (remember) the day when the unjust one shall bite his hands saying: O! Would that I had taken a way with the Messenger! O woe is me! Would that I had not taken such a one for a friend! Certainly he led me astray from the reminder after it had come to me;" (Surah Al-Furqan, 25:27-29)
The two main regrets on the day of judgement are (1) Not following Prophet Muhammad (saw) on the path of guidance and (2) Befriending a person who diverted one from the truth.
Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (as) has said: "The felicity of this and the next world lie in two things: firstly, keeping secrets; and secondly, friendship with the good. And the miseries of this and the next world are summed up in two things: firstly, divulging secrets; and secondly, friendship with wicked persons."
So take heed before the inevitable day of judgement comes and we are reckoned for our acts.
Allah (SWT), the Exalted says in the Noble Qur'an: "Friends on that Day will be enemies one to another, except al-Muttaqun (i.e. those who have Taqwa/Piety)." (Surah Az-Zukhruf, 43:67)
It is wise to choose moderation in dealing with friends. Excessive love and confidence in friends are unacceptable since it happens that a friend may change into an enemy and use the secrets that he had shown as weapons.
Allah (SWT), the Exalted says in the Noble Qur'an: "And cooperate in righteousness and piety, but do not cooperate in sin and aggression." (Surah Al-Maeda, 5:2)
Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (as) said: "When you cherish someone you should cherish him moderately for he may be your enemy someday, and when you hate someone you should hate him moderately for he may be your friend someday." Also said: "If you intend to cut yourself off from a friend, leave some scope for him from your side by which he may resume friendship if it so occurs to him some day."
Imam Jafar Sadiq (as) said: "The secrets that you must show before your friends are only those through which your enemies cannot harm you, for a friend may change into an enemy."