Ahmadiyyat or The True Islam — Page 218
218 The sixth means provided by Islam for the moral improvement of man is that it has devised ways for such thoughts to enter the mind of man as to incite and stimulate his natural instinct of virtue. Some of these ways, e. g. , prayer, worship, fasting, remembrance of God, etc. , have already been mentioned, and need not be repeated. I shall, however, describe three of those ways that have not yet been mentioned. (a) The first of these is mentioned in the following words of the Holy Quran, 'O, ye Muslims, keep company with the righteous. ' 124 It cannot be denied that man is influenced by his environment, and a man who keeps company with the righteous is bound to experience a rapid and wonderful change in himself which draws him towards virtue and helps him to get rid of vices and evil thoughts. Islam lays so much stress upon the influence of a man’s company upon his morals, that Muslims have al- ways been fond of resorting to the company of righteous men. They often undertake long and ardu- ous journeys for this purpose and bear separation from their homes and dear ones, and by the help of the magnetic influence of such men arrive at their goal within a wonderfully short period of time. (b) The second way for moral improvement is the observance of the laws relating to lawful and pro- hibited things. It is a matter of great surprise that mankind has not yet realized the truth that a man’s 124 Al-Taubah, 9:119.