The Rules Of Conduct With Strangers

(Excerpted from Futuwat namah by Khwaja Husayn Wa’iz Kashifi Sabzawari An Naqshbandi Translated by M. Nur Abdussalam)

If asked: How many are the rules of conduct with strangers? Say: Six:

1.      Do not look upon anyone with contempt, for it is possible that he is beloved by God.

Look not upon everyone with the eye of contempt;
There may be friends of God among rascals.

2.      Do not interrupt their discourse.
3.      Ignore their improper words.
4.      Counsel them for inappropriate action.
5.      Do not withhold mercy from them.
6.   So long as you deem a person unsuitable, do not permit intimacy.