Relationship and Friendship
Primary 6 · Social and Religious Studies
Relationship and Friendship
Lesson 1 of 5
12 min
Let's begin
Draw yourself in the middle of a page. Around you, write the people in your life: your mother, your grandfather, your desk-mate, the neighbour who sells avocados, your football team, your teacher.
Each line from you to one of them is a relationship. Some of those people are also your friends. What is the difference?
A relationship is the connection between two or more people: how they are linked and how they treat each other. You have relationships with family members, classmates, neighbours, teachers and many others.
Friendship is a special relationship between people who like each other, trust each other, spend time together and help each other when life is hard. Friends usually share interests. A brother, sister or cousin can also be your friend.
| Type | Examples |
|---|---|
| Family | Parents, brothers and sisters, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins |
| School | Classmates, schoolmates, teachers, the school cook |
| Neighbourhood and community | Neighbours in your umudugudu, shopkeepers, community leaders |
| Faith | Members of your church or mosque, religious leaders |
| Teams and clubs | Your football team, choir or environment club |
| Online | People you chat with on a phone or computer. Take care: someone online may not be who they say they are. |
"A friend loves at all times; and a brother is born for adversity." (Proverbs 17:17)
"Adversity" means hard times. The Bible tells of the deep friendship between David and Jonathan: "the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul" (1 Samuel 18:1). Jonathan even gave David his own robe and his sword (1 Samuel 18:4).
"(Show) kindness unto parents, and unto near kindred, and orphans, and the needy, and unto the neighbour who is of kin (unto you) and the neighbour who is not of kin, and the fellow-traveller..." (Qur'an 4:36)
"Kindred" means relatives, and "of kin" means related to you. This verse names many of our relationships (parents, relatives, orphans, people in need, neighbours and companions) and asks for kindness in all of them. Muslims also remember the loyal friendship of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and his companion Abu Bakr, who stayed at his side on the dangerous journey from Makkah to Madinah, the Hijra.
Worked example
Mutesi buys milk every morning from a woman on her street. Is this a relationship, a friendship, or both?
Step 1 They are linked as customer and seller, and as neighbours, so it is a relationship.
Step 2 Do they share their lives, trust each other deeply and spend time together? Not yet.
Answer: it is a relationship. It could grow into a friendship over time.
Tip
Every friendship is a relationship, but not every relationship is a friendship
You have a relationship with the bus driver, but your best friend is the one who shares your secrets and your beans at lunch!
What is a relationship?
Answer: the connection between two or more people and how they treat each other.
What is friendship?
Answer: a special relationship between people who like, trust and help each other.
Name three types of relationships.
Answer: any three of family, school, neighbourhood, faith, team or club, online.
Which Bible verse says, "A friend loves at all times"?
Answer: Proverbs 17:17.
Which verse of the Qur'an asks for kindness to parents, relatives, neighbours and fellow-travellers?
Answer: Qur'an 4:36.
What you learned today
Sources and credits
The practice questions were written by Ganzaa.
This lesson adapts CC BY-SA material and is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Quick check
Gatete greets the shopkeeper in his umudugudu every day, but they do not share their lives or spend time together. What do they have?
