The Muslim who is truly aware of the teachings of his religion is the best of people in his dealings with his neighbors, and the most respectful, kind and considerate towards them.
He is aware of the many Islamic teachings concerning neighbors, and the high status given to them in the scale of human relationships, such as has never been equaled in any other religion or system before or since.
Allah (S.W.T.) has commanded the good treatment of neighbors in the Qur’an:
“Worship Allah, and join not any partners with Him; and do good to parents, kinsfolk, orphans, those in need, neighbors who are near, neighbors who are strangers, the Companion by your side, the wayfarer (you meet), and what your right hands possess…” (Qur’an 4:36)
The “neighbor who is near” is one with whom one shares ties of kinship or religion; the “neighbor who is a stranger” is one with whom one shares no such ties; and the “companion by your side” is a friend, colleague or traveling-companion.
Everyone whose home neighbors yours has the rights of a neighbor over you, even if you are not connected by kinship or religion. This honoring of the neighbor is an example of the tolerance promoted by Islam.
There are many Ahadith of the Prophet (s.a.w.s.) which enjoin good treatment of neighbors in general, regardless of kinship or religious factors, and confirm the importance of the neighborly relationship in Islam. For example:
“Jibril kept on enjoining the good treatment of neighbors to the extent that I thought he would include neighbors as heirs.” (Bukhari and Muslim)
Islam gives such a high status to neighbors that when Jibril (A.S) reiterated the importance of treating them well, the Prophet (s.a.w.s.) thought that he would raise neighbors to the level of kinship and give them similar rights of inheritance.
The Prophet (s.a.w.s.) followed Jibril’s urging, and encouraged Muslims to honor neighbors and treat them well. In his historical khutbah during the Farewell Pilgrimage, in which he summarized the most important points of his teachings, he did not omit to mention neighbors and emphasized their rights to such an extent that the eminent Sahabi Abu Umamah also thought that the Prophet (s.a.w.s.) would make neighbors heirs:
“I heard the Prophet (s.a.w.s.), when he was seated on his she-camel during the Farewell Pilgrimage, saying, ‘I enjoin you to treat your neighbors well,’ and urging their good treatment so much that I thought, he is going to give them the rights of inheritance.” [1]
The good treatment of neighbors and avoiding harming or annoying them is so important that the Prophet (s.a.w.s.) described it as one of the signs of true faith in Allah (S.W.T.) and the Last Day:
“Whoever believes in Allah (S.W.T.) and the Last Day, let him treat his neighbor well; whoever believes in Allah (S.W.T.) and the Last Day, let him honor his guest; whoever believes in Allah (S.W.T.) and the Last Day, let him speak good or else remain silent.” (Bukhari and Muslim) According to a report given by Bukhari, he (s.a.w.s.) said: “Whoever believes in Allah (S.W.T.) and the Last Day, let him not harm or annoy his neighbor...”
It comes as no surprise, then, that the Muslim who is truly guided by his faith is tolerant towards his neighbor, and is humble, easy-going and kind in his dealings with him. He does not stop him from using and enjoying his home, as the Prophet (s.a.w.s.) said:
“No-one should prevent his neighbor from fastening a piece of wood to his wall.” (Bukhari and Muslim)
The Muslim who is truly guided by his religion is soft-hearted and alert, and knows how to communicate well. He is sensitive towards his neighbor, sharing his joy and commiserating him in his sorrow. He likes for him what he likes for himself, following the teaching of the Prophet (s.a.w.s.): “None of you truly believes until he likes for his brother what he likes for himself.” (Bukhari and Muslim)
In a report given by Muslim from Anas (r.a.), the Prophet (s.a.w.s.) said: “By the One in Whose hand is my soul, no servant truly believes until he likes for his neighbor (or he said: his brother) what he likes for himself.”
The true Muslim does not forget to take care of his neighbors who may be affected by the smell of cooking or barbecues coming from his house, which may provoke feelings of hunger, especially if they are poor and cannot afford much food. There may be small children, orphans, widows or elderly among them. The true Muslim is always alert to the spirit of social responsibility which the Prophet (s.a.w.s.) instilled in the Muslims in the words he spoke to Abu Dharr (r.a.):
“O Abu Dharr (r.a.), if you cook some broth, add extra water to it, and take care of your neighbor.” (Muslim) According to another report he said, “If you cook some broth, add extra water to it, then think of the families in your neighborhood and send some of it to them.” (Muslim)
The Muslim’s conscience will not let him ignore his neighbor’s poverty and difficulty while he is living a life of ease and plenty. How can he bear to see the difference between himself and his neighbor, when the words of the Prophet (s.a.w.s.) are ringing in his ears?
“He does not believe in me, who eats his fill while his neighbor beside him is hungry, and he knows about it.” [2]
Hence we realize that the misery that has befallen humanity throughout the world has occurred because of the lack of true Muslims in positions of influence and authority, and because of the swamping of true Islamic principles by backward, manmade systems, which have brought nothing but misery, poverty, exploitation, hunger and nakedness to so many, at the same time when mankind has conquered space, launched rockets and satellites, and put men on the moon. The international food and agriculture organization attached to the United Nations announced in 1975[4] that between 20-100 million people in Africa and Asia faced the possibility of death from starvation in the next few years, and that if the situation were allowed to continued, 3 million would be likely to die every week, while between 460-1,000 million people were suffering from malnutrition.
In the same year, news agencies reported the story of a young European woman who had volunteered to work as a nurse in some region of Africa where the people were suffering from chronic malnutrition. She had a severe mental breakdown that verged on insanity, after witnessing a bloody fight between some African children whose hunger drove them to compete savagely for a piece of mango. The fight did not stop until one child had plucked out the eye of another. None of the children concerned was any older than 8 years. This hunger has also caused many cases of total blindness, because of the constant lack of vitamins; children are so severely underweight that they look like skeletons. They have little or no resistance to illness, and are truly between the jaws of death.
At a time when hunger is stalking Africa and Asia, we see the West, the rich nations who constitute only 20 % of the world’s population but own 80 % of the world’s wealth, going to insane lengths to hold on to this wealth. In 1975 Brazil burnt thousands of tons of coffee; the EEC (now known as the EU) spent $50 million to destroy surplus food and agricultural produce; and America pays its farmers $3,000 million annually for not growing anything - all to keep prices in the world’s markets high! American farmers killed tens of thousands of calves, and buried them, to keep the price of meat high, when in the same year tens of thousands of people died of starvation in Africa, Asia and Latin America!
How great a difference there is between the humane culture of Islam, which does not let a poor man suffer because of the scent of cooking from a rich neighbor’s house which may aggravate his hunger, and the materialistic culture of the West which is threatening millions of people with death from starvation. How miserable are those who are striving to adopt materialistic systems, whether Western or Eastern, stumbling blindly in the black night of jahiliyyah. How great is the responsibility of the Muslims to be the bearers of the torch lit from a blessed tree, neither of the East nor of the West, which alone can dispel the darkness of jahiliyyah, illuminate hearts and minds, and restore mankind to guidance, security and prosperity.
The Muslim who understands the teachings of his religion hastens to treat his neighbor in the best way he can. Nothing is too insignificant when it comes to respecting his neighbor, as some ignorant people think they may think something is too small to be worth giving as a gift to a neighbor, so they refrain from giving it, thus depriving themselves and their neighbors of much goodness. This is something the Prophet (s.a.w.s.) pointed out to women in particular, as many of them may feel too shy to offer a small gift to a neighbor:
“O Muslim women, do not think that any gift is too insignificant to give to a neighbor, even if it is only a sheep’s foot.” (Bukhari and Muslim)
A sheep’s foot is a thing of little value, but it is better than nothing, and no woman should feel that any gift is not worth giving to a neighbor. Allah (S.W.T.) says:
“Then shall anyone who has done an atom’s weight of good, see it! “ (Qur’an 99:7)
And the Prophet (s.a.w.s.) said: “Save yourself from the Fire even by giving half a date in charity.” (Bukhari)
But this hadith, which is general in application, may also be taken to mean that the recipient should not look down on the gift. The meaning then is: No (female) neighbor should scorn the gift given to her by another (female) neighbor, even if it is it is just a sheep’s foot. Rather, she should thank her for it, because gratitude engenders friendship among neighbors and encourages mutual support and help. This is in addition to the fact that thanking people for favors is a basic Islamic trait which the Prophet (s.a.w.s.) strongly encouraged:
“The one who does not give thanks to people does not give thanks to Allah (S.W.T.).” [5]
The true Muslim does not restrict his good treatment only to neighbors who are related to him or who are Muslims, but he extends it to non-Muslim neighbors too, so that the tolerance of Islam may spread to all people, regardless of their race or religion. The eminent Sahabi ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr had a sheep slaughtered and asked his slave, “Did you give some meat to our Jewish neighbor? For I heard the Prophet (s.a.w.s.) say, ‘Jibril kept on enjoining the good treatment of neighbors to the extent that I thought he would include neighbors as heirs.’” (Bukhari and Muslim)
The People of the Book have lived among Muslims for centuries, knowing that they, their honor, their wealth and their beliefs are secure, and enjoying good neighborly relations, good treatment and freedom of worship. Evidence of this is seen in the continued existence of their ancient churches, clinging to mountaintops, surrounded by thousands of Muslims who uphold the well-being of their Jewish and Christian neighbors in accordance with Qur’anic teachings:
“Allah forbids you not, with regard to those who fight you not for “your” Faith nor drive you out of your homes, from dealing kindly and justly with them: for Allah loves those who are just.” (Qur’an 60:8)
The true Muslim does not forget the precise system that Islam set out when it enjoined the good treatment of neighbors. Islam has told him to give priority to the one whose house is closest, then the one who is next closest, and so on. This takes into account the closeness of the neighbors whose homes are beside one another, the issues which may frequently arise between them and the importance of maintaining friendship and harmony.
‘A’ishah said: “O Messenger of Allah, I have two neighbors, so to which one should I send a gift?” He said, “To the one whose door is closer to yours.” (Bukhari)
The Sahabah were well-aware of this Islamic teaching regarding the treatment of one’s neighbors, so they would not attend to the good treatment of neighbors whose home was further away until they had taken care of the one whose home was nearer. Concerning this, Abu Hurayrah (r.a.) said: “He does not start with the neighbor whose home is further away before he takes care of the one whose home is nearer. He pays attention to the one whose home is nearer before he turns his attention to the one whose home is further away.”[6]
This system of priority in the good treatment of neighbors does not mean that a Muslim should ignore the neighbors who are further away from his home. Everyone around his home is considered to be a neighbor and thus enjoys the rights of a neighbor. This system is merely a matter of organization, by means of which the Prophet (s.a.w.s.) encouraged taking care of the closest neighbor because he is the one with whom there is usually ongoing contact and interaction.
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