KINDNESS TO NEIGHOUR 1

The Virtue of Being Kind to one’s Neighbour In Islam

Islam considers the right of the neighbor to be extremely important. Jibreel continue to urge the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him),to treat neighbours with kindness until he thought that the Sharee’ah will assign him a share of his neighbour’s inheritance. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Jibreel kept on reminding me to treat neighbours kindly and politely so much that I thought that Allah that would order (me) to make them( my) heirs.” (Bukhari). The Qur’an recommend treating neighbours kindly. Allah the Almighty says:

 “worship Allah and associate nothing with Him, and to parents do good, and to relatives, orphans, needy, the near neighbor, the neighbor farther away, the companion at your side…” (Q4: 36)

Look how the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) exhorted Muslims to be good to their neighbours and to honour them when he said: “…and whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day, should server his neighbor generously.” (Bukhari). The narration of Muslim (may Allah have mercy upon him) states: “Should be good to his neighbor.”

The matter reached the degree that loving goodness for one’s neighbor is considered a part of faith under the Sharee’ah. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “By the One in whose Hand my soul is,no slave of Allah has true faith unless he likes for his neighbour what he likes for himself.”  (Bukhari). A person who is good to his neighbor is the best of people in the sight of Allah the Almighty. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “The bet companion in the sight of Allah is the one who is best to his companion, and the best neighbor in the sight of Allah is the one who is the best to his neighbor.”

Who is the Neigbour?

The neighbor is the person who lives near one, regardless of whether he is a Muslim or non- Muslim. Scholars have different opinions regarding the boundaries to which one is considered being a neighbor. The closest opinion to the truth is that they are determined according to what people are accustomed to regarding such a limit, and Allah Knows best. The degrees of neighbors vary: there is the Muslim neighbor who is a relative, the Muslim neighbor who is not, the disbeliever who is a relative and a disbelieving neighbor who is not.

All these types of neighbors share many rights while some of them are distinguished with additional rights according to their state and degree. Allaah says:  

“Worship Allah and join none with Him in worship, and do good to parents, kinsfolk, orphans, Al-Masakin (the poor), the neighbor who is near of kin, the neighbor who is a stranger, the companion by your side, the wayfarer (you meet), and those (slaves) whom your right hand possess. Verily, Allaah does not like such as are proud and boastful.” (Q4: 36).

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Some Form of Neighbourliness

Some people think that the neighbor is only the ones who lives near your residence. Undoubtedly, this is one of the commonest forms; however, there are other forms that are included in the concept of neighbourliness. There is the neighbor at work, , in the market, on the farm, in the classroom, and many others.

                                                                            in shaa Allah, to be continued in our next episode......