Article 2 : Rights of neighbours

A need need not come ringing your door bell. A difficulty or trouble arrives uninvited. You need help and
your relatives and friends are not within easy reach. At that time, it is your neighbour who helps you
readily.
How one has to treat his neighbour and what are the divine commands regarding maintaining good
relations with a neighbour is narrated in this article.

There are many traditions commanding us to have good relations with the neighbours. Allah's Messenger
(Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Sallam) says that there are three types of neighbours. The first has one right (Haq)
over you. The second has two rights over you and the third type has three rights over you. The one who
has three rights over you is that neighbour who is your relative. He has right on you as a neighbour, as a
Muslim and as a relative. The one who has two rights is that neighbour, who is a Muslim. He has a right
as a Muslim and as a neighbour. And even your non-Muslim neighbour has a right on you. That is one
right as a neighbour. Islam grants a right even to your non-Muslim neighbour.
Allah's Messenger (Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Sallam) says, "Behave nicely with your neighbour, then only will
you be a Muslim." He says that angel Jibreel (Alaihissalam) used to advise him regarding neighbours to
such an extent that he felt that in near future one might have to give them a share from the inheritance.
Allah’s Messenger (Sallallahu Alaihi Wassallam) says that the one who has faith on Allah the Almighty
and the Day of Ressurection, should respect his neighbour. He says that, that person will not be a
muslim, as long as his neighbour is not safe from his troubles.
A man came to the Companion Hazrat Ibn Mas’ood(Radiyallahu Anhu) and said, “One of my neighbours
is troubling me, he abuses me and creates problems for me.” The companion replied, “He is disobeying
Allah the Almighty by misbehaving with you .You obey Allah the Almighty and behave nicely with him.”
Somebody came and told Allah’s Messenger(Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Sallam) that a woman is fasting in the
day and does worship in the night but is troubling her neighbours. Allah’s Messenger(Sallallahu Alaihi Wa
Sallam) said. “ She will go in hell.”
A man complained about his neighbour to Allah’s Messenger(Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Sallam). Allah’s
Messenger (Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Sallam) instructed him to be patient. He came and complained again
and was given the same advice. When he repeated his complaint a third or fourth time, Allah’s
Messenger (Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Sallam) asked him to throw his own household items on the road. The
narrator says that when people saw his household things on the road, they asked him, “What is wrong?
Why are your household things lying on the road?” He said, “My neighbour is troubling me.” People were
passing from there and enquiring from him and saying, “May Allah’s curse be on that neighbour.” When
the man’s neighbour learned about it he came to the man and said, “ Please put your household things
back in your house. I swear by Allah! I will never trouble you again.”
A man came and complained about his neighbour to Allah’s Messenger (Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Sallam). He
asked the man to make an announcement at the masjid door that forty houses are considered as
neighbours. It was enquired that forty from which side. Allah’s Messenger (Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Sallam)
replied that forty from each direction, east, west, north, south.
It is recorded in the tradition that the blessing and misfortune is in the woman, house and horse.Less
dower (Mehr), easy nikah and good behaviour are the blessing of a woman. Her misfortune is heavy
dower (Mehr), difficult nikah and misbehaviour. The blessing of the house is that it should be spacious
and the neighbours should be good and the misfortune of the house is that it may be short of space and
the neighbour being bad. The blessing of the horse is that it should be obedient and must have good
habits and it misfortune is having bad habits and it does not allow to be ridden on it.
The rights of the neighbours are not only that you only keep trouble away from him but you should keep
away things which may cause trouble to the neighbour.Apart from that you should behave nicely and do
good to him. On the day of Resurrection, a poor person will catch hold of his rich neighbour and will
complain to Allah the Almighty. ‘O My Lord! Ask him why he did not give from his wealth and why did he
close his door on me?”
Someone came to a saint and said, “ Your neighbour is selling his house because he is in debt.” That
saint, who used to sit in the shadow of the neighbour’s house, said, “If he is selling his house because of
poverty, then it would mean that I have not respected the shadow of his wall.” The saint sent the money
to his neighbour and asked him not to sell his house.
A man told his friend,”I have lots of rats in my house.” His friend said, “I am afraid that the cat’s voice
would make rats run into my neighbour’s house. And I will be like a person who does not like troubles for
others.”
It is also in the rights of a neighbour, that if you see him, then greet him, do not converse with him for a
long time, do not ask him for much, if he is sick do pay a visit to him. If he is in trouble console him,on
happy occasions congratulate him, excuse him for his mistakes, do not throw dirt in front of his house,
should not make his walking path narrow, if the neighbour is taking something to his house do not look at
it, try to cover his faults, if the neighbour is in trouble help him out of it, take care of his house in his
absence. Talking gently with neighbour’s children is also included in neighbour’s rights. If the neighbour is
unaware of any religious or worldly matter then you should guide him. This is the right in general for all
Muslims. Allah’s Messenger (Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Sallam) said,”Do you know what is the right of a
neighbour? If he asks you for help then help him, and if you see that he needs your help then help him. If
he wants to borrow from you, do give him, if he turns poor then fulfill his needs, if he is sick visit him, if he
dies join his funeral, if he gets happy news, do congratulate him, if he faces trouble, make him patient. Do
not construct your house higher than his so that the air gets blocked, but if he permits then there is no
harm in it, do not trouble the neighbour, if you buy dry fruits then either offer it as a gift to him or take it
secretly in your house and do not send your children out of your house with those dry fruits, if the children
of neighbour will see them then they will be unhappy. Do not injure your neighbour with flavour of food (
being cooked in your house) but add some water and send it to him. Then Allah’s Messenger (Sallallahu
Alaihi Wa Sallam) added, “ Do you know that this is neighbour’s right? By Allah! No one can fulfill the
rights of the neighbour, but the one who has Allah’s Mercy on him.”
This is also narrated by Hazrat Amr Bin Shooaib (Rahmatullahi Alaih) who had heard from his father and
grandfather and his grandfather had heard it from Allah’s Messenger (Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Sallam).
Hazrat Mujaheed (Radiyallahu Anhu) said, “I was sitting with Hazrat Abdullah Ibn Umar (Radiyallahu
Anhuma) and his slave was removing the skin of a goat. He instructed his slave, that as soon as the skin
is removed, first of all give the meat to his (Hazrat Abdullah’s) neighbours who were jews, He repeated
his instruction many times. The slave said, “ I have understood what you are commanding, then why are
you repeating it ?” Hazrat Abdullah Ibn Umar (Radiyallahu Anhuma) said,”Allah’s Messenger (Sallallahu
Alaihi Wa Sallam) has instructed us so much about neighbours that we felt that the neighbours may
become a party of inheritance,”
Hazrat Abu Darr (Radiyallahu Anhu) says, “I was instructed by Allah’s Messenger (Sallallahu Alaihi Wa
Sallam) , that when you cook food, put more water in the meat (so there is more gravy) then see your
neighbours and send them the gravy.”