Allah Almighty says: {Worship Allah and do not associate any partners with Him. Be kind to parents, relatives, orphans, the needy, near and distant neighbors, close friends, wayfarers, and slaves whom you own} [Surat an-Nisā’: 36]
1) Fulfilling the rights of the neighbor is Allah’s commandment to His slaves. Allah Almighty joined between establishing worship of Him and enjoining good treatment to neighbors.
2) Guarding the neighbor’s right is achieved by being kind to him in terms of words and actions and refraining from harming him.
303/1- Ibn ‘Umar and ‘Āishah (may Allah be pleased with them) reported that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Jibrīl (Gabriel) kept enjoining the good treatment of the neighbor to the extent that I thought he would include the neighbor as an heir.” [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri and Muslim]
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1) A neighbor enjoys a great right in Islam. Thus, he should be honored by offering him kind treatment and warding harm away from him.
2) It is permissible to verbalize the good thoughts that one harbors within himself.
304/2- Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “O Abu Dharr, when you prepare broth, add more water to it and give some of it to your neighbors.” [Narrated by Muslim]
According to another narration by Muslim on the authority of Abu Dharr: “My intimate friend (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) advised me: ‘When you cook broth, add much water to it, then give a reasonable amount of it to a household of your neighbors.’”
1) Exchanging gifts between neighbors is recommended because it fosters love and increases affection.
2) One should not belittle anything of the acts of goodness no matter how simple it is, since all of them are good.
3) The guidance of the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) is perfect, as he urged all that which reinforces bonds between the believers.
305/3- Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “By Allah, he is not a believer! By Allah, he is not a believer! By Allah, he is not a believer. He was asked: ‘Who is that, O Messenger of Allah?’ He said: ‘The one whose neighbor does not feel safe from his harm.’” [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri and Muslim]
According to a narration of Muslim: “He will not enter Paradise whose neighbor is not secure from his evildoing.”
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‘He is not a believer’ is a statement that denotes that such a person’s faith is imperfect.
1) It is prohibited to transgress against a neighbor, neither by words like letting him hear what annoys or upsets him, nor by actions like throwing harmful stuff near his house and the like.
2) Refraining from causing harm to neighbors and transgressing against them is a sign of perfect faith. A guided person is the one who endeavors to perfect his faith.
306/4- He also reported that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “O Muslim women, none of you should consider insignificant (a gift) to give to her neighbor, even if it is the trotter of a sheep.” [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri and Muslim]
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1) A good deed, no matter how insignificant it may seem, is great in the sight of Allah Almighty and is a sign of the validity of faith.
2) Giving admonition to women and encouraging them to do acts of kindness is urged in Islam.
307/5- He also reported that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “No one should prevent his neighbor from fixing a peg into his wall.” Abu Hurayrah then added: “Why do I see you turning away from this (Sunnah)! By Allah, I shall go on proclaiming it among you.” [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri and Muslim]
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1) It is unlawful for someone to prevent his neighbor from repairing or improving his house if this would not incur upon him harmful consequences.
2) Cooperation and tolerance are from the neighbor’s rights.
3) One should express his disapproval of neglecting a Shariah command in a manner that suits the situation. Actually, teaching people and calling them to what is good is one of the best deeds.
308/6- He also reported that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day should not harm his neighbor; whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day should honor his guest; and whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day should speak good or keep silent.” [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri and Muslim]
309/7- Abu Shurayh al-Khuzā‘i (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day, let him be kind to his neighbor. Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day, let him honor his guest. Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day, let him speak good or remain silent.” [Narrated by Muslim with this wording; partially narrated by Al-Bukhāri]
1) Causing harm to neighbors by words or actions is inconsistent with having perfect faith, and is inconsistent with the traits of the believers.
2) Fulfilling the right of the guest is one of the characteristics of the believers.
3) One should watch his tongue and speak good words so that he would be a winner or remain silent so that he would be safe. All good lies in restraining the tongue from engaging in idle talk. There is a word of wisdom that states: “Affliction is the result of spoken words.”
310/8- ‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) reported: “I said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, I have two neighbors, so which one of them should I give a gift to?’ He said: ‘The one whose door is the nearest to you.’” [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri]
1) The Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) advised Muslims to be considerate of the nearest neighbors.
2) The nearer a neighbor is, the greater his right over his neighbor is. Nearness referred to here is the nearness of the house doors to each other.
3) The Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) were keen on learning knowledge before doing the deeds. This is the state of the guided slaves: they learn, then they act upon what they have learned.
311/9- ‘Abdullāh ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) reported that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “The best of companions in the sight of Allah is the best of them to his companion, and the best of neighbors in the sight of Allah is the best of them to his neighbor.” [Narrated by Al-Tirmidhi; he classified it as Hasan (sound)]
1) Muslims are urged to venerate companionship that is based on faith, for the best of companions is the one who is of most benefit to his companion.
2) The best neighbor in the sight of Allah Almighty is the one who guards the right of his neighbor and treats him kindly.
3) All good, love, and affinity between the believers are found in following the guidance of the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him). Allah Almighty says: {If you obey him, you will be guided}