When Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (JIH) launched its Rights of Neighbours Campaign, the intention was not merely to remind people of an Islamic teaching. Jamaat wanted to translate a moral principle into lived social practice. Rather than organising public events, the campaign tried to make small and meaningful interactions. Through a few of these activities from the JIH Maharashtra report, we explore how the campaign tried to create a useful impact on the way people perceive their relations with their neighbours and how they can be improved.
Preparing the Self Before Engaging the Neighbour
One of the most distinctive features of the campaign was the correction of the self. They say: Charity begins at home. Hence, across Maharashtra, JIH local units asked their members to first repair their own relationships with neighbours. They were told to do so especially where tensions, distance, or neglect had crept in over time. Members were encouraged to visit neighbours without an agenda: to enquire about health, family concerns, or simply daily life.
This preparatory phase proved crucial. In several localities, neighbours openly referred to past misunderstandings over petty issues such as parking disputes, noise complaints, or lack of communication. Addressing these beforehand meant following the Qur’anic injunction (61:2-3): “O believers! Why do you say what you do not do? How despicable it is in the sight of Allah that you say what you do not do!”
Recognising the ‘Invisible Neighbour’ at Workplaces
A notable feature of the Maharashtra campaign was its attention to professional colleagues in office or the workplace. They were categorised as “invisible neighbours”, a category often ignored in social campaigns. In offices, shops, hospitals, schools, factories, and farms, Jamaat members identified colleagues and co-workers as neighbours with rights. Simple but meaningful actions followed: respectful conversations, cooperative problem-solving, shared meals during breaks, and conscious avoidance of workplace prejudice.
In one industrial area, Muslim employees collectively decided to improve cooperation with non-Muslim co-workers by assisting during peak workloads rather than restricting themselves to assigned tasks.
In another instance, Jamaat-associated teachers took the initiative to engage parents and staff beyond formal school roles. These actions helped humanise daily professional interactions. This new way of interaction showed that neighbourhood is not merely spatial. There is a human aspect to it which is often ignored.
Door-to-Door Gatherings
Instead of inviting neighbours to public programmes arranged in large halls, JIH Maharashtra organised door-to-door and mohalla-level gatherings around its offices and institutions such as schools, madrasas, hospitals, and community centres. These were intentionally modest affairs. Tea, informal seating, and open conversation replaced formal speeches. Neighbours were encouraged to speak freely about local issues: sanitation, parking, safety, or community tensions.
In several locations, neighbours admitted that this was the first time an Islamic organisation had invited them simply to listen. The absence of religious symbolism or political messaging created trust and broke stereotypes. This approach reflected a subtle but powerful shift. In an era of heightened Islamophobia and deep mistrust around Muslim religious institutions and places of worship, the “neighbour to neighbour” interaction reduced the suspicion around “Muslim spaces” and lent a big boost to communal harmony.
Personal Accountability through Self-Assessment
Perhaps the most quietly radical aspect of the campaign was its conclusion. On the final day, every participant received a personal self-accountability form, asking them to reflect on what they had actually done during the campaign: Which neighbours were approached? Which relationships improved? Where did they fall short? This insistence on “muhasibah” (accountability) shifted the campaign from performance to introspection. Members were reminded that moral work is not complete without self-evaluation. Importantly, this was linked to a one-year follow-up plan, ensuring that neighbourly relationships built during the campaign would not fade once the campaign period came to an end.
A Campaign Without Spectacle
Another striking choice was the campaign’s effort to avoid photographing collective activities. In an age where visibility often overshadows sincerity, this restraint reinforced the Islamic principle that intention matters more than recognition. By prioritising real relationships over social media representation, the campaign preserved dignity both of the Jamaat member and the neighbour.
The Rights of Neighbours Campaign in Maharashtra shows that social transformation does not always require mass mobilisation. Sometimes it requires consistency, local sensitivity, and patience. Through self-reform, neighbourhood dialogue, and long-term accountability, JIH Maharashtra demonstrated how a deeply Islamic value can be translated into inclusive civic practice without slogans, without noise, and without exclusion. In a time when communities are often divided by suspicion, reclaiming the ethics of neighbourliness may be one of the most powerful acts of faith and universal brotherhood.