On the night of February 13, 2026, I was travelling by bus from a subdivision of Supaul district to Patna. The bus departed at around 9:45 p.m. and reached Patna at 4:00 a.m. Along the way, it stopped for about half an hour near Darbhanga, where passengers refreshed themselves. After finishing food, tea, and other necessities, the journey resumed.
I was to get off at Gai Ghat, Patna. As soon as the staff called out, “Gai Ghat, Gai Ghat,” I quickly gathered my bag and began to disembark. Just then, a person from behind called out:
“Sir! It seems you’ve left your mobile phone behind.”
I immediately turned around and realised that my phone was indeed missing. He said:“It has fallen under the seat. Please wait, I’ll take it out.”
He promptly retrieved the phone and handed it to me. From the bottom of my heart, I said:“Thank you very much! You have saved me from great trouble.”
The man who called out to me was seated behind me. He was tall, had a pleasant face, appeared to be around 40 to 45 years old, and had a tilak mark on his forehead. I had never met him before; we had no acquaintance. He was neither of my faith, nor my neighbour, nor someone from my village. He was only my temporary and momentary Neighbour. Yet, he fulfilled the duty of an ideal Neighbour and saved me from countless worries. Had my mobile phone been left behind on the bus, I cannot imagine the mental distress it would have caused, nor who might have found it or how it might have been misused. In today’s world, mobile phone theft has become common, and cybercrimes associated with it have further increased the risk.
In any case, I sincerely thanked my temporary Neighbour and also expressed gratitude to the driver and staff for bringing us safely to our destination. Truly, a good and ideal Neighbour is one of the great blessings of Almighty God. Upon receiving this blessing, I thanked Allah – praise be to Him.
At that moment, I was reminded of the verse in Surah An-Nisa of the Holy Qur’an, which mentions different types of Neighbours: the near or related Neighbour, the stranger Neighbour, and the companion at one’s side. A person who temporarily accompanies you in a gathering, school, or journey is considered a companion at one’s side.
In today’s times, one traveller often appears wary of another, uncertain of what misconduct might occur along the way. Incidents such as theft and pickpocketing are often committed by such companions of proximity. However, this incident revived the realisation that the nationwide campaign launched last month by Jamaat-e-Islami Hind in search of an ideal Neighbour proved that such Neighbours are still alive; they still exist among us today.
May Almighty Allah grant us all the ability to become ideal Neighbours. Ameen.
[Maulana Rizwan Ahmed Islahi is State President of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind Bihar]