That neighbours would be made inheritors of properties was the strong apprehension I had, said Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, in view of the great emphasis laid by Jibrael (Gabriel) on the rights of neighbours. Therefore, in Islamic tradition a neighbour finds place next in nearness to blood relationship. This tradition best explains the status of neighbours in a Muslim society. It is true that every religion admonishes its followers to be kind to and behave with neighbours. But the instructions of Islam on this issue is not only exhaustive but exclusive as well. Islam establishes rights of one person over the other on the basis of not only consanguinity or kinship but also on the basis of any sort of proximity. Among such rights, rights of neighbours are one of the important rights mentioned in the holy Qur’an and Sunnah i.e. traditions of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. In Islam, helping neighbours in need is not merely an act of a Good Samaritan but it is the bounden duty of a Muslim. Violating this duty is tantamount to punishable offence.
Rights of neighbours are quite elaborately mentioned in the Qur’an and Sunnah. The holy Qur’an in chapter 4 verse 36 has categorised neighbours into three as:
- Relative Neighbours: Such neighbours enjoy double relations i.e. as kinsmen having family relations and also as neighbours.
- Stranger Neighbours: Such neighbours are strangers i.e. not kinsmen or relatives but enjoy the rights by virtue of being neighbours living in proximity.
- Transient Neighbours: Such persons become neighbours for a short period for some reasons i.e. person in next berth/seat in train or bus or aircraft, person having next bed in a hospital, etc.
Persons in all the three categories of neighbours enjoy full rights of a neighbour irrespective of their caste, creed, colour, sex, race, faith, etc. As said above, the rights of neighbours are mentioned in the Qur’an and Sunnah in great details, some of which are spelled out here.
Honour Next Door
Neighbours deserve respect. In today’s topsy-turvy world where respect and dignity of close relatives and even parents have lost values to a greater extent, Islam emphasises dignity and respect of neighbours. The holy Qur’an says, “We have honoured the children of Adam (17:70)”. Prophet Muhammadﷺ said, “Those who believe in Allah and the Day of Judgement, must respect and honour their neighbours.” (Bukhari:6018) Islam, thus, commands its followers that irrespective of caste, creed, colour, sex, race, affluence or indigence a neighbour enjoys the right to be honoured and respected. Youngers must greet and respect the elderly neighbours and elderly must treat youngers with affection and kindness. The ladies of neighbours, in particular, must also be treated with great respect, honour and care at par with own mother and sister. Such gestures not only strengthen mutual bond of love and trust but also invigorate confidence and sense of security among neighbours.
Angels Next Door
It has been rightly said that neighbours are every day angels. Angels are silent guardians of peace. They deserve to live in peace and tranquillity. Any activity that troubles neighbours or disturb their peace is repugnant to harmonious relation. Said Prophet Muhammadﷺ, “I swear by Allah, that such person is not a Muslim whose neighbour is not safe from his nuisance.” (Bukhari-6016) The nuisance can be both intentional and unintentional. The intentional nuisance that causes annoyance and puts neighbours in trouble is wrong in the eyes of all but sometimes people unintentionally or unconsciously cause trouble and create problems for neighbours because they appear to have been insensitive to such activities. Some glaring examples of such activities are draining waste water of the house on road, parking vehicle at the gate of neighbours, throwing garbage in front of neighbour’s house, encroachment on roads, playing deck and music in full volume, noisy outcry on road particularly at late night, peeping into neighbour’s house, etc. Islam strictly prohibits all such irritants that causes problems to neighbours.
Shared Smiles, Silent Support
The bond between neighbours is forged in shared smile and silent support. A neighbour deserves care and protection of neighbours. It is the incumbent duty of a Muslim to keep himself abreast of the well-being of neighbours. As a neighbour, one must know whether his neighbours are confronting any problem, afflicted with any disease, whether he/she or their children are having staple diet in time, etc. Prophet Muhammadﷺ emphatically said, “Such person is not a Muslim who enjoys full meal both the times and his neighbours face starvation.” (Al-Silsila Al-Sahiha-387) But today’s scenario is quite different. The madding and maddening materialistic race has hardly left for us any time to even have introduction of neighbours not to speak of inquiry about their well-being. It is our bounden duty to do our best to solve the problems of neighbours, treating it as our own. A good neighbour knows neighbours’ names and boundaries.
Good Fences, Great Friendship
Respecting privacy of neighbours is of paramount importance. A good neighbour, says Arthur Baer, a renowned American journalist and humourist, is a fellow who smiles at you over the back fence but does not climb over it. This is exactly the essence of respecting the privacy of a neighbour. This is one of the most important rights of a neighbour. Since neighbours live closest to one another, they have fair chance to know the private issues of neighbours which one would not like to be known to others. If one has come to know any such personal matter about one’s neighbour, one should keep it as secret as one’s own. Islam strictly prohibits to peep into the house of neighbours through windows, rooftops, balconies, etc. or try to surreptitiously gather information about the private matters of neighbours through espionage, cyberespionage, eavesdropping, bugging, wiretapping or by whatsoever means.
As per Islamic instructions, seeking proper permission before entering neighbour’s house or any other’s is a must. The holy Qur’an says, “Believers, do not enter other’s house until you have acquired owner’s permission and greeted them.” (24:27) Prophet Muhammadﷺprovided safeguard to the privacy of an individual through an example saying that, “If someone peeps into your house without your permission and you in turn throw stone at him that injures his eyes, you shall not be at fault.” (Bukhari-6902) Hence, respecting neighbour’s privacy is the cornerstone of good neighbourliness. Someone has rightly said: Love your neighbours but do not forget to close your blinds.
Apart from this, Prophet Muhammadﷺhas also advised to present gift to neighbours no matter how small it is or send a bowl of special food prepared in your house, etc. Such small gestures cement the bond of love between neighbours. (Bukhari-6017, Tirmidhi-1833). The sole purpose of strong emphasis on the rights of neighbours is to establish peace, tranquillity and sense of togetherness in a society by fostering love, kindness, trust and sense of security among neighbours of different, caste, class, creed, race, and colour. Better neighbours, brighter days.