Who is your neighbor?
Ulama Institute #1
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- The Arabic word for neighbor is al-jaar.
- The word al-jaar includes:
– Muslims and non-Muslims,
-The religious and the non-religious,
– Friends and enemies,
– Foreigners and the people of your country,
– Those who treat you well and those who do not,
– Relatives and strangers.
Allah ﷻ says in the Qur’aan ,
“Worship Allah and associate nothing with Him, and to parents do good and to relatives, orphans, the needy, the near neighbor, the neighbor farther away, the companion at your side, the traveller, and those whom your right hands possess. Indeed, Allah does not like those who are self-deluding and boastful.” (Soorah an-Nisaa’: 36)
- Allah ﷻ tells Muslims in His book and through His Prophet ﷺ to protect neighbors. Muslims have to respect their neighbors’ rights and care about them. (Al-Qurtubi)
- Neighbors are those people who live close to a person’s home.
The Rights of Neighbors in Islam
There are different kinds of neighbors and they all have rights.
- A man said to Prophet Muhammad ﷺ “How will I know if I am doing right or wrong?
“Muhammad ﷺ said, “If you hear your neighbors saying that you have done good, then you have done good, and if you hear them saying that you have done wrong, then you have done bad.” (Ahmad) - Neighbors have rights over one another. The best of people are those who are good to their neighbors.
- Muslims should:
- Help their neighbors if they have difficulties and problems.
- Greet their neighbors.
- Visit sick neighbors.
- Be generous to neighbors.
- Try their best to teach and encourage neighbors to be good by following what Allah and the Prophet ﷺ said.
- Treat neighbors in a respectful way, even those who are troublesome, rude, or noisy.
- Muslims treat non-Muslim neighbors well and visit them when they are ill. They try to teach them about Islam.
Ulama Institute #1
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