Islam promotes maintaining a good relationship with neighbors, extending kindness to them, and refraining from causing them any physical or psychological harm. The basic message of Islam is a confirmation of pure monotheism, the belief in the Oneness of God, and that one could only serve and worship Him, without any intermediaries or associates. In addition, Islam makes it imperative upon Muslims to do their best to fulfill their social responsibilities according to the Qur’an and the practice of the Prophet Muhammad. These responsibilities include the given rights of neighbors.
The Qur’an lists the neighbors, family or not, amongst those who should be treated well:
Worship God and join none with Him [in worship]; and do good to parents, kinsfolk, orphans, the poor, the neighbor who is near of kin, the neighbor who is a stranger . . . (Qur’an 4:36).
To stress the Oneness of God and performing good deeds in one verse is typical in the Qur’an, because belief goes hand-in-hand with practice. Practically, this verse enjoins virtuous behavior toward those in one’s circle of relatives and acquaintances. The Prophet often stressed a believer’s moral obligation toward his neighbors, whatever their faith. This inclusive ethos is reflected in the life of the Prophet himself, who visited a Jewish neighbor (Sahih Al-Bukhari # 1268). It should be noted that there were no Christian tribes in Medina, but when the delegation of the Christians of Najran visited Medina, the Prophet hosted them at the mosque for several days (Ibn Hisham, Al-Sirah Al-Nabawiyyah, vol. II, p.148).
The medieval exegete Ibn Kathir (d. 774) quoted the report of Ibn Jarir and Ibn Abi Hatem that Nawf Al-Bakkali interpreted “the neighbor who is a stranger” in verse (4:36), as the Jew and the Christian (Tafsir Al-Qur’an Al-’Azim, vol. I, 468). This view corroborates the Islamic worldview that advocates convivencia and cooperation amongst members of the human family.
Prophet Muhammad stressed the importance of kind relations between neighbors in different realms and connected love of neighbor with a proper state of belief, as he states, “He whose neighbor is not safe from his injurious conduct does not enter paradise” (Sahih Muslim, # 66). Moreover, a Muslim’s faith is compromised if one does not share food with a neighbor knowing that he or she is starving. Ibn ‘Abbas narrated that the Prophet said, “He is not a believer who has satiety while, next to him, his neighbor is hungry” (Kanz Al-’Um-mal, # 24904).
In reminding people about the rights of neighbors, the Prophet was conveying divine messages. Ibn ‘Umar and ‘Aishah reported that the Messenger of God said, “[The archangel] Gabriel kept counseling me about [the rights of] neighbors until I thought he would [bring a divine message] assigning [the neighbor] a share of inheritance” (Sahih Al-Bukhari, # 5556).
The following statement captures the essence of a neighbor’s rights in Islam:
If he falls ill, visit him.
If he has good fortune, congratulate him.
If ill fortune befalls him, console him.
And these longer—but no less pointed— directives:
Do not build your building in a way that would keep the breeze from reaching his dwelling except with his permission.
Do not annoy him with the aroma of your cooking pot unless you serve him some of your food.
If you buy some fruit, then give him some of it as a gift, and if you do not do so, then bring it into your home discreetly, and do not let your child take it outside to taunt his child with it.
