The Imperativeness of Being Kind to the Neighbors in Islam

For Muslims the personality of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) is an epitome of Islam and a living Quran. Whatever Prophet (PBUH) did, whatever He said, whatever He refrained from and whatever He commended not to do are all final words for Muslims and they try following and obeying the traditions of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).

Kindness was the major attribute of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). Besides the general kindness to whole of humanity, He was known for His kindness towards neighbors. Treating neighbors with kindness is one of the major preaching of Islam and it is important for every Muslim to be considerate and kind towards the neighbors. The lines below discuss the kind of behavior a Muslim must have towards the neighbors.

Allah Almighty says in Quran:

“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, the companion by your side, the wayfarer (you meet)…… Verily , God does not like such as are proud and boastful.” (4:36)

From this ayah of Quran it is clear that a Muslim ought be kind and good to the neighbors. Besides the general kindness to the neighbor, another thing that this ayah tells about is that one ought to be kind to the neighbor regardless of whether the neighbor is a relative or not, meaning that someone being a neighbor is reason enough for being kind. Therefore, a Muslim must be kind towards the neighbor without any discrimination of relation, color, or ethnicity.

Although to a person, apparently having a neighbor might seem like a responsibility, however, for the neighbor for whom the person provides is no less than a blessing. Therefore, being a responsible neighbor is a blessing for the other neighbor. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said in one of His hadiths:

“Among the things that bring happiness to a believer in this life are a righteous neighbor a spacious house and a good steed.” (Al-Haakim)

From this hadith also, it is clear that a good neighbor is no less than a blessing of Allah Almighty, as it is the a good and righteous neighbor who will help the other one in time of need, who will tell the other one about the righteous path, who will assist the other one in pursuing life according to the will of Allah and it is the righteous neighbor who provides a good neighborhood for the children of the other neighbors to grow and live life in accordance with Islam.

Prophet (PBUH) encouraged sending gifts to the neighbor as a token of expressing love and care. Moreover, the exchange of gifts also leads to an increase love between the neighbors. Pertaining to the question that which of the neighbors deserves the gift, Prophet (PBUH) said about it in the following way:

“To the one whose door is closest to yours.” (Ibid)

In a nutshell, it is imperative for a Muslim to be kind and considerate to the neighbors so that they are able to live in a good society. Hence, when a Muslim is kind to the neighbors, it shows that how serious he is about following the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).

Anisa Fatima works for QuranTutoring.com, which provides Quran tutoring classes to Muslim children and adults belonging to the countries where Quran teachers are not easily available.