A BELIEVER’S ATTITUDE TOWARDS HIS NEIGHBOUR
An Essential Teaching
LOVE is the greatest human virtue. Where there is love, everything is in harmony, and where there is hate, all that is good remains in jeopardy. The Prophet of Islam observed: “None of you can be a believer unless you desire for your fellowmen what you desire for yourself.” (Sahih al-Bukhari). There are many sayings of the Prophet in which he has made it incumbent upon believers to treat their neighbours with utmost responsibility and concern. For a true Muslim it is part of his faith to behave well with his neighbours.
The Prophet thus said: “He who believes in God and the Last Day must not put his neighbour to inconvenience.” (Bukhari and Muslim)
Similarly, on another occasion he remarked: “That one will not enter Paradise whose neighbour is not secure against his mischief” (Muslim). Ignoring the plight of one’s neighbour is looked down upon in Islam. The Prophet noted: “He is not a believer who eats to his fill while his neighbour goes without food.” (Ibn Abbas, Al-Bayhaqi). This shows that a Muslim is one who is concerned with others’ hunger and thirst as he is with his own—who is concerned not only with his own person but with the whole of humanity.
Neighbours are our nearest companions. After family members, it is neighbours one comes in contact with. Developing good relations with neighbours is therefore an important aspect of a God-oriented life. A neighbour, be he a co-religionist or an adherent of another religion, be he of one’s own community or of another, must always be taken good care of. He must be given his dues at all events, according to the demands of Islam and of humanity.
The humanity of a person and the first criterion of his religiosity and spirituality are tested by the way he behaves towards his neighbours.
“Do you know what the rights of neighbours are?” asked the Prophet. And then he listed out: “Help him if he asks for your help. Give him relief if he seeks relief from you. Give him a loan if he needs one. Show him concern if he is distressed. Nurse him when he is ill. Attend his funeral if he dies. Congratulate him if he meets with any good. Sympathize with him if any calamity befalls him.” (Al-Tabarani)
This teaching shows that we are not only supposed to have good will towards our neighbours but we should also offer practical help whenever they are in need. Such great emphasis laid by the Prophet on our good treatment of our neighbours shows that the aim of Islam is to awaken the springs of goodness in the human heart. If we can become good to our immediate neighbours, then that will be a guarantee of our being good to other people. For constant good conduct will surely develop a good moral character in us and that will surely reflect in our dealings with whoever we come in contact with. If we observe the injunction of the Prophet in this matter, then without doubt we shall contribute to strengthening society with the bonds of love, affection and brotherhood.
These sayings tell us the kind of awareness the Prophet aimed to bring about in people. It was part of his mission to inform people of the reality that all humankind although inhabiting different regions of the world, and seemingly different from one another as regards their colour, language, dress, culture, etc., are each other’s blood brothers and sisters. Hence a proper relationship will be established between all human beings only if they regard one another as sisters and brothers. Only then will proper feelings of love and respect prevail throughout the world.
Neighbours are our nearest companions. After family members, it is neighbours one comes in contact with. Developing good relations with neighbours is therefore an important aspect of a God-oriented life
A teaching of the Prophet has been worded thus: “By God, he is not a believer, by God, he is not a believer, by God, he is not a believer, with whom his neighbours are not secure.” It means one of the characteristics of a believer is that he should have love and care for all human beings. One of the lessons the Prophet taught was that we should live among others like flowers, and not like thorns, without giving trouble to anybody. Another of the saying of the Prophet is noteworthy: “If a believer is not able to benefit others, he must at least do them no harm.” According to Islam, the person who becomes useful to others leads his life on a higher plane. But if he fails to do so, he should at least create no trouble for his fellow men. For a man to be a really faithful servant of God, he must live either as a giver or as a no-problem person. There is no third option.
The humanity of a person and the first criterion of his religiosity and spirituality are tested by the way he behaves towards his neighbours.
The relationship with a neighbour serves as a test of whether a person has human feelings or not, and whether he is sensitive to Islamic teachings or not. If a person’s neighbours are happy with him that is a proof of his being a good man, but if his neighbours are unhappy with him that is a proof that his behaviour leaves much to be desired.
Today we are living in an electronic age. With the click of a button, we can get in touch with people across the world, see them and hold discussions with them. In this light, we can say that the concept of neighbourhood has been revolutionized in the modern age—people around the globe are now our e-neighbours. Hence the rights that are due to our immediate neighbours, now extend over to our e-neighbours as well. The same concern and desire to aid others living in different parts of the world should well up inside of us when we observe that people are in need of support and sympathy.