Islam strongly points out the importance of keeping a good relationship with your neighbours. Doing good to neighbours should be a quality of every believer. This is because the Prophet (peace be upon him) advised:
“Anyone who believes in Allah and the Last Day should do good to their neighbour.”
What doing good to your neighbours means:
- Helping them as much as you can if they ask for help.
- Sharing special food with them to make them happy.
- Visiting them to see how they are if they fall ill, and helping them by taking them to the hospital at that time.
- Hiding their faults and mistakes.
- Comforting them if they face tests and difficulties.
- Trying to help them find the right path if they make a mistake.
- Attending their funeral until the burial if they pass away, and helping their children.
A Warning Against Giving Trouble to Neighbours
The Prophet’s companion, Abu Hurairah, reported that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said three times: “By Allah, he does not believe!”
When the people asked, “O Messenger of Allah, who is that?” he replied: “The person whose neighbour is not safe from his bad behaviour.”
Bad actions that cause harm to neighbours include:
- Taking away the rights of your neighbours.
- Letting your household waste water flow into their property.
- Making loud noises and causing a disturbance.
- Disturbing their sleep and rest.
- Intentionally celebrating happy events at your home when they are going through a sad time.
- Chasing away or ill-treating their children.
The Consequence in the Hereafter
Someone asked the Prophet (peace be upon him) about a woman. They said, “A woman prays a lot at night and fasts during the day, but she causes trouble to her neighbours.” The Prophet clearly replied: “She will go to Hell.”
The Prophet (peace be upon him) also gave this advice to his companion Jubair:
“O Jubair! Respect your Muslim brothers! Behave nicely with your neighbours! Do not join people who are doing bad deeds! Anyone who follows this advice will enter Paradise without any punishment or questioning.”
Just as we have duties towards God, we also have duties towards other people. Among those duties, we must fully give our neighbours the rights they deserve.