Neighbours

Neighbours are something that none of us can escape. Unless we live in a farm somewhere! So a solution must be found to the issue that many of us face. We live in times in which people do evil and blame others. Somehow, the blame sticks on the innocent. The character that is encouraged in Islam is sometimes with the dominate monoculture and sometimes against it. Often it is against it and this can been seen clearly in history.

Being a good to a neighbour is not limited to Islam as its common in all religions. Somewhere along the line, we have all forgotten this.

Lost Goodness

Goodness is not harming ones neighbour firstly. How can ones neighbour be harmed? Here's a list: loud music, shouting frequently inside and outside the house, disturbing the peace, encroaching their land, allowing plants to grow on their land from yours, arguing and fighting with them, disturbing them, knowing they need help and allowing them to suffer, building on their land, doing something to reduce the value of their home. Each one of these needs along explanation.

Many neighbours play excessively loud music without care or concern, at different times of the day and night. This can disturb the neighbour and their sleeping patterns. You have the sin for as long as the disturbance lasts. Some parents do not discipline their children and let them run amok and blame others and not their lack of parenting. The parent has a sin for every second of their silence.

The child who shouts and screams should be advised to discontinue such behaviour and benefits should be taken away from him.

Some people block their neighbour's cars in by parking behind their parked cars. This is not only a security risk but also a dangerous act. They might need their cars in an emergency so get away from their driveway. If you say, it is fine to park behind a car or a driveway then you lose a point in the driving theory test.

Alternatively, allowing plants to grow into your neighbours land without trimming them. This is sinful and a disturbance and it is a sin as long as it is there.

Arguing and fighting with them for no reason, obviously physically fighting should never take place and nor verbal. If your neighbour tells you something then you should investigate and not ignore it. You could have a joint leak or a joint gutter problem.

Do not knock on your neighbour's door day and night wanting things. Knock when you know they are in and lower your gaze when they answer, avoid looking directly into the house. You should guard your neighbour's house from robbers. Deter criminals by calling the police.

Building on their land is also harmful way that the person can reduce the value of the neighbours house.

Putting a washing machine at night or having a party until 2am is also not a good idea. Especially when loud music is being played.

There should be not competition between neighbours but this is often the case. Dumb always follows dumber! Often you have one neighbour who does something then the whole street follows! Instead, copy a righteous act that is good because copying the material is a sign of bankruptcy. The hadith about the possibility of the neighbours inheriting is important. As it, show we have a link between other than is more than humanity. We should not ignore this link by treating them badly.

How should we be neighbours to non-Muslims?

This is a silly question in a number of ways because the greeting of Islam is as-Salam alikum which means upon you peace. We are not people who bring war everywhere; we bring peace, its warmongers.

The Prophet (may Allah bestow peace and blessings upon him) had neighbours who would throw rubbish and thorns in his path. One day when the path was clear The Prophet (may Allah bestow peace and blessings upon him) wanted to find out where the person was. Therefore, he went to visit him and found him ill. He (may Allah bestow peace and blessings upon him) met them and offered Islam to him. The neighbour looked at his father who told him to obey Abu al-Qasim (may Allah bestow peace and blessings upon him). The sick neighbour accepted Islam and died.

The Prophet (may Allah bestow peace and blessings upon him) taught us that we should repel their evil with goodness. At least not, return the evil they do to you. We have to be careful not to make ourselves into punching bags and there are limits. Defended ones rights are something neither neighbour should transgress. Even a branch over the property of a neighbour is a sin. Never mind doing something that will harm them physically.

Ibrahim (upon him peace) once invited a polytheist to eat with him, because it was Ibrahim's (upon him peace) habit to eat in company. When the polytheist started to eat, he pronounced the name of his idols and Ibrahim sent him away and told him that he could not eat with him. It was revealed by Allah (the Exalted) to Ibrahim (upon him peace) that He had providing for the polytheist all his life, so could not he once? Ibrahim (upon him peace) called the polytheist back and ate with him, and then informed him why. The polytheist accepts faith when he heard what happened.

Abu Hanifah (may Allah show him mercy) had a drunk neighbour who had lost a child, he was Jewish. He used to annoy him by singing songs, this continued for a while until one night he was not present, and the neighbour had been jailed. Abu Hanifah went to see the prince and demanded the release of his neighbour. The neighbour was overcome by this and accepted Islam. And became of Abu Hanifahs foremost students. This is not easy and I have seen worse tales of what neighbours do to each other.

These are examples of how we change things. Yet know we cannot change the hearts of people but we can find a place in them with goodness.

One of the most disturbing things I saw was a Muslim who extended his home to such an extent that the neighbour had no access to part of his home, especially for repairs. The disturbing part of this story that it warns people not to accept a Muslim as a neighbour because they will harm you.

There is such a thing as 'white flight' when a brown person moves into the area. Other people move out of that area because they fear a drop in the house prices. Sometimes this is has cause and sometimes the opposite.

Harm

Beware of harming anyone especially your neighbours because it is their right to be safe from your harm. Look to give people the benefit of the doubt and when you get to 70 excuses then start over at excuse one.

Excellent character  is one of the most powerful forms of dawah. Please see our article about Dawah.

Fashions

People have to be aware that following honourable character is not a fashion, fad or gimmick. One should be in a permanent state of this nature. Our religion is not about fashions and trends.

We follow the character of the Prophet (may Allah bestow peace and blessings upon him) whether time is with it or against it. Never forget that the Prophet (may Allah bestow peace and blessings upon him) was a beacon of excellent moral conduct of the highest calibre in Mekkah. Despite the injustice that was prevalent in that society at the time and this is where we should be.

Hunger

The hadith that speaks about how the Muslims eat whilst his neighbour is hungry has committed sins. This is regardless of religion, so if this about their hunger then it proves that we should not harm them just because of their religion. Then we have no grounds of discrimination when we discriminate others.

It would be hard for us to know if they were struggling but if you know someone is not working then you could see them, also there is a new condition with people - working poverty. This is not as easy as it is sound because some people will be defensive about this. Poverty in this country is increasing and no one is tackling this horrific issue. So many of us are wage slip away from hard times and some are struggling despite working. So many people are just scrapping by and there does not seem to be an end to it.

The 'curry kitchens' that have opened up and down the country are a great idea. The Muslims who are doing this work are doing a great service for the public and we want to see more of this. We need masjids in every town with poor people present to do this. We want this to be extended to the homeless.  

In another hadith the Prophet (may Allah bestow peace and blessings upon him) advised not to bring things home without giving some to our neighbours. I did not understand this until I was on my travels and I came back to the place I was staying with bags of food from a supermarket. I saw the looks the people, who worked at the place, gave to the bags. You see they could not afford to go to the supermarket and brought their food from the local markets. After that, I did what they did, buy local things, and never returned to the supermarkets. And I hid whatever I brought without anyone seeing it.

Living with disagreements with your neighbours can make your life hell, because you do not want to go home. So make your home paradise by making peace with them.