Islamic Morals [Electronic resources] نسخه متنی

Lesson: 59 Behaviour with Neighbours and Their Rights

Islam has made
much recommendation in this matter

1- We find, in the will of Amirul Mo-mineen (a.s.) for his sons Hasan and Husain
(a.s.) when the accursed Ibne Muljim and attacked the Amir: For Gods sake, for
Gods sake, behave nicely with your neighbours because it is one of the recommendations
of your Prophet (s.a.w.s.). He had made so much admonition regarding good behaviour
with neighbours that we imagined that very soon they neighbours will be made
entitled to inheritance.

2- Imam Sadiq (a.s.) has said: You have to behave nicely with your neighbours
because Allah has commanded it.

3- Imam Sadiq (a.s.) said: Good behaviour with neighbours increases prosperity.

4- Imam Baqir (a.s.) is reported to have said that he read in the book of Ali
(a.s.) that the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) had in his letter to Muhajirs and Ansaars
written: A neighbour is like a man himself who is neither to be harmed nor sinned
and moreover giving respect to the neighbour is like giving respect to one mother.

5- Abi Rabi quoted the Imam Sadiq (a.s.): Once when his house was full of visitors
he said: Remember that, in fact, one who is not a good neighbour is not from
us.

6- If one grabs wrongly a little measure of his neighbours land, will be garlanded
by Allah with the weight of seven layers of earth until he meets the Almighty
unless he repents and withdraws his misdeed.

7- And also said: The one usurps the right of his neighbour will no be allowed
the fragrance of paradise and his place will be hell which is a bad abode indeed.

8- And also said: The one usurps the right of his neighbour is not from us.
Jibraeel (a.s.) continuously recommended about the rights of the neighbour until
I imagined that he will also inherit the dead.

9- The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) said: There are three categories of the neighbours:
the first group has three rights: the right of Islam, the right of neighbourhood
and the right of kindness. The second group has two rights: The right of Islam
and the right of neighbourhood. The third group has one right: and it is the
right by way of being neighbour. They are all Kafirs who live side by side with
the Muslims!

10- Abu Baseer says: I heard from Imam Sadiq (a.s.): If one refrains from harassing
his neighbour, God ignores his faults on the Day of Judgement.

11- The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) said: If one harasses his neighbour due to greed
of his house, God hands over the house of such harasser to his neighbour.

12- Imam Sadiq (a.s.) said: He is far away from the Mercy of Allah, he is far
away from the Mercy of Allah who gives harassment to hid neighbour.

The problem
of neighbourhood is an important problem about which Islam has given much recommendation.
Yet, in spite of all this, we Muslims sometimes do not pay attention to it and
harass one-another by loud talks, troublesome horns, climbing terraces, throwing
dirty water etc in front of the neighbours' houses

It is also
possible that our neighbour may be in need of some necessities of life. In such
circumstances too we should not lag behind but must try our best to live sympathetically
side-by-side. And this right is applicable not only to a Muslim neighbour but
it applies to non-Muslim neighbours also.

Hence Imam
Sadiq (a.s.) says: Even if your are sitting by the side of a Jew make a nice
kind of sitting.

And perhaps
it can be said: The wording is common which makes no difference between big
and small. Environment. Wherever and whenever it is called neighbour it applies
in these traditions. It is difficult to believe that it is obligatory.