The Rights of the Neighbor Part 3

Asalam wa alikum

Second Topic

Types of neighbors

Allah, the Almighty, says: {"Worship Allah 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…"} [An-Nisaa': 36]. In this verse, Allah has combined between the commandment of His worship and the commandment of treating His creation with kindness. From among this kind treatment is the treatment with the neighbor, be a Muslim or non-Muslim, relative or stranger, adjacent or remote.

Allah's Saying: {"the neighbor who is near of kin"}, means the one who has a kinship relationship with you. As to Allah's Saying: {"the neighbor who is a stranger"}, it means the neighbor who has no kinship relationship with you. These meanings are the sayings of the most of the exegetes of the Holy Qur'an.

Regarding {"the neighbor who is near of kin"} it is said it means the Muslim neighbor, and {"the neighbor who is a stranger"} means the non-Muslim neighbor.

It is also said that {"the neighbor who is near of kin"} means the neighbor of adjacent neighborhood, and {"the neighbor who is a stranger"} means the neighbor of remote neighborhood. He is the one neighborhood  is applied on him although his house is remote. [2]

All these meanings are true, and the verse includes and indicates to them.

 

All these neighbors have the right of neighborhood though their right is of different level according to the difference of their conditions.

Al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar [3] said: "The designation of the neighbor includes the Muslim and non-Muslim, the worshipper and disobedient, the friend and enemy, the foreigner and native, the beneficial and harmful, the relative and stranger, person of the most adjacent house and of the remotest house. The neighbor has degrees; some of them are higher than others. The neighbor of highest degrees is the one who has combined the first all qualities, then comes the one who has most of these qualities, etc."

Therefore, the right of the neighbor who has a kinship relationship with you is more highlighted than the right of the stranger neighbor; similarly, the right of the Muslim neighbor is more stressed than the right of the non-Muslim neighbor; the right of the adjacent neighbor is given precedence over that of the remote neighbor. Al-Bukhari [4] related that `Aa'isha, may Allah be pleased with her, reported: I said, "O Messenger of Allah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, I have two neighbors, to which of them should I send a present?" He, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, replied: "To the one whose door is nearer to you." 

  The shariah has indicated that the neighbors are of three types:

(1)     A neighbor has three rights. He is the Muslim relative neighbor. He has the right of neighborhood, Islam and kinship.

(2)     A neighbor has two rights. He is the Muslim neighbor. He has the right of neighborhood and Islam.

(3)     A neighbor has one right. He is the non-Muslim neighbor. He has the right of neighborhood. [5]