IN THE NAME OF ALLAH, THE MOST GRACIOUS,
THE MOST MERCIFUL
All praise is for Allah (SWT) Who ordered us to keep
the ties of kinship intact and forbade us from being
ungrateful. He further confirmed the right of a Muslim
over another Muslim. The neighbour has a right over
his neighbour even if he is not a Muslim or is a
sinner.
We praise Allah (SWT) and put our trust in Him. I
bear witness that there is no god worthy of worship
except Allah (SWT) alone having no partners with
Him. He is the Creator who created everything other
than Himself.
May peace and prayers be upon our beloved Master
Muhammad (SAW) who spoke the best of speech. May
peace and blessings be upon him, his family, and his
Companions who fulfilled all of the people’s rights
required from them and upon every one that follows
their guidance till the Day of Judgement.
O servants of Allah!
Know that the nieghbour’s rights are proven in many
Verses of the Qur’an and Ahadith of the Prophet
Muhammad (SAW). It was even said that the angel
jibreel kept emphasising upon Muhammad (SAW) the
importance of the neighbour’s rights until the Prophet
(SAW) developed an impression that Jibreel was going
to prescribe a share in the inheritance for the
neighbour. No one harms his neighbour except an ill-
mannered person who is wicked and evil. The Prophet
(SAW) said:
“By Allah, he does not believe. By Allah, he does
not believe. By Allah, he does not believe.” It was
said: “O Messenger of Allah! Verily, he lost and
failed. Who is he?” He said: “it is he whose
neighbour does not feel safe from his Bawaa’iq.”
They asked: “What is Bawaa’iq?” He said: “His
evil.” (Agreed upon)
The Arabs before and after Islam were proud of being
kind to their neighbours. They even priced their
houses according to how valuable their neighbour was.
Furthermore, Islam has made it incumbent upon
Muslims to be kind and benevolent to their neighbours,
regardless of their neighbours’ religion. It was even
ruled that the wicked person is he whom people avoid
for his ill-manners, terrible behaviours and harmful
actions. The most disgusting and revolting neighbours
are those who search for people’s (and also their
neighbour’s) faults and deficiencies. They would not
mind looking into people’s privacy. Thus they cannot
be entrusted with people’s lives, religion, money, or
property. The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said:
“He who believes in Allah and the Last Day should
show hospitality to his neighbour; he who believes
in Allah and the Last Day should show hospitality to
his guest; and he who believes in Allah and the Last
Day should speak good or remain silent.” (Agreed
upon)
He (SAW) also said:
“The believer is he who the people feel safe with.
The Muslim is he who the Muslims are protected
from his tongue and hand. The emigrant is he who
abandons evil. By Him in Whose Hand is my soul,
he will not enter paradise whose neighbour is not
secure from his evil.”
O Muslims! O Nigerians!
It is really shameful to go to sleep with a full stomach
while your neighbour is hungry. It is also shameful to
always wear new clothes, yet be so stingy that you
would not even give your neighbour your used clothes
to cover his nudity. It is shameful to enjoy all the good
things you have – food, clothes, perfume, and much
more – while your neighbours long for bones and dry
bread. Are you aware of what the Prophet Muhammad
(SAW) said regarding giving things away to your
neighbours even if it were a little thing? He (SAW)
said:
“Certainly, a woman should not belittle what her
neighbour gives her, even if it is a sheep’s
intestines.”
He (SAW) addressed Abu Dhar (RA) saying:
“O Abu Dhar! When you cook, add more water (i.e.
to make enough soup) and take care of your
neighbours (by sending them some of it).”
O Brothers in Islam! O Nigerians!
Your neighbour has rights upon you, which you must
fulfill! These rights are easy to fulfill; I shall mention
them as a reminder to me and you. When you meet
with him (your neighbour) or run into him
accidentally, you should greet him by saying Assalamu
Alaikum. When he falls sick, you should visit him.
When he dies, you should attend his funeral and look
after his children after his death as if it were their
father looking after them. You must stand by him in
happiness, in grief, in hardship and ease. The Prophet
(SAW) said:
“The best of companions with Allah is the one who
is good to his companion, and the best of neighbour
with Allah is the one who is good to his neighbour.”
O Muslims!
It is prohibited for you to peek into your neighbour’s
house, especially while he is not paying attention. It is
prohibited for you to cheat him (by having relations)
with his wife or his daughter. You should know that
he who looks into his neighbour’s house without his
permission, would have his eyes filled from Hellfire. It
is forbidden upon you to try to listen to what your
neighbour says in his house like spies do, which would
make him insecure with you being his neighbour and
never trust you with what he says or does.
If you are not able to be good and kind with your
neighbour or acknowledge his favour upon you, then
do not harm him and keep your evil away from him.
Let him relax in his home and visit him when he
invites you. When he consults you, advise him
sincerely. If he is oppressed, give him your help,
support and defense. Yet if he is the oppressor, help
him by stopping him from oppression. If he does well,
hail and compliment him and if he does wrong,
pardon him. If he corrupts, do not approve of his
corruption and remember that on Judgment Day many
will be grabbing their neighbours, each one saying:
“O Lord! This is my neighbour who closed his door
in my face and deprived me of his good advice
while witnessing my evil.”
“A man asked the Prophet (SAW) about a woman
who made many prayers and fasted much. Yet she
would hurt her neighbours. The Prophet (SAW)
answered: She is in the fire of Hell. The man asked
again about another woman who only did her
obligations in terms of praying and fasting, yet she
gave charity with big pieces of Aqit (yoghurt or
cheese) and never harmed her neighbours. The
Prophet said: ‘She is in Paradise.”
The Prophet (SAW) also said:
“Four are from happiness: a good wife, a spacious
residence, a good neighbour and a comfortable
vehicle. And four are from misery: a bad neighbour,
a bad wife, a bad vehicle and a small (stifling)
residence.”
Allah (SWT) likes the neighbour who is patient upon
his neighbour’s harms until one day Allah (SWT) will
help him, either by moving him away from that
neighbour or by that neighbour’s death. It is idiocy
and stupidity for people to file complaints with the
authorities against their neighbours for the bickering
and quarrels that occur among the women or
children. The prophet (SAW) also forbade building
walls or raising the houses so high that such would
cause harm for the neighbour and might block the
wind from reaching the neighbour’s property or
expose of the neighbour’s privacy. The prophet (SAW)
used to say:
“O Allah, I seek refuge with you from the bad
neighbour in a permanent residence, as the
neighbour in the nomadic residence is always
moving (i.e., he does not stay in one place).”
The prophet (SAW) said:
“Beware of the prohibitions then you are the best of
worshippers. Be satisfied with which Allah has
given you, then you are the richest of people. Be
kind to your neighbour, and then you are a
believer. Love for the people what you love for
yourself, and then you are a Muslim. And do not
laugh too much, for laughing too much kills the
heart.”
Some people do not care about others if they
themselves are comfortable. They would not mind if
all the people were annoyed by them and angry with
them. They would not mind even if their reputation
was hurt so long as they satisfy their lusts and joys.
Their lusts and desires are fulfilled and their needs are
met, so it does not matter if all these were satisfied at
the expense of their honour, dignity, or reputation. For
that reason, these people are despised by others, hated
by their neighbours and have a disgusting reputation
among their peers. The prophet (SAW) said:
“If you feel no shame, then do whatever you wish.”
He (SAW) also said:
“Allah has divided your manners among you as he
has divided your provisions. Verily Allah gives (the
pleasures of this) life to whom He loves and whom
He does not. Yet, He does not give the faith except
to whom He loves. He who is given the faith, verily
Allah has loved him. By Him in whose Hand is my
soul, a person does not become a Muslim until his
heart and tongue submit and surrender (to Allah),
and does not believe until his neighbour is safe
from his evil.”
Allah (SWT) says:
“Worship Allah and join none with Him (in
worship); and do good to parents, kinsfolk,
orphans, Al-Masaakin (the poor), the neighbour
who is near of kin, the neighbour who is a stranger,
the companion by your side, the wayfarer (you
meet), and those (slaves) whom your right hands
possess. Verily, Allah does not like such as are
proud and boastful.” (4:36)
Servants of Allah!
I remind you and myself of the way of Allah’s
Messenger (SAW) in the Month of Sha’aban. Sha’aban
is the eight month of the Islamic lunar calendar. It is
called so because in this month the Arabs used to
disperse (tasha’aba) in search of water, or it was said
that it is so called because it Sha’aba (branches out or
emerges) i.e., it appears between the months of Rajab
and Ramadan.
The month of Sha’aban falls between two sacred
months, Rajab and Ramadan. Allah’s Messenger (SAW)
used to spend most part of it by fasting. Imam Bukhari
(Rahimahullah) reports in his Sahih that Aisha (RA)
said:
“The Messenger of Allah (SAW) used to fast until we
thought he would never break his fast, and he
would not fast until we thought he would never
fast. I never saw the Messenger of Allah fasting for
an entire month except in Ramadan, and I never
saw him fast more than he did in
Sha’aban.” (Bukhari)
And when Allah’s Messenger (SAW) was asked, why he
fasted so abundantly in the Month of Sha’aban? He
(SAW) said:
“(Sha’aban) is a Month to which people do not pay
attention, between Rajab and Ramadan, and it is a
Month in which deeds are lifted up to the Lord of
the worlds (Allah). I like for my deeds to be lifted
up when I am fasting.” (An-Nasaa’i, see also Sahih al-
Targheeb wat-Tarheeb, p. 425)
Servants of Allah!
Let us emulate and imitate the Allah’s Messenger in
this blessed Month of Sha’aban by fasting much in it
and start the preparation for the coming of the great
Month of Ramadan. Oh Allah allows us to Witness
Ramadan alive, wishing you Ramadan Mubaarak in
advance and your loved ones.
Let us be aware of these blessed times in our times of
need – let us pay attention to that which is neglected
and make our Sha’aban and Ramadan our sources of
salvation. O Allah! Bless us abundantly in Sha’aban
and deliver us safely unto Ramadan, ameen.
May Allah make you and I among the best of His
creatures, and May He bless us all with the good
favours and provisions that he bestows upon us. May
He protect you and me from harming the neighbour
and from ignoring his rights upon us, because
neighbourhood is trust so we must respect our
neighbours even if they are not Muslims.
Ramadan Mubaraq.

After reading the post, I lost comment! I need more important issues!