The Rights of Neighbours

THE RIGHTS OF NEIGHBOURS One should treat one’s neighbour with the same respect and honour as he does his own family members. Then he can be said to be a truly good person. I slam lays great stress on giving neighbours their rights. The Prophet of Islam once observed, “Those who believe in God must interact with their neighbours with respect and honour.” (Sahih alBukhari 6019) There is another tradition in which he said: “That person is not a believer who gives trouble to his neighbour.” (Sahih al-Bukhari 6016) Any person’s first contact is with his neighbour. Therefore, a person’s first test is also in terms of his relationship with his neighbours. If someone is evil, his relations with his neighbours will be bad. If someone is good, his relations with his neighbours will be good. A person’s humanity is not known by how he behaves with those who live at a distance. The real sign of