Part one


Praise be to Allah!Praise be to Allah! He created and He gave commands; He possessed and He


prevailed; He wished and He preordained. I praise Him () and I thank Him. He bestowed and


He gave; He bestowed enough bounties and He granted people self-sufficiency. I bear witness


that there is no deity worth worshipping except Almighty Allah alone with no associate. To Him


praise is due in this life and in the hereafter. I also bear witness that our Master and Prophet,


Muhammad, () is the Servant and Messenger of Allah –purest of the pure and the leader of the


righteous. May Allah send His Salat(Graces, Honours, Mercy), Peace and Blessing onto him, his


family, and his pious and devout Companions who, despite their immense suffering in the cause


of Allah, showed no signs of delinquency and never surrendered or retreated, onto tabi’in(the


contemporaries of the Companions of the Prophet [] after his death) and those who followed


them righteously till Doomsday.


Nowthen, O people, I urge you as well as myself to observe fear of Allah. Fear Allah –may


Allah have mercy on you– and worship Him. Unite on compassion, love and obedience and


never let rancour, caprice and disobedience throw you into disunity.


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Adorn yourselves with obedience to your Lord; expiate and repent of your sins; and never


walk away from the door of your Lord, so you may abide in the Garden of Eden. He who


meditates on the end of life should be cautious in his actions, and he who is certain about the


length of his journey should ready himself for it.


The true Muslim is the one who does not inflict harm, physical or verbal, on other Muslims. Almuhajir


(emigrant) is the one who renounces what Allah has forbidden, and al-mujahid (fighter


in the cause of Allah) is the one who makes jihad against himself and his whims. Allah ()


says, O you who believe! Persevere in patience and constancy; vie in such


perseverance; strengthen each other; and fear Allah that you may prosper


[al-Imran: 200]


O Muslims!


The laws of our faith and the commandments of our Islam begin with the realization of tawheed


(monotheism), soundness of worship, solidity of relations and purity of connections. The Islamic


bond and brotherhood in faith are the core of belief and essence of feelings. With them and for


them the Muslim lives. They are intertwined and coherent: creed, rituals and strong connections.


Read, if you will, Serve Allah, and join not any partners with Him; and do


good to parents, kinsfolk, orphans, those in need, neighbors who are of kin,


neighbors who are strangers, the companion by your side, the way farer,


and what your right hand possesses, for Allah loves not the arrogant, the


vainglorious [An-Nisa: 36]


In this verse, Allah combines together His right with the rights of His servants. People entitled to


these rights belong to many categories. First, they could be “thawualqurbā”: relatives(especially


parents, on account of their close kinship and the great importance of their rights);second,


“qarībmukhālit”: mixed type of relatives (neighbours who are near of kin, neighbours who


are strangers, companions by your side1–when travelling by bus, by train, or by plane, for


instance); and third, the weak who need charity on account of physical weakness (such as


orphans) or on account of poverty (such as the poor).


Brothers and sisters in faith!


1 The bold-face part of this paragraph is borrowed from the Holy Qur’ān: surat Al-Nisa’, verse 36.


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One of the greatest accomplishments of Islam is the way it organizes society in concentric


circles. The innermost circle represents the parents, next is the one representing the neighbours,


friends and acquaintances and so on until we reach the outer circle that represents strangers and


non-Muslims.


Now, let us examine one of these circles:that of good neighbourlinesswhich represents


cooperation and depicts all forms and goals of the Islamic bond.


Fostering relations with the closest community at home and in the neighbourhood takes priority


becauseit is the most able, the closest and the quickest to realise complementarity in due time


and to evaluate the benefit in its manifest form.


Neighbours know each other well; they even know the secrets of one another; they are aware of


what comes into and what goes out of their neighbours’ homes. They may see the imperfections


of one another, watch their neighbours’ visitors coming and going, hear their noise, sense the


aromaof their neighbours’cooking, and know about their disputes, contentions and serenity. No


house contents or family secrets can be kept from the neighbours.


The Arabic termJiwaris used to express a high rational and religious value. The verbsIstajara


and ajara respectively mean “to seek refuge with” and “to give refuge to”. Only our Lord () is


the One Who provides ijarah (shelter) but never needs it from anyone.


Satan –may Allah’s curse be upon him– has deceived his followers and let them down saying,


While I am a neighbour to you (will protect you) [al-Anfal: 48]. The Arabic term


jar (neighbour) indicates protection from harm and doing good and benevolence.


Neighbours fall into several classes and ranks; some are close; others are not so close. Al-Hafiz


IbnHajar says, “The term neighbour may refer to both Muslims and non-Muslims, to the pious


and the disobedient, to friends and enemies, to strangers and relatives and to close and distant


neighbours. They form a hierarchy in which the highest rank is occupied by the one who


possesses all of the above attributes. Next in rank is the one who possesses all of these attributes,


then he who possesses most of them, and so on. The opposite is the one who possesses the other


attributes, and so he is givenaccordingly.”


Scholars said, “The circle of neighbours must be expanded as much as possible.”Ali () says,


“He who hears the call to prayer is a neighbour.” Again, it is reported in ahadith that “No


prayeris accepted from a mosque’s neighbour unless it is performed in the mosque.”Imam Al-


Awzā’i –may Allah have mercy on him– said, “Neighbourhood extends 40 houses in each


direction.”


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O Muslims!


The neighbours’ rights are so important that our Prophet () associated them with belief in Allah


and the Last Day. He () said, “He who believes in Allah and the Last Day should treat his


neighbour well.” In another Hadithversion, “…must not do his neighbour harm.”)


Abu Shuraih () reported that the Prophet () said, “By Allah, he will not believe, by Allah,


will not believe, by Allah, he will not believe.” “Who, O Messenger of Allah?” they asked. “He


whose neighbour does not feel safe from his harmful deeds,” he answered.


Ibn Abbas –may Allah be pleased with him and his father– is reportedto have quoted the Prophet


() as saying, “He is not a believer he who sleeps with a full belly while his neighbour is


hungry.”


All these hadiths, ‘āthārsand the like corroborate the strong connection between belief and


respecting the neighbours’ rights. They show that the neighbours’ rights are aspects and acts of


faith. It is the belief in Allah, Who knows the treacherous eye, and the belief in the Last Day


when people are gathered to account for their past deeds.


In a hadith narrated by Al-Termidhi, IbnHabban, IbnKhuzaima and Al-Hakim, the Prophet ()


said, “The best friend to Allah is he who treats his friend best, and the best neighbour to Allah


is he who treats his neighbour best.”


Abu Hurairah () reported that the Prophet () once asked, “Who will take from me these


words, follow them through or teach them to someone who will?” Abu Hurairah said, “I said, ‘I


will, O Messenger of Allah’!” So the Prophet () counted five on his hand and said, “Avoid


committing proscribed deeds, you become the most pious; be content with what Allah has sent


you, you become the richest person; be good to your neighbour, you become faithful; wish for


the others what you wish for yourself, you become a Muslim and do not laugh too often


because laughter kills the heart.” Narrated by Al-Termidhi; it is a hasan (good)hadith.


Brothers and sisters in faith!


Being good to one’s neighbour implies three things: Being benevolent to him, refraining from


doing him harm, and bearing his harmful deeds.


Benevolence is a broad term that implies greeting one’s neighbour, being nice and offering


guidance to him to show him what is good for him and his family spiritually as well as


materially. It also implies protecting the neighbour’shonour in his absence with emphasis on


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good behaviour, leniency, solidarity in fair and foul weather, sharing with him in happiness and


sorrow, offering him condolences or congratulations, and showing him kindness and friendliness.


Examples of being good to one’s neighbour include giving him what is available because the


neighbour watches what goes into and what comes out of his neighbor’s house.


Imam Muslim narrated that Abu Tharr () was reported to have quoted the Prophet () as


saying, “O Abu Tharr! If you cook marqah (broth, bouillon, gravy), add a lot of water to it and


give some to your neighbours!”


In the Prophet’s words “a lot of water” there isa notification to avoid unnatural show-off in


offering gifts. He did not say, “add a lot of meat to it,” because meat may not be easy for all to


get. Care should be taken not to presentyourneighbourswith a negligible thing because the


Prophet () said, “Then look for your neighbour’s household and offer them what is


conventionally acceptable.” This means that one should not offer what is conventionally and


traditionally considered worthless or too little.


This is an example ofhigh moral standardswhich strengthens ties, love, good treatment, and


contribute to the avoidance of corruption. The cooking aroma may hurt a neighbour with small


children, especially if such a neighbouris a widow or a poor man,inwhich case theywould be


unable to feed their children and would feel bad about it. This state of affairs would create a


feeling of suffering and sorrow, whereas sharing a little food would help mitigate it.


Upon distributing the meat of ‘udh-hiyah (slaughtered animal at sacrifice Eid), Prophet


Muhammad () told his wife, “Start with our Jewish neighbour!”


A ewe was slaughtered at the house of Abdullah ibnAmr–may Allah be pleased with him and


his father– so when he arrived, he asked them, “Have you offered some to our Jewish


neighbour?” He repeated the question three times and said, “I heard the Prophet () saying,


“Jibreel (Gabriel) kept telling me to be good to my neighbour till I thought he would include the


neighbourin inheritance.”


It sounds in the Prophet’s last words “till I thought he would include the neighbourin


inheritance” that there is no difference between relatives and neighbours except in matters of


inheritance.


Another form of Ihsān (benevolence) is comfortingone's neighbour when in need. Rather,


how beautiful it is to be useful to him through the talents and expertise with which Allah has


blessed us. Thus, the rich help the poor, physicians help treat illnesses, and teachers help in


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teaching.The same can be said of engineers, carpenters, blacksmiths, and the rest of the


vocations.All this would make neighbourslove one another, help and do good to one another.


Other forms of Ihsan include: teaching, guiding, and advising one's neighbour, commending


him,politely and wisely, to do good and warning him against doingevil. He should also be kind


with his neighbour'schildren and guide them to what is useful to them in matters related to


religion and life.


In a comprehensive Hadith that has a good chain of narrators, Mu’adh bin Jabal () said: "we


said: O Messenger of Allah! What are the rights of a neighbour? He said: "if he asks for a loan,


give itto him; if he asks for help, help him; if he is in need, give him; if he falls ill, visit him;


when he dies, follow his funeral procession; if something good happens to him, be pleased and


congratulate him; if something bad happens to him, be displeased and console him. Do not


hurt him by the aroma of your cooking potunless you intend to send him some of your food;


do not raise your building high to overlook him and block the wind except by his permission.If


you buy things, offer him some, or carry them into your house secretly, and do not let your


children go out with some of what you bought lestthisgalls his children".


In a Hadith agreed upon (among Hadith scholars): "He who sharesproperty with a neighbour


or a partner shall not sell itbeforeproposingittohim."


The nearest neighbours deserve one's favour and benevolence on account of their closeness,


for the nearest neighbour can see what is brought in and carried out of his neighbour's house.


'A'isha–may Allah be pleased with her– said, "I said, 'O Messenger of Allah, I have two


neighbours. To whom should I offer my gifts?'He replied, 'To the one whose door is


nearer to you.'


Muslim scholars said:"What is meant is that if you do not have enough to offer both


neighbours, then offer the nearer one; but if you can offer both, then this would be better."


Responsibility is multiplied and rights are increased when the neighbour is poor, an orphan, a


widow or one with a special need.It is narrated that, on the Day of Judgement, a poor neighbour


will hold to his rich neighbour and say: "O Lord! Ask this man why he closed his door inmy face


and refused to show me common kindness!"


O brothers and sisters in Islam!


One of the greatest rights of neighboursis to refrain from hurting them.The Messenger of


Allah () has said:"He who believes in Allah and the Last Day should not harm his


neighbour".


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In a Hadith narrated by Imam Muslim on the authority of Abu Hurairah () that the Messenger


of Allah () observed: "He will not enter Paradise whose neighbour is not secure from his


harmfuldeeds".


In another Hadith the Messenger of Allah () said: "Oh Allah, I seek refuge with you from an


evil urbanite neighbour, fora nomadicneighbouris always on the move." Narrated by Ahmad,


Al-Bukhari in Al Adab Al Mufrad, Al-Nassāi, Al-Hākim who corrected it, and Athahabi agreed


with him on the correction.


'Bawā’iq' is the plural form in Arabic of 'Bā’iqah' which means ‘calamity’, ‘destruction’, ‘evil


deeds’, and (all kinds of) ‘harmful acts’.


In the Hadith the expression "not secure from his harmfuldeeds" means that one should not


use his knowledge of his neighbour's conditions as a means to defame, oppress, or blackmail


him.


The forms and aspects of harm are numerous.One should forgive his neighbour's slight faults,


abstain from trying to find out about his flawsand what he is carrying home with him, should


cover up what is revealed of his defects,lower his gaze when his womenfolk pass by, avoid


harming him by throwing dirt and waste in his courtyard.One should also avoid making the road


narrow to his neighbour, or to the water flow of his drain, or buildingtaller


wallsthatwouldprevent the air from reaching him except by his permission.


Seek refuge with Allah –may Allah have mercy on you–from the evil neighbour who listens


to obscenities and talks irrationally of whatever occurs to him.Beware again and again that your


wealth or fame be a reason to humiliate or harm your neighbour or be arrogant with him.Teach


your children to keep the rights of the neighbours so that the neighbourhood people are not


brought up on envy, spite, hatred and malignity.


Now then, O servants of Allah!


Observing the rights of the neighbourswould result in intimacy and friendliness. Thus the


dwellers of the neighbourhood and the society would be able to live in security and peace


exchanging benefits, fulfilling their needs amongst themselves, cooperating in righteousness and


taqwah (doing what Allah ordered and abstaining from what He forbade), pushing away evil and


harm from their families and houses sincerely and faithfully, explicitly and implicitly. They


believe in Allah and the Last Day, enjoin good and forbidevil, and hasten to do good things.Such


Muslims are indeed among the righteous.


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May Allah () benefit me and you with the great Qur’ān and with the guidance of Prophet


Mohammed ()! I say this and ask Allah’s forgiveness for you and me and for all the Muslims of


every sin and wrongdoing! So ask for His forgiveness; He is the All-Forgiving, All-Merciful!


Part Two


Praise be to Allah! He is the Just Judge who created the male and female:…that He may


requite those who do evil with that which they have done (i.e. punish them


in Hell), and reward those who do good, with what is best (i.e.


Paradise)[An-Najm: 31]


I praise Him () and thank Him for His innumerable favours. I bear witness that there is no deity


worthy of worship except Allah alone with no associate, a witness that brings me closer to Him,


and I bear witness that our Master and Prophet Mohammad () is the Servant and Messenger of


Allah (), the Seal of the Prophets and the Master of mankind. May Allah send His Salat


(Graces, Honours, and Mercy) and Peace upon him, his family, his Companions, the tabi’in (the


contemporaries of the Companions after the death of the Prophet []) and those who followed


them in righteousness and imitated their method and were thus rightly guided.


Now then, O Muslims!


Among the rights of neighbours are: to bear the neighbour's harm and to be patient with what


he, his family, and children might commit (against him).This is one of the greatest rights and the


noblest of morals.


A man came to the Prophet () and said: ‘O Messenger of Allah! Tell me about a deed that if


I do I will enter Paradise. He said: "be benevolent". The man said: how do I know that I am


benevolent? The Prophet said: "ask your neighbours; if they say that you are benevolent then


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you are indeed benevolent, but if they say that you are a wrongdoer, then you are indeed a


wrongdoer". Al-Baihaqi mentioned thison the authority of Abu Hurairah ().


A man came to IbnMasoud () and said to him: I have a neighbour who hurts me, curses me,


and causes me distress. IbnMasoud said: "Go back to your daily life, if he disobeys Allah by


mistreating you, then obey Allah by treating him kindly."


Al-Hassan says: "Being a good neighbour does not just mean to abstain from harming your


neighbour but to bear (his) harm."


It is narrated in a marfuHadith2: "Allah loves a man whose neighbour harms him and he


keeps patient until death ortravel separates them."[Narrated by Ahmad in his Musnad.]


Relevant to this is what the receiver of the gift among the neighbours should do. He\she


should accept the gift with gratitude and thankfulness. The Prophet () says:“O believing


women! Do not let any of you disdain her female neighbour's gift, even if it is only a burnt


sheep's hoof.”


He specified women because they aremore influential than men in terms of helping build


friendly relationsor inciting feelings of hatred.Also, they have moreeffecton manners and


conduct. So one should not belittle any help no matter how small and should be thankful for what


was offered no matter how little.


So fear Allah, may He have mercy on you, respect your neighbours' rights, reconcile disputes


amongst each other, and obey Allah and His Messenger if you were (true) believers!


This being said, I advise you to send your salatand peace on the Mercy and Blessing Allah


bestowed on you, your Prophet Muhammad (), the Messenger of Allah, as Your Lord


commanded you to do in His wise Book where He so truthfully and graciously said:


Allâhsends His Salât (Graces, Honours, Blessings, Mercy) on the Prophet


2It is a Hadith traceable in ascending order of muHaddiths (traditionaries or transmitters of Hadith) to Prophet


Muhammad []).


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(Muhammad صلى لله علیھ وسلم ), and also His angels (ask Allâh to bless and


forgive him). O you who believe! Send your Salât on (ask Allâh to bless) him


(Muhammad صلى لله علیھ وسلم ), and (you should) greet (salute) him with the


Islâmic way of greeting (salutation i.e. As-Salâmu ‘Alaikum. [Al Ahzab: 56]


O Allah! Send Your Salat (Graces, Honours, Mercy), Peace and Blessing on Your Servant


and Messenger, our Master and Prophet, Muhammad (), the beloved and the Chosen One, on


his virtuous and immaculate family and on his wives, the mothers of the believers! O Allah! We


seek Your satisfaction with the four Caliphs, Abu Bakr, Omar, Othman, and Ali, the Prophet’s


Companions, the tabi’in (contemporaries of the Companions of the Prophet () after his death)


and those who followed them in righteousness until the Day of Judgment! O Allah! We seek


Your Satisfaction with us as well, since You are Most Forgiving, Most Generous, and Most


Beneficent!


O Allah! Grant glory to Islam and Muslims! O Allah! Grant glory to Islam and Muslims! O


Allah! Grant glory to Islam and Muslims, and fail polytheism and polytheists! O Allah! Let


down tyrants and infidels and all other enemies of Islam!


O Allah! Grant us security in our homelands, and set right our Imams and leaders! O Allah!


Entrust our government to those who fear You and seek Your satisfaction! O Lord of the


Worlds!


O Allah! Grant our Imam and Leader a success of Your own! Honour him with Your obedience


and make Your word the uppermost through him! Make him an asset to Islam and Muslims!


Grant him sound health and wellness! Guide him, his two deputies, his brothers and his aides to


do what You love and what pleases You, and lead them to righteousness and piety!


O Allah! Help Muslim leaders to abide by Your Book and to follow the Sunnah of Your


Prophet, Mohammad ()! Make them a blessing on Your faithful, and unite them on the grounds


of righteousness and truth, O Lord of the Worlds!


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O Allah! Make for this Ummah a matter (an affair) of rationality (guidance) whereby the


pious are honoured and the sinful are guided, and where virtue is promoted and vice is


prevented! Verily, You are the Omniscient!


O Allah, Protector of the believers, Supporter of the defenseless, Reliever of those in need,


the Ultimate Hope, Refuge of the weak! Grant relief to our oppressed brothers in Syria! Grant


relief to our oppressed brothers in Syria! O Allah! Bring an end to their suffering! Grant them


speedy relief and draw them closer at heart! O Allah! Grant them an aid, a fighting power and a


triumph of your own! O Allah! We beseech You to grant them great victory, relief, mercy and


perseverance! O Allah! Make accurate their views, successful their shooting!Strengthen their


power and unite their word!


O Allah! Defeat the tyrants in Syria, O Allah! Defeat the tyrants and oppressors in Syria and


those who sympathize and side with them! O Allah! Defeat them! O Allah! Disperse their


gathering, scatter their crowds, and tear them apart! O Allah! Make their plotting to their own


detriment!


O Allah! Destroy the usurpers and occupiers among the Jews! O Allah! Destroy the usurpers


and occupiers among the Zionist Jews, for You are certainly able to do so! O Allah! Inflict Your


wrath which is so inevitably destined to strike the people who are Mujrimûn (criminals,


polytheists or sinners)! O Allah! We pray You to drive them off to their own detriment and seek


refuge in You from their evils!


…Our Lord! Give us in this world that which is good and in the Hereafter


that which is good, and save us from the torment of the Fire! [Al-Baqarah:


201]. Our Lord! We have wronged ourselves. If You forgive us not, and


bestow not upon us Your Mercy, we shall certainly be of the losers. [Al-A'raf:


23]


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O Allah! Guide us to repent and return (to You), and open for us the doors of being accepted


(by You)! O Allah! Answer our supplication, accept our obedience and prayer; make our deeds


righteous; forgive our sins; repent on us; forgive us, verily You are All-Forgiving All-Merciful!


O servants of Allah!


Verily, Allah enjoins Al-Adl (i.e. justice and worshipping none but Allah


Alone - Islamic Monotheism) and Al-Ihsan [i.e. to be patient in performing


your duties to Allah, totally for Allah's sake and in accordance with


the Sunnah (legal ways) of the Prophet () in a perfect manner], and giving


(help) to kith and kin (i.e. all that Allah has ordered you to give them e.g.,


wealth, visiting, looking after them, or any other kind of help, etc.): and


forbids Al-Fahsha' (i.e all evil deeds, e.g. illegal sexual acts, disobedience of


parents, polytheism, to tell lies, to give false witness, to kill a life without


right, etc.), and Al-Munkar (i.e all that is prohibited by Islamic law:


polytheism of every kind, disbelief and every kind of evil deeds, etc.),


and Al-Baghy (i.e. all kinds of oppression), He admonishes you, that you


may take heed.[An-Nahl: 90]


Remember Allah and He will remember you, and thank Him for His blessings and He will


increase them for you; verily the remembrance of Allah is the greatest and Allah knows what you


are doing.