The right most often neglected by the modern believer in an apartment is the right of the neighbor — yet in Islam neighborliness is among the responsibilities mentioned immediately after tawhid. A neighbor is not merely someone who shares a wall; he is the most visible arena where the believer's worship of Allah is tested. This sermon explores who a neighbor is, the rights set down in the Quran and Sunnah, and how to apply them in apartment life today.
In the Quran — Neighbors Right Beside Tawhid
In Surah an-Nisa' Allah gives the believers a list — a list that shapes the practical face of worship. It begins with tawhid; immediately after come parents; then neighbors:
— An-Nisa' 4:36Worship Allah and associate nothing with Him. And to parents do good, and to relatives, orphans, the needy, the near neighbor, the neighbor farther away, the companion at your side, the traveler, and those whom your right hands possess.
Two kinds of neighbor are mentioned: "the near neighbor" (al-jar al-junub) and "the farther neighbor" (al-jar al-junub). Classical commentators have interpreted this distinction in several ways:
- Near neighbor: one who is both geographically close and close by kinship or faith.
- Farther neighbor: one who is geographically close but distant by kinship or faith.
This distinction matters: a non-Muslim neighbor is also a neighbor and has rights. By saying "near" and "far" Allah has set down an obligation that covers everyone.
"Jibril Kept Advising Me About the Neighbor"
The strongest hadith of the Prophet (peace be upon him) on the rights of the neighbor is this:
— Sahih al-Bukhari, Adab, no. 6014Jibril kept advising me about the neighbor until I thought he would make him (the neighbor) an heir.
This hadith is staggering: Jibril (peace be upon him) — Allah's messenger as an angel of revelation — came to the Prophet, and in the course of his speech the right of the neighbor was repeated so often that the Messenger of Allah thought "soon revelation will come making the neighbor an heir." This is the frequency and intensity of an advice carried by revelation.
To make someone an heir — that is, to raise them to the level of a relative. Even without inheritance rights, the neighbor is so important that he is on the verge of being raised to the rank of relative.
Who a Neighbor Is — A Forty-Home Reach
A neighbor is not only someone sharing a wall. Classical fiqh says neighborliness reaches a distance of forty homes. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
— Sahih al-Bukhari, al-Adab al-Mufrad, no. 112He has not believed in me, the one who spends his night full while his neighbor spends his night hungry beside him.
"Has not believed in me" — that is, has not fully believed in the Prophet's message. If a person cannot hear the hunger at the door of their neighbor, they have lost the basic social sensitivity of Islam.
Similarly, in another hadith:
— Sahih al-Bukhari, Adab, no. 6016A person whose neighbor is not safe from his harm is not a believer.
The neighbor "being safe from his harm" — that is, the neighbor must be safe from the words one says, the actions one takes, the music one loves. A Muslim is the person who spreads peace around them.
The Power of a Gift
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) highlighted the giving of gifts as a visible sign of neighborliness:
— Sahih al-Bukhari, Adab, no. 6017O women! Let none of you despise the gift of a neighbor to a neighbor, even if it is a sheep's hoof.
What matters is not the gift's size but the courtesy of giving. A bowl of soup, a glass of tea, a packet of biscuits — the smallest gesture toward the neighbor grows love. In old Turkish neighborhoods this was so common that whenever a special dish was cooked, a portion was sent to the neighbor; in modern apartment life this beautiful habit has been lost.
Practical suggestion: once a month, when you prepare a simple dessert, knock on your neighbor's door honestly and bring a small plate. This small step rebuilds the spiritual warmth of the street.
Neighbor's Rights in Modern Apartment Life
Today, many people in apartments do not even know the name of their next-door neighbor. Islam stands against this disconnection. Living the rights of the neighbor in modern life takes the following small disciplines:
- Lowering your noise: loud music late at night, loud children's play, heavy footsteps — every sound that disturbs the neighbor's sleep is a kind of injustice.
- Not letting cigarette smoke drift to the balcony: smoke that reaches the neighbor's laundry or balcony is a nuisance.
- Not blocking the elevator: making the neighbor going up wait three minutes is not a right; making them wait while you go down is not either.
- Parking etiquette: parking in the neighbor's spot or blocking their door — these seem small but are daily sources of resentment.
- Greeting: in the elevator, the corridor, at the door — giving salam to a neighbor is a duty. When asked "even to someone you don't know?", the Prophet answered: "Yes."
When the Neighbor Passes Away
The rights of the neighbor continue at death. Attending the funeral, offering condolences to the family, taking food to the home — these are the heights of Islamic neighborhood solidarity. When Ja'far at-Tayyar (may Allah be pleased with him) was martyred, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) ordered that food be sent to his family, because "something has happened to them, and they should not be occupied" — al-Tirmidhi, Jana'iz, no. 998.
Remembering Neighbors' Rights With VAAZ
The VAAZ app's hadith archive, filtered by "rights of neighbors," surfaces hundreds of narrations. The 99 Names collection includes Al-Wadud (the All-Loving) — the believer who spreads love draws nearer to this attribute of Allah.
For the wider view of in-family responsibility, see A Sermon on Family; for the priority of parents' rights, see A Sermon on the Rights of Parents.
The rights of the neighbor are the believer's most visible arena of social responsibility. The Messenger of Allah's saying "I thought he would make him an heir" shows how heavy this right is. The street and the apartment are the place where the believer spreads their worship of Allah to those around them.
References
- The Qur'an, An-Nisa' 4:36, Diyanet translation.
- Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab al-Adab, Hadith No. 6014.
- Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab al-al-Adab al-Mufrad, Hadith No. 112.
- Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab al-Adab, Hadith No. 6016.
- Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab al-Adab, Hadith No. 6017.
- al-Tirmidhi, Kitab al-Jana'iz, Hadith No. 998.