اَلْحَمْدُ لِلّهِ بِجَمِیعِ مَحَامِدِه کُلِّهَا عَلَی جَمِیعِ نِعَمِهِ کُلِّهَا… اَلْحَمْدُ لِلّهِ مالِکِ الْمُلْکِ مُجْرِی الْفُلْکِ مُسَخِّرِ الرِّیاحِ فالِقِ الاْصْباحِ دَیّانِ الدّینِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمینَ اَلْحَمْدُ لِلّهِ عَلی حِلْمِهِ بَعْدَ عِلمِهِ وَالْحَمْدُ لِلّهِ عَلی عَفْوِهِ بَعْدَ قُدْرَتِهِ وَالْحَمْدُ لِلّهِ عَلی طُولِ اَناتِهِ فی غَضَبِهِ وَهُوَ قادِرٌ عَلی ما یُریدُ
Praise is to God with all his praises, for all his blessings. . . Praise is to God, the owner of the property, the operator of the orbit, the bender of the wind, the glory of the morning, the religion of the beliefs, lord of the worlds; praise is to God for his dream after his knowledge and thank God for forgiveness after his power, and praise be to God for his long patience in his wrath and he is capable to do what he wills
و نشهد أن لا اله الا الله وحده لا شریک له، و أَنَّ محمداً عبده و رسوله ارسله بالهدی و دین الحق لیظهره علی الدین کله و لو کره المشرکون اوصیکم عبادالله و نفسی بتقوی الله و اتباع امره و نهیه، و اخوفکم من عقابه
And we bear witness that there is no god but God alone, without partner, and that Muhammad is his servant and messenger, he sent him with guidance and the religion of truth, that he might proclaim it over all religion, even if the polytheists hated it.
Thirty-seventh sign of the pious:
وَ لَا يُضَارُّ بِالْجَارِ،
And he does not harm the neighbors,
In the school of Islam, it is highly recommended to respect the neighbor, so that in the holy Qur’an, the almighty God has considered it necessary for the believers to behave well to their neighbors near and far:
وَ اعْبُدُوا اللَّهَ وَ لا تُشْرِكُوا بِهِ شَيْئاً وَ بِالْوالِدَيْنِ إِحْساناً وَ بِذِي الْقُرْبى وَ الْيَتامى وَ الْمَساكِينِ وَ الْجارِ ذِي الْقُرْبى وَ الْجارِ الْجُنُبِ وَ الصَّاحِبِ بِالْجَنْبِ وَ ابْنِ السَّبِيلِ وَ ما مَلَكَتْ أَيْمانُكُمْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لا يُحِبُّ مَنْ كانَ مُخْتالاً فَخُوراً؛
Worship Allah and do not ascribe any partners to Him, and be good to parents, the relatives, the orphans, the needy, the near neighbour and the distant neighbour, the companion at your side, the traveller, and your slaves. Indeed Allah does not like those who are arrogant and boastful. (Nesa: 36)
Interpreters say that this advice of Qur’an includes both family and non-family neighbors, both believers and non-believers. According to the narrations, up to forty houses are neighbors on each side; as a result, in small areas and cities, everyone is a neighbor. The Imam Ali, peace upon him, says:
حَرِيمُ الْمَسْجِدِ أَرْبَعُونَ ذِرَاعاً وَ الْجِوَارِ أَرْبَعُونَ دَاراً مِنْ أَرْبَعَةِ جَوَانِبِهَا؛
The area of the mosque is forty cubits and the area of the neighbors is forty houses on all four sides of the habitat. (al-khesal, volume 2, page 544)
The pious not only do not persecute their neighbors, locals and even their fellow citizens, whether muslims or aliens, but they do not deprive them of their grace and benevolence. The Imam Ali, peace upon him, says in one of his wills:
اللَّهَ اللَّهَ فِي جِيرَانِكُمْ فَإِنَّ النَّبِيَّ أَوْصَى بِهِمْ وَ مَا زَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ يُوصِي بِهِمْ حَتَّى ظَنَنَّا أَنَّهُ سَيُوَرِّثُهُم؛
In dealing with your neighbors, consider God; indeed, the Prophet, peace and blessings of God be upon him, commanded so much about them, that we thought that he might order the neighbors to inherit from each other. (al-Kafi, volume 7,page 51)
In various narrations, the Ahl al-Bayt, peace upon them, introduced one of the signs of faith in God and the Day of Judgment not to harm the neighbors and to honor them. The holy Prophet, peace and blessings of God is upon him, said in this regard:
مَنْ كَانَ يُؤَمِنُ بِاللَّهِ وَ الْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ فَلَا يُؤْذِي جَارَهُ؛
Whoever believes in God and the Day of Judgment should not bother his neighbor. (Mostadrek al-Vasa’el, volume 8, page 422)
And he also says:
مَنْ كَانَ يُؤَمِنُ بِاللَّهِ وَ الْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ فَلْيُكْرِمْ جَارَهُ فَوْقَ مَا يُكْرِمُ بِهِ غَيْرَه؛
Everyone has faith in God and the Day of Judgment, so he should honor his neighbor more than others. (Mostadrek al-Vasa’el, volume 2, page 426)
One day, some of the companions offered to the Messenger of God, peace and blessings of God are upon him, that someone fasts during the day and stays up in worship until the morning and is a person of charity, but he annoys his neighbor with his tongue:
لا خیرَ فیها هوَ مِن اَهلِ النّارِ؛
“There is no good in him. He is from the Hell”,
They said: Someone (only) prays his obligatory prayers and does not miss the fasts of Ramadan, but he does not harm his neighbor. The holy Prophet, peace and blessings of God are upon him, said:
هوَ مِن اَهلِ الجَنَّةِ؛
He is from Paradise. (Mostadrek al-Vasa’el, volume 8, page 423)
The Messenger of God, may God bless him, said:
مَن آذی جارَهُ حَرَّمَ اللهُ عَلَیهِ ریحَ الجَنَّةِ وَ مَأواهُ جَهَنَّمُ وَ بِئسَ المَصیرُ وَ مَن ضَیَّعَ حَقَّ جارِهِ فَلَیسَ مِنّا؛
Whoever harms his neighbor, God forbids him from entering the Paradise, and his place will be the Hell, and it is a bad place, and whoever loses the right of his neighbor is not one of us. (Mwshkat al-Anvar fi Ghorar al-Akhbar, page 374)
The right of a non-muslim neighbor
In the religion of Islam, neighbors have a special place. In Islam, a neighbor is not a stranger to a neighbor, and neighbors have rights just because they are neighbors; and if they do not observe those rights, they will be under rage of the almighty God; and if they are diligent in this regard, they will not get their deserved place in front of the God. Even an alien who is a neighbor with a muslim has rights over that muslim and must be respected.
The Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him, said:
الْجِيرَانُ ثَلَاثَةٌ، فَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ لَهُ ثَلَاثَةُ حُقُوقٍ حَقُّ الْإِسْلَامِ وَ حَقُّ الْجِوَارِ وَ حَقُّ الْقَرَابَةِ، وَ مِنْهُمْ مَنْ لَهُ حَقَّانِ حَقُّ الْإِسْلَامِ وَ حَقُّ الْجِوَارِ، وَ مِنْهُمْ مَنْ لَهُ حَقٌّ وَاحِدٌ الْكَافِرُ لَهُ حَقُّ الْجِوَارِ
Neighbors are of three categories:
1- Some of them are those who have three rights: the right of Islam and the right of being a neighbor and the right of being a family member (Muslim neighbor of the family)
2- And some others have two rights: the right of Islam and the right of being a neighbor (Muslim neighbor)
2- And some of them have one right: the alien who has only the right of neighbor (Non-muslim neighbor). (Rozat al-Va’ezin va Basirat al-Mota’azzin, volume 2, page 389)
What are the rights of muslim and non-muslim neighbors, which Islam has commanded muslims to observe? We should refer to the words of the leaders of Islam.
The Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him, said:
أَ تَدْرُونَ مَا حَقُّ الْجَارِ؟ قَالُوا لَا. قَالَ: إِنِ اسْتَغَاثَكَ أَغَثْتَهُ وَ إِنِ اسْتَقْرَضَكَ أَقْرَضْتَهُ وَ إِنِ افْتَقَرَ عُدْتَ عَلَيْهِ وَ إِنْ أَصَابَتْهُ مُصِيبَةٌ عَزَّيْتَهُ وَ إِنْ أَصَابَهُ خَيْرٌ هَنَّأْتَهُ وَ إِنْ مَرِضَ عُدْتَهُ وَ إِنْ مَاتَ تَبِعْتَ جَنَازَتَهُ وَ لَا تَسْتَطِيلُ عَلَيْهِ بِالْبِنَاءِ فَتَحْجُبَ الرِّيحَ عَنْهُ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِهِ وَ إِذَا اشْتَرَيْتَ فَاكِهَةً فَأَهْدِ لَهُ فَإِنْ لَمْ تَفْعَلْ فَأَدْخِلْهَا سِرّاً وَ لَا تُخْرِجْ بِهَا وُلْدَكَ تَغِيظُ بِهَا وُلْدَهُ وَ لَا تُؤْذِهِ بِرِيحِ قِدْرِكَ إِلَّا أَنْ تَغْرِفَ لَه مِنها.
Do you know what a neighbor’s right is? They said: Nay. He said: If a neighbor asks you for help, help him, and if he asks you for a loan, lend to him, and if he is in need, meet his need; when a calamity befalls him, offer condolences to him, and if something good happens to him, congratulate him, and if he becomes ill, visit him, and if he dies, attend his funeral, and do not build your own building in a place above his building, do not block the flow of air to his house, except with his permission, and if you buy fruits, give him (some of that fruit) as a gift, and if you do not do so, secretly give it to the house. Do not send your child out with that fruit to hurt your neighbor’s child and do not bother him with the smell of your food unless you feed him with some of that food. (Maskan al-Fava’ed end faghd al-Habbat va al-Olad, page 114)
Imam Sajjad, peace upon him, says:
وَ أَمَّا حَقُ جَارِكَ فَحِفْظُهُ غَائِباً، وَ إِكْرَامُهُ شَاهِداً، وَ نُصْرَتُهُ إِذْ كَانَ مَظْلُوماً، وَ لَا تَتَبَّعْ لَهُ عَوْرَةً، فَإِنْ عَلِمْتَ عَلَيْهِ سُوءاً سَتَرْتَهُ عَلَيْهِ، وَ إِنْ عَلِمْتَ أَنَّهُ يَقْبَلُ نَصِيحَتَكَ نَصَحْتَهُ فِيمَا بَيْنَكَ وَ بَيْنَهُ، وَ لَا تُسْلِمْهُ عِنْدَ شَدِيدَةٍ، وَ تُقِيلُ عَثْرَتَهُ، وَ تَغْفِرُ ذَنْبَهُ، وَ تُعَاشِرُهُ مُعَاشَرَةً كَرِيمَةً، وَ لا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِاللَّهِ.
However your neighbor’s right is to maintain his honor in his absence, and to respect him in his presence; if he is oppressed, help him; do not look for his faults, if you see his bad, cover them; if he accepts your advice, do that in secret; do not let him fall in hardships; forgive his slip, forgive his mistake and associate with him generously; of course there is no power except the power of God. (Man La Yahzaraho al-Faghih, volume 2, page 623)