. IÚ IÛJ ':?Ü?I Iljj ,H c.,tÝ (cont.)

He defines neighbor as those people who live close to 1 See Sideeq Hasan Khaan, Fath al-Bayaanfi Maqaasid al-Quran (Daar al-Fikr al-Arabi), vol. 2, pp. 274-275. There are some narrations that define who exactly is a neighbor (such as, forty houses to this side and to that side of the house). However, these narrations are not authentic. 2 This is additional evidence showing the importance of treating one's wife properly. If a person is to treat his neighbor well, he must treat his wife just as well as she lives even closer to him than his neighbor. 3 Ibn Hajr, Fath, vol. 10, p. 441 . 4 See ibn Uthaimeen, Sharh Riyaadh al-Saaliheen, vol. 5 , p. 205. Hadith #1 5: "Whoever believes in Allah should ... " each other. The shareeah did not lay down any strict definition for who exactly is or is not a neighborthis is why there are so many varied opinions on the definition of neighbor. In cases like that, then, the final decision is based on language and custom. Who is considered a neighbor according to a people's language and custom is a neighbor. Who is not such considered a neighbor is not a neighbor.1 Faayi's conclusion seems to be the proper conclusion, Allah willing. Other Hadith Related to Kind Treatment to One's Neighbors There are a number of other hadith in which the Prophet (peace be upon him) stressed the importance of treating neighbors well. In some of them, the Prophet (peace be upon him) also mentioned the relationship between being a true believer and behaving well towards one's neighbor. For example, the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, :JCd, ੍੎ ;. !"\; ࣚ- GJG \ • . . , JI'· + )fr"" Ÿ ࣞ : ..;:.੏ ੐ y.. ) "Gabriel kept advising me concerning the neighbor to the point that I thought he would inherit [from his neighbor]." (Recorded by al-Bukhari and Muslim.) In another hadith, the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, ,,.. ,,,. 0 "' ,,, ,,.. r/ t;,. _··' ')\,; · ll\ • 'I( ya · •. "There are three people who Allah loves ... [One of them is] a man who is being harmed by his neighbor but he is patient until they are separated by death or 1 This hadith was recorded by Ahmad, ibn Maajah and al-Haakim. Ali Hasan al-Halabi states that its chain is sahih. Ali Hasan Abdul Hameed, Huqooq al-Jaar fl sahih al-Sunnah wa al-Athaar (Amman, Jordan: al-Maktaba al-Islaamiya, 1993), p. 3 1 . This hadith is sometimes misused. Obviously, the second woman fulfilled her requirement of prayer, fasting and so forth but she did little voluntary deeds of that nature. There are people today who do not even perform the five daily prayers and they claim to be better than those who do pray just because they are good to their neighbors or others. What they claim for themselves cannot be concluded from this hadith. 2 Recorded by Ahmad. According to Ali Hasan Abdul Hameed, its chain is sahih. Abdul Hameed, p. 33. Hadith #1 5: "Whoever believes in Allah should ... " one moves away."1 Al-Hasan al-Basri once said, "Being good to one's neighbor does not [just] mean keeping from harming him but being good to a neighbor means putting up with [his] harm. "2 However, if the person is not able to be patient or if the problem is too much for him to bear, he may take some polite steps to remedy the situation. A man came to the Prophet (peace be upon him) to complain about his neighbor and the Prophet told him to be patient. The third or fourth time he complained, the Prophet (peace be upon him) told him to put his belongings in the path. He did so and when the people tried to pass by it, they would ask why he did that and he would say that his neighbor had harmed him. They would then curse that neighbor until the bothersome neighbor said to him, "Take back your belongings to your place as, by Allah, I will never harm you again. "3 "should be courteous and generous to his [traveling] visitor" The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) then mentioned that the believer in Allah and the Last Day is generous to his visitors. He is kind and courteous to his visitor. This also means that one prepares food for the visitor and takes care of his other needs, making sure that he is comfortable without extravagance or waste.4 This implies that anywhere a Muslim travels, he will feel right at home when he comes upon his Muslim brethren. They will take him in and give him his full rights. This increases the feeling of brotherhood and love among the Muslim Ummah as a whole.5 The first point that must be discussed concerning this portion of the hadith is the meaning of the word, dhaif (u,;..a). It is usually translated as "guest".