Nafsiya Reflections: The Seeds of Good Neighbourliness

Assalamualaikum wa rahmatullahee wa barakathu hu. Welcome to today's episode- ‘The seeds of good neighbourliness’

The neighbourhood is a place where people living nearby socialise , help and care about each other. A peaceful, healthy and friendly relationship with neighbours not only gives one peace of mind but also it is a requisite of our Deen.

Today, unfortunately, relationships with neighbours has come down to a bare minimum.

The relationship and the link among neighbours is continuously decreasing. Sometimes people aren’t even aware of the people living around them.

Why is it that we want to remain in our own individual shell without the interference of the people living around us?

Why is it we are so indifferent to our neighbours?

Sadly, the implementation of capitalism in our society has meant that the concept of individualism is deeply rooted. It is prevalent to such an extent that we find it hard to be good neighbours.

Even if we want to develop a relationship with our neighbours, the idea of individualism in every person makes one feel awkward and cautious in trying to be a good friendly neighbour.

If any of our neighbours are going through a crisis, one might not lend a helping hand to avoid entering someone else's ‘personal space’.

Also, we may come across neighbours who completely disregard us and their pride doesn’t let them socialise with us either. This might be because capitalism has divided society based on nationalism, religion, race and economic status.

So, a non-Muslim might be suspicious and fearful of a Muslim neighbour due to continuous propaganda and hatred spread through the media. A family in a high socioeconomic class will feel reluctant in mingling with a family of low socioeconomic status. The culprit of this division in society is capitalism, which makes the development of friendly relationships in the community challenging.

Furthermore, economic struggle and career competition in society has shackled a man where he has no time and patience to build and maintain a healthy relationship in the community.

This whole dilemma has resulted in a society where so many people live their lives in loneliness. There are homes in which elderly people live their lives in isolation without anyone from their neighbourhood giving them time for a friendly conversation or to lend a helping hand. In Western countries we have come across the news many times that a person died alone in their apartment and neighbours come to know of this only after a long time, when the pungent smell has started to affect them!

In some communities neighbours facing hate crimes are constantly harassed and troubled. The Muslims in some non muslim communities, the blacks in some white communities and vice versa are living a difficult, troubled and lonely life in their neighbourhoods.

Our Deen, Islam gives primary importance to the values of a society. All the issues that break or make the relationships of the community are considered vital for the society. Unlike Capitalism, Islam does not promote individualism. It gives high status to the relationship with neighbours.

We hear of many incidents of Prophet Muhammad(saw) having neighbours that harmed and insulted him. When, for few days, one such person didn't act in his normal harmful manner, the Prophet(Saw) was concerned about his well being and reached out to him when he needed help. That is how Prophet Muhammad showed us to treat our neighbours, regardless of their religion or ethnicity.

Due to the importance placed on the rights of neighbours by Islam , the Sahabah (radiAllahu anhum) showed great care and concern for their neighbours. A great Sahabi 'Abdullah ibn 'Amr asked his slave, after slaughtering a sheep, if he had given some to his Jewish neighbour for he had heard the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) say, 'Jibril kept on enjoining the good treatment of neighbours to such an extent that I thought he would include neighbours as heirs.’"

A society governed by Islam will break the shackles of men running against time just to survive, unable to take care of their neighbours, friends or even family.

A sincere Islamic leadership will practically show what it means to ‘look after the affairs of the people’. It would simultaneously educate the people so they can aspire to look after the affairs of those around them.

The Islamic leadership would not abandon the minorities nor would it let the dominant community discriminate against them.

With all things considered, capitalism remains the root cause for the indifference and disregard in our community. Only an Islamic society ruled by the second righteous Khilafah can lead by example in looking after the affairs of its people, and will Insha’Allah sow the seeds of care and concern for its citizens through its exemplary education system and media.

So dear listeners, while we continue to strive for its implementation, lets not forget the importance of good neighborliness so we work hard to maintain a good relationship with the people in our community, and ultimately earn great reward from Allah(swt).

Jazakamullahu khairan for joining us. Till next time,
Wasalamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu.