Starting with the Neighbors Whose Home is Closest
We must remember the precise system that Islam set out when it enjoined the good treatment of neighbors. Islam directed us to give priority to the one whose house is closest, then the one who is next closest, and so on. This takes into account the closeness of the neighbors whose homes are beside one another, the issues which may frequently arise between them, and the importance of maintaining friendship and harmony.
`Aa'ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, said: "O Messenger of Allah I have two neighbors, so to which one should I send a gift?" He said, "To the one whose door is closest to yours." [Al-Bukhari-Al-Adab Al-Mufrad]
This system of priority in the good treatment of neighbors does not mean that the Muslim woman should ignore the neighbors who are further away from her home. Everyone around her home is considered to be a neighbor and thus enjoys the rights of neighbors. This system is merely the matter of organization, by means of which the Prophet encouraged taking care of the closest neighbors because he or she is the one with whom there is usually ongoing contact and interaction.
The Value of Good Neighbors
It comes as no surprise that the Muslim woman who truly applies the teachings of Islam is the best of neighbors, because good treatment of neighbors is a basic Islamic attitude that is deeply engrained in the conscience of the Muslim woman who has been brought up with the teachings of Islam, which state that the one who is kindest to her neighbors is the best neighbor in the sight of Allah: "The best of companions in the sight of Allah is the one who is best to his companion, and the best of neighbors in the sight of Allah is the one who is best to his neighbors."
The Prophet stated that ‘a good neighbor is one of the joys of a Muslim's life, because he or she guarantees comfort, security and safety’. "Among the things that bring happiness to a Muslim in this life are a righteous neighbor, a spacious house and a good steed."[Al-Haakim]
The Salaf appreciated the value of good neighbors so much that they considered having a good neighbors to be a precious blessing. One story which reflects this tells that the neighbor of Sa`eed ibn Al-‘Aas, may Allah be pleased with him, wanted to sell his house for 100,000 Dirhams, and told the would-be purchaser, "This is the price of the house, but what would you give for having Sa`eed, may Allah be pleased with him, as a neighbor?" When Sa`eed, may Allah be pleased with him, heard about this, he sent his neighbor the price of the house and told him to stay there.
This is the status of neighbors in Islam, and the attitude and behavior of good Muslim neighbors. But what about bad neighbors?
Bad Neighbors
It is sufficient misery for a bad neighbor to know that she is deprived of the blessing of faith, which is the greatest blessing in a person's life. The Prophet confirmed the fact that this blessing is stripped away from every person who persists in mistreating his or her neighbors to the extent that he or she is counted as a bad neighbor, and stated in no uncertain terms when he swore by Allah three times that such a person would be stripped of the blessing of faith: "By Allah, he does not believe. By Allah, he does not believe. By Allah, he does not believe." He was asked, "Who, O Messenger of Allah ?" He said, "The one from whose evils (or troubles) his neighbors does not feel safe."[Al-Bukhari and Muslim]
Another narration reads: "He will not enter Paradise whose neighbors are not safe from his evil (or trouble)." [Muslim]
How great must be the crime of the bad neighbors, if his mistreatment of his neighbors is depriving him of the blessings of faith and denying him entrance to Paradise!
The true Muslim woman never mistreats her neighbors, no matter what the circumstances, because mistreating neighbors or becoming involved in disputes and conspiracies is not a thing to be taken lightly: it is a major sin which destroys faith and places one's ultimate fate in jeopardy. This would be the greatest loss, and the mere thought of it makes the true Muslim woman tremble.
Good deeds are essentially based on faith in Allah, and faith in Allah is not the matter of mere words: what counts is the practical implementation of that which Allah requires of His servants. If a bad neighbor has lost her faith by persisting in her mistreatment of her neighbors, then there is no hope that Allah will accept her good deeds, no matter how great or how many they may be. They will be utterly wiped out, even if she spends her nights and days performing good deeds. The Prophet was asked: "O Messenger of Allah such-and-such a woman spends her nights in prayer, fasts during the day, and so on, and she gives in charity, but she offends her neighbors with her sharp tongue." The Prophet said: "Her good deeds will be of no avail: she is among the people of Hell."They said, "And so-and-so prays only the obligatory prayers, gives charity in the form of left-over curds, but does not offend anyone." The Prophet said: "She is among the people of Paradise."[Al-Bukhari-Al-Adab Al-Mufrad]
The Prophet counted the bad neighbors as being one of three bad types of people: "There are three worst types of people … a bad neighbor who, if he sees something good, he conceals it, and if he sees something bad he broadcasts it" [At-Tabaraani]
The Prophet's warning against harming or arguing with neighbors should always echo in our ears, and we should never forget it any time we feels the stirrings of anger or hostility towards neighbors: "The first two disputing parties to appear before Allah on the Day of Judgement will be two neighbors." [Al-Bukhari-Al-Adab Al-Mufrad]
Tolerating Bad Treatment
We should always practice patience with neighbors and not get angry or bear a grudge if they make a mistake or have some shortcomings. A Muslim woman must be tolerant and forgiving towards her neighbors, thus hoping to earn reward from Allah and to attain His love and pleasure. This is proven by the Hadeeth of Abu Dharr, may Allah be pleased with him, where the Prophet said: `Allah loves three … one who has a bad neighbor who annoys and disturbs him, but he bears it with patience and forbearance until Allah ends the matter either during his lifetime or upon the death of either of them.'"[Ahmad & At-Tabaraani]
One of the characteristics of the Muslim woman whose soul has truly been cleansed and molded by Islam is that she patiently bears the annoyances caused by her neighbors, as much as she is able. She repels their bad treatment with something that is better, and by being patient and behaving properly she sets the highest example of good treatment of one's neighbors and removes the roots of evil and hatred from their souls. Even more importantly, she is acting in accordance with the teachings of the Prophet : "Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day, let him not harm or annoy his neighbors …" [Fath Al-Baari]
Let those women rejoice who are wise, polite and forbearing neighbors, who respond in kind to their neighbors' good treatment, because they are among the righteous neighbors with whose wise and rightly-guided conduct Allah is pleased.